Students begin by writing their names in big block letters on a piece of paper. Use one-point perspective to create lines that reach back to a single spot on the page. Have the students write their name or initials and do the same perspective activity using two-point perspective or three-point perspective. These techniques use more than one vanishing point, but the concept is the same. Use rulers to keep the lines straight and angled correctly.
Ask students to draw a room with colored pencils, using one-point or two-point perspective. They can choose a domestic living room or kitchen or a more elaborate public space, such as a room in a museum. Use rulers to keep the vanishing point consistent. Add surreal elements by gluing on images from magazines. Use a utility knife to cut out windows, cupboards, doors or other openings to place additional images. The finished picture will be a surreal collage using perspective.
Use a compass to create a large circle on the page. Continue using the compass to fill the circle with smaller concentric circles. Choose a point on one of the circles to use as the vanishing point. Draw straight lines from this point out to the edge of the last circle. Keep one end of the ruler on the point and move the other end slightly each time. Create a checkerboard optical illusion by filling in every other space with a black marker. Students can also try this project with squares or other shapes. Consider making four different op-art checkerboard circles and mounting them on a single sheet of paper side by side. Alternately, conduct this lesson in perspective on a computer equipped with Microsoft Paint. This program comes free on all Windows machines.