Perspective (from Latin perspicere, to see clearly) in the graphic arts, such as drawing, is an approximate representation, on a flat surface (such as paper), of an image as it is perceived by the eye. The two most characteristic features of perspective are:
* Objects are drawn smaller as their distance from the observer increases * The distortion of items when viewed at an angle (spatial foreshortening)
Foreshortening refers to the visual effect or optical illusion that an object or distance is shorter than it actually is because it is angled toward the viewer.