I am usually able to solve problems like this on my own, or just do it by eye, however it seems I have hit a wall with this one. I am working on this city landscape, pretty much from my imagination. Except I realized that I was having problems with having one of the vanishing points off the page. I don't really have an easy access to a camera so Ill do my best to show you what I mean without it. Ever since I discovered my problem I have been using a few pictures of city blocks, mainly from Chicago. This is the one that my painting is largely based on.

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My problem lies with a building that is similar to the large black one on the right. I am trying to do windows, that follow the lines that follow a point that drifts to the right. So, just assume I am trying to draw this picture.

After some search I found an illustration that attempts to explain this.

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This confuses me somehow. I feel like I need to find where this vanishing point is, but I don't know how. I think I need someone to explain this to me more thoroughly.

If your VP is a long way off the page, place your drawing on a large table and pin a length of string at the VP, this can then be moved around to give you your guide lines.

Hope this is what you mean?

I think it helps to actually draw your lines on the picture following linear parts (as I did below). You can tell exactly where the first vanishing point is and where your horizon line is. Following the second set of linear parts to a second vanishing point shows you that it would be very far off and these lines are almost parallel because of this. It does show that they need to angle slightly down to the right. This should help you with an imaginative building if it is being viewed from this same perspective.
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That's excellent Steve, combine that with the Loomis illustration posted by Aviation and you can't miss.

Not to mention the third VP.

wow..this is an issue i have long had trouble with..perspective..i have learned alot about this matter here on drawspace and it has helped me progress. I still have troubles but i am learning more about it all the time and this was very informative..thanks barb for posting the pic and steve that string is an AWESOME idea

Songsparrow- I love the string idea. Its so simple, its odd I havent thought of it. But for this, my point is so far off, that I don't think I have enough room to maneuver it.

Bkluver - I think that was what I needed. I for some reason never thought about manipulating it like that on the computer. I think I need to visualize those lines extending towards the points more than actually having them on my work.

Ah, Im not worrying about the third vp right now. I don't even think the third vp is that noticeable in the buildings in the distance of that picture.

I have even given a presentation for my speech class about perspective drawing, and deep enough that I covered the instance of using the sixth vp. And so I was quite frustrated that I ran into this wall. But I will work on these ideas next time I work and see if they help.

Chasing down a line to a VP that is beyond your table space just doesn't make good sense.

But all is not lost. Use a caliper. In this simple example, I use the known angle of the side of the structure to get the angle right across the top. If you would try to find the VP for the top, you would probably end up in the next county.

See, this was the method I saw explained before and couldn't understand. Could you perhaps use a larger picture or a simpler building? Because I am not sure what angle we are talking about.

You can use a caliper for any or all of the angles. Attached is a 2 page pdf to get you started... if you need more help, just yell. If it is too simplified, I apologize.

Haha, I get it. I was making it to be more difficult than it was. I was thinking that you were supposed to actually find the VP, but you are simply tracing it, which is just as effective. Thank you

Wow.
I'm not (yet) into perspective, angles and stuff like that.
But I will certainly memorize the information in this thread for the time I will.
Thank you all,

Trees