Drawing of Hillhead.
[NLS reference: Acc.12915]
View larger Hillhead illustration
Illustration of Hillhead, Glasgow, viewed from the west, 2007
An original pen and ink illustration by Alasdair Gray. Gray used it to illustrate his book 'Old Men in Love', first published by Bloomsbury in 2009.
It demonstrates Gray's working process of using paper and glue to make additions to his work.
Suggested activity
Use this source as a starting point for considering cityscapes, perspective, and viewpoints.
What might have been the vantage point for this image? Do you think it's based on a real or an imagined vantage point? Could all of the buildings shown in the image be seen at the same time in real life?
Consider whether the buildings are in correct proportion to each other. Does Gray emphasise some by enlarging them and, if so, why might he have chosen to do this?
After considering these questions, use the image as the starting point for a project to create a pen and ink drawing of your local area or a place that you're very familiar with.
You might like to use imagined perspectives, or to play with proportions and perspective to emphasise building and features that have a personal significance.