Drawing techniques: camera obscura

'Camera Obscura' is Latin for 'dark room'. It describes an enclosed space with a small hole in one side, sometimes fitted with a lens, through which light enters to form an inverted image of the outside world on a screen placed opposite the hole. The concept of the camera obscura was known from at least the 4th century BC, but it was probably not adapted for use as an artist’s aid until the 15th century.

It became particularly popular in the 18th century when many portable versions were developed. Many artists are known to have used one, including Canaletto (1697-1768) and Paul Sandby (1730-1809), whose works you can see in this section.

An artist could use the camera obscura as a drawing aid by tracing the images projected on the screen. The camera obscura could be useful for establishing the fundamental structure or perspective of a composition, but the artist still has to translate the projected image into a work of art by making marks on the paper or canvas.