The idea of a bird's eye view is a form of perspective drawing but seen or imagined from a high vantage point. It was made popular in the late 19th century by the architectural draughtsman H.W.Brewer who made town and city perspective of places like Oxford, London, Manchester, Liverpool, etc. Here (above left) is his view of a heavily industrialised Birmingham in 1886. It was given away as a popular print in The Graphic newspaper. Growing up in Birmingham I was aware of this image and always found it fascintating. Eventually I managed to buy a copy in a print shop in Covent Garden; they are quite rare now as being printed on cheap newsprint not many have survived.
In 2014 it was the 200th anniversary of the RBSA (Royal Birmingham Society of Artists) and so for their exhibition I decided to make an update of Brewer's view (above right). This turned out to be more tricky than you might think as - after drawing in the buildings which remain from 1886 - I then had the job of filling in the rest. It's said that Brewer made his drawings from an air balloon but I've found no definite evidence of this. I ended up sketching the elevations of buildings and then estimating their comparative heights. Google's satellite view showed me the roof structures. I'll have to make another update soon though as due to Birmingham's ongoing mania for demolition and renewal (the town's motto is Forward) my view is already out of date.
My drawing is featured in The Birmingham Art Book and prints can be bought from my online shop.