Lesson 37
Chapter 17 of "The
Way To Happiness" deals with Competence. I've found that
too many limit their own progress as an artist with the concept
that they "haven't got the talent." 90% of being
a good professional artist is about looking for yourself,
learning (including good study habits), and practicing what
you have learned to become Competent. If you are interested
in a free copy of "The Way to Happiness", please
email me for one.
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Notes on composition basics
Sometimes, what's lacking in a student's instruction, is
just the very basics. The teacher, having covered this many
times, feels that everybody must know this.
What follows is some basic basic notes on composition. It's
not meant to been inclusive and it's certainly not meant to
be exclusive. It's just a few ideas to get you started.
Canvases are generally rectangular and they are generally
painted on either horizontally or vertically. When the canvas
is turned horizontal, it is referred to as "landscape".
When vertical, it is referred to as "portrait."
This is for the very simple reason that landscapes are usually
painted on a horizontal canvas and portraits on a vertical
canvas.
Landscape composition
If you were to take a horizontal canvas and divide it down
the middle, both vertically and horizontally, you'd have made
four equal subrectangles. This is considered a very stable
design but very boring as a composition. If, on the other
hand, you divided it into thirds, both horizontally and vertically,
and you used one of the horizontal lines as your main horizontal
axis and one of the vertical lines as the position for the
strongest vertical thrust in the painting, it seems to be
generally agreed that you'll come up with a more pleasing
composition. Note that whether you choose the lower or the
upper of the horizontal lines will determine whether you are
emphasizing the land or the sky.
Note that you don't have to use a horizontal format to paint
a landscape. However, I've read that the horizontal format
sells better. (Fits above couches, etc.)
Portrait composition
Just from my own experience, if you are doing a portrait,
and you are using the "portrait" format, you would
do well to loosely apply the same principal. Don't put the
focal point of the painting dead in the center of the canvas.
Instead, locate the focal point (generally the eyes, but not
necessarily) in the upper part and a bit to left or right
of center.
I can only speculate on why this is "good" composition.
Here's my take on it. The artist wants the viewer to "contribute"
to the painting or to "be in communication with"
the painting. That requires that the viewer be able to give
something back to the painting. If the painting is slightly
off-center, it contributes to a sense of motion that leads
the viewer to shift his eyes around the painting.
Focal point
One other basic point. You may hear artists and critics talk
about "Focal Point." This is a term that also applies
to photography. The North Light Dictionary of art terms defines
focal point as the center of interest in a picture. It is
useful to have some idea of this concept. In using our eyes
in daily life, we tend to focus on the thing that we are looking
at. Although we are not aware of it, everything else is actually
a bit out of focus. Keeping that in mind, as an artist, you
may want to assess what you want to be your "focal point"
in your picture. Then, the question is, how do we convey this
to the viewer? Well, a very simple principle is: The area
of greatest contrast is the focal point. I've
tried to show that in the simple drawing below, where the
simple white triangle, surrounded by the darker forms is the
area of greatest contrast.
However, don't get too stuck on the above principles. If
you look at a variety of art, you're going to see an almost
infinite number of ways to make an interesting picture.
Perhaps the most important principle is: making a painting
is an adventure. Each stroke on the canvas is a journey that
attempts everything and risks everything. Don't get too serious
about it. It's to enjoy.
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