I laugh when people say that artists can't do math, because there's a lot of math required for a good painting. I've been working on the composition for this new narrative painting and I've finally got the composition down. In my previous post, I had a really rough composition, but it's now refined and the shapes are all worked out.
A really good tool for composition and proportion is tracing paper. I traced the pose from a detailed study I did and then was able to move it around in the composition until I found a pleasing pose. Then I taped down the tracing paper and drew a proportional rectangle around the composition. All of this is done in pencil because a lot of erasing is involved. I also always have a sense of life-sized scale in my mind. I keep this in mind because I want my canvas to be roughly 2/3 life size. I measured my dog, Maea, and found out she's about 20" long when in the pose I need. So I want her to be about 13" in scale for the canvas. I usually measure in centimeters and then convert to inches because centimeters are more accurate with my small drawing. The formula I use for figuring out the final size is: A/B = C/D In this case: A is the width of my sketch (2.95") B is the height of my sketch (3.54") C is the width of my final canvas D is the height of my final canvas This is where I keep the models size in my mind to figure out a pleasing canvas. Since she's a small dog, I don't want a huge canvas. Because C and D are my unknowns, I used large rulers and laid out a width that would give me enough room for the dog and surrounding. I decided on a 24" width. Because I know my variable, C, then I can use the formula to find out D 2.95(A) 24(C) 3.54 (B) X 24 (C) = 84.96 --------- = ---------- 84.96 / 2.95 (C) = 28.8 (D) 3.54(B) D The equation of (B X C) will give you a number that, when divided by C will give you D. It's a really simple equation that I use all the time. After I have the final canvas size, I always lay it out on the floor to see if I think it looks good. I always end up making small changes, even after all that math. I ended up rounding my canvas height to 30" because it's a more pleasing rectangle. It's more work and it's always worth it.
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I'm very excited to announce that I'll be a teaching assistant for Mr. Basil Baylin on Monday nights for his class at the Ridgewood Art Institute.
Also, I'm currently working on on several studies for a narrative painting which derived from a series of croquis. The croquis will eventually turn into paintings. The one I'm working on now is titled The Butterfly and is a narrative painting with my dog, Maea, as the model. Maea is a papillon, which means butterfly in french. They're named papillon because their ears looks like butterfly wings. The painting is a scene where the dog steps up onto a stone to look more closely at a blue butterfly which has landed on a yellow evening primrose. I'm very excited because this isn't a portrait, it's a narrative work. She is curious and in the act of looking at the butterfly. I feel like my best portraits have a subtle element of narrative within them, but this will be a painting with a visible narrative. And I think the colors will work beautifully also. Once my studies are done, I will be beginning work on the full canvas. I've been wanting to write about thumbnail (croquis) sketches for a while because I love drawing them. I love them because it's an escape into another world and you can draw whatever you'd like.
Here are some tips that I've picked up through sketching. 1. Begin with an Idea -This is immensely important because the idea is what guides your pencil. Envision something and write a little story about it. I do this with all my pet portrait commissions as well. I imagine the dog in a mountain setting and then sketch what my minds thinks of. 2. Draw from Imagination + Real Life -Combine things you come across in day to day life. If you have a well in your front yard, imagine a scene with a girl drawing water. This works for everything from ordinary objects to landscape scenes. Hold these forms in your mind and transcribe them while you're there or at the end of the day. 3. It's Better to Draw Something than Nothing -Keep your pencil moving across the page. Draw on anything you can. Some of my best croquis are done on the backs of old envelopes or napkins. This is because I end up letting go and not worrying about each work. Turn the forms in your mind and treat everything in terms of shape. Line and shape are more important than value at this stage. 4. Don't Make Each one Perfect -As Voltaire said, "The perfect is the enemy of the good." Don't sacrifice a good croquis in order to make a perfect croquis; there is no such thing as a perfect croquis. Draw rough volumes instead of details. The beauty is that no one will ever see it anyway so draw as many of you can! Mark your calendars!
Date: Sunday, June 14th Time: 1:00-3:00 pm Where: Camp Bow Wow Rockland 101 Route 304, Nanuet, NY 10954 https://www.facebook.com/events/460796387418823/ |
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