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Free Helpful Tips - Compositional Role of Object Placement and Viewpoint Selection

Saturday, November 22nd, 2008

Pencil Drawing Fundamentals - The Compositional Role of Object Placement and Viewpoint Selection

In this article we will learn about some of the considerations to be made when it comes to creating a composition or selecting a particular viewpoint.

First, let us introduce a few definitions:

Eye Level - The eye level is the height of the line (eye level line) that connects your two pupils. This assumes that you stand vertically on a level surface.

Eye Level Plane - A horizontal plane drawn through the eye level line is called the eye level plane. This plane divides a scene into an upper and a lower half space. It is worth mentioning and to remember that to see objects in the upper half space you will need to look up and to see those in the lower one you will need to look down.

Horizon - The intersection of the eye level plane and a face-on vertical plane is called a horizon. An example of a close approximation of a horizon is the actual ocean horizon you see when standing on a beach. You will find that to view anything below the horizon your eyeballs need to rotate downward and to view anything above the horizon you will have to rotate your eyeballs upward.

Now, when you create a composition, you must first consider the height at which you will place the objects. This is critical because many compositions are weakened when the placement of the objects is either too high or too low relative to the horizon.

It is good practice to ask questions such as: Would my objects look better if I saw them from above? Would the composition benefit from lowering my eye level? What if the horizon were to split the objects? This last option means that a particular object is located such that part of it is above the horizon and part of it is below the horizon. That is, you see neither the top nor the bottom of the object.

The choice of placement of the objects relative to the horizon depends to a large extent on the form and the number of objects that participate in your composition.

Next to the placement of your objects relative to the horizon, your composition will also be fundamentally influence by your choice of viewpoint.

The viewpoint is determined by the location of the eye level plane and the location of your eyes on the eye level line. To help you understand the effect of the viewpoint on a composition, place a group of objects on a table and start varying your viewpoint, i.e., change the eye level plane by moving your eye level line up or down and then also by moving your eyes along the eye level line.

The idea is to study these different viewpoints, i.e., see how the composition changes when the viewpoint changes. Some of the objects will begin to intersect with others. Others will now show their top or bottom. At the same time you can also change the placement of the objects relative to each other to improve certain compositions that you found.

It is clear that both the placement of objects and the selection of a viewpoint drastically influence the composition of a scene. Your task as an artist is to change both placement and viewpoint in such a way that you end up with the composition that suits your artistic requirements the best.

It makes good sense to learn the difference. This can be done by developing your artistic sensibility for composition. One way to do this is to pay attention to composition when you study the work of great artists. In fact, the greatness of the work of some artists rests specifically on their talent for seeing good composition.

With this I hope that you now have developed awareness as to the importance of object placement and viewpoint selection and how they influence composition and therefore the attractiveness of your work.

Read how to draw with pencil, beginners oil painting tips and some glimpse of art with the home decorating interiors.

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Prints By Sue Macartney Snape Going Down A Storm

Saturday, November 15th, 2008

I went to an exhibition in 2006, that was at the Lygon arms, Broadway. The artist was Sue Macartney-Snape who has the day job of illustrating topical caricature in the Telegraph, I think the section in the Telegraph was titled the “Social Stereotypes” column. I had sought to purchase one of Sue Macartney Snape’s prints at the exhibition but discovered myself in the infuriating position of having no cash to spend.

I have since discovered how fashionable her individual prints are with her work eagerly sought after by many members of high society. Personally I’m sure that a lot of the people Sue Macartney Snape illustrates have one or two of her caricature prints secretly stashed somewhere in there home. Once again I digress, I went looking for a piece of her work online and discovered a few sites that allowed me to purchase pieces of her work.

I specifically liked the picture “collecting cuttings” with the lovely caricatures that she makes feel so bright and jolly among the trappings of an English garden reminding me of relatives getting their heads together over Corporate fundraising. I had Sue Macartney Snape’s print sent to me via the mail and it now has pride of place in my Fitted kitchen. There was a limited run on the prints of six hundred and each picture was 22” X 18” without a mount. A picture framing company mounted and framed the print and was extremely pleased with the results.

Anyone that has not yet had the pleasure of looking at her work should check her out as she has a witty take on the strange structure that is British society.

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Free Guidelines to Qualities of Color

Friday, October 10th, 2008

Tips on Oil Paintings - The Qualities of Color

Any color in existence has three qualities that completely determine the color:

1) Hue

2) Value

3) Intensity

We will now precisely explain what each quality means.

Hue - The hue of a color is simply the name of the color. For example, yellow, red, green-yellow, etc.

Temperature is really an element of hue. The warms colors are the yellows and the reds while the cool colors are the greens and the blues.

However, temperature is a relative term. For example although two different blues are both cool colors, one blue can be warmer than another blue.

For example French Ultramarine Blue leans towards the violet while Phthalo Blue leans towards green. Therefore French Ultramarine Blue is a warmer blue than Phthalo Blue although both blues are cool.

Value - Value refers to the lightness or darkness of the color. If you squint you will see that, for example, that yellow is lighter than blue. The value of a color is actually the most important property of a color in relation to painting.

Intensity - Intensity of a color refers to its brightness or dullness. The more saturated or the purer a color is the more intense it is. A color coming straight out of the tube is in its most intense state. Any mixture will dull the tube color and therefore make it less intense. It is however possible to make most mixtures more intense by adding a touch of one color or another.

Now, if you can nail down the hue, the value, and the intensity of a color you will have reproduced that color. Based on this observation we can outline a mental procedure to guide us with the mixing of colors.

Observe - First you observe the color. For example, is it a certain blue or is it red?

Select - Then you select the color on your palette that resembles the observed color the best.

Analyze - Of course, as you would expect, the pure tube color on your palette will rarely match the color you observed. Therefore, we now must identify how the two colors differ from each other. In this, we need to concentrate on three things: hue, value, and intensity. Does the color need to be adjusted in terms of hue? Does the value need to be adjusted? For example, does this blue need to be darkened or lightened?

Finally, does the intensity of the color need to be adjusted? For example, does the blue need to be brighter or duller? One, two, or all three of these qualities may need adjustment.

So, in this article we have looked at the three important qualities of color: hue, value, and intensity. We defined what they are and were able to extract a procedure that we can follow every time we wish to transfer an observed color to our canvas.

In the beginning you will make many mistakes and the going will be slow. It is generally hard to judge the three qualities of a color and it takes practice. This is particularly the case with judging values and intensities. Nevertheless, you need to practice this procedure every day and over and over again. However, one day it will become second nature just like riding a bicycle. Also, in the beginning don’t be too fussy but try over time to become better and better at it.

Read more about the neighbor topic of pencil drawing. Plus, get extra tips on the tattoo art - upper back tattoos info.

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Arizona Boudoir Photography

Sunday, May 25th, 2008

Models and photographers alike are interested in boudoir photography these days. Sensuous images are an important element in any portfolio. Since Playboy first displayed the beauty of Marilyn Monroe on its cover in 1953, men and women have enjoyed looking at sexy bodies tastefully and artistically presented. Queen Victoria finally lost her stranglehold on sensuality in western civilization. Today most adults view sexuality as a normal and accepted part of their lives. We no longer shy away from pictures of human bodies displayed in various art forms. However, the photography industry needs to understand the difference between quality sexy pictures and trash.

Photographers know what pictures they intend to take before the camera gets out of the bag. And they generally know how they intend to use the photos. Photographers intend pornography when they take trashy pictures. Trash isn’t difficult to identify. It’s all skin and no art.

Boudoir photography is an art form. Pictures of scantily clad models that imply nudity can be created with good posing and lighting. Tasteful and artistic images of a beautiful woman in various stages of boudoir attire reflect her poise and dignity. Although sensual photos are revealing, many boudoir photos are not of nudes. They visually suggest, but don’t cross the line between implying and revealing. When the photographer does choose a nude pose, the emphasis is on artistic. The detail of composition creates a quality photo that gives a clue to the highly sensitive nature of this kind of work.

A boudoir is a woman’s bedroom or sitting room. However, photos in this category today are not just bedroom shots. Other rooms in a home or studio, or outdoor shots, become good settings for quality sensuous pictures. The setting is less important than understanding what makes for a good sexy image; the foundation for quality is artistic tastefulness. Neither the photographer nor the model should forget that.

Boudoir photos put the relationship between photographer and model on a new level. She has to trust the photographer’s skill and his/her ethics. And the photographer must not betray that trust. He/she respects trust boundaries and understands it is a required professional competency. A good model does her research ahead of time; she knows the reputation of the photographer before ever meeting him/her. Her self-confidence level is high; it has to be if she is going to expose so much of herself, physically and emotionally, to the camera.

A final word for the average woman in our readership… You don’t have to be a model to love seeing yourself in a soft and sensual portrait. Whether the one holding the camera is a professional photographer or your friend or spouse or significant other, you love seeing your persona captured in a photo. You don’t have to be ‘beautiful’ as described by a beauty magazine. Photographing a woman in her natural state, with the emphasis on soft and sensual, good posing, carefully defined lighting and effective communication between picture-taker and model all results in incredible and tasteful artistic photos she will treasure forever. This information was provided by the experts at Arizona Boudoir Photography dot com.

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