Subject: Eye
judging Shadows for rendering
Questiona
- I have some difficulties in judging
the depth of shadows while focusing my eyes at the object I'm going to
draw. Later on with my eyes more relaxed
I realized that I judged them (shadows) wrongly.
But Focusing and relaxing
my eyes too often tire me physically and also
even more mentally (I got bored).
Could you give me some suggestions and your advices
for this practical
problem ??
Answer:
I sense two separate conditions:
1) traditional representational
painting uses a tonal system that translates the outside world into tones
of grey - ranging from white to black - usually 9 tones.
Nature has a greater tonal range than your paint.
The white of your paint is not as white as the white in nature and the
same goes for the black.
You use your white paint to represent the light
in nature and your black to represent the dark in nature. You look at your
scene and make a judgmnet about the tone of an object. where does that
object fit in terms
of light and dark, is it half way, threequarters
of the way between natures light and dark etc.
If You judge the object to be half way between
natures light and dark then you mix a grey half way between your white
and black to represent the objects tone. You do this with all the objects
you want to paint. You will eventually think in term of a tonal plan.
Using this tonal system allows you to become aware
that the darkness of the shadow you see bears a proportional relationship
(not a direct relationship) to the darkness you are going to use in a painting.
Your problem is that you are trying for a direct
relationship and that is impossible.
2) looking at the
object. Yes, that will tire your eyes, especially the impact of simultanious
contrast (darks appear darker when surrounded by light and lights appear
lighter when surrounded by darks). Don't look as much and look an inch
or so to the side of the object so the object is out of focus in the corner
of your eye. This method is also good for evaluating colour.
You will get more ideas if you visit my "writings
on art" at: "https://www.tinmangallery.com"
take care: keith
|
Questionf,
can you help me to locate some Web Sites that
display contemporay
sketches of women?
I don't want a detailed sketch of a particular
woman, I want an impression
of woman. Does that make sense?
Answer -
Yes, what you say makes sense.
I don't know of any sites that display
contemporary sketches of women or any that also
satisfy your criteria to create an impression of woman.
The image of male or female is normally
differentiated by general shape and belief.
The female has wider hips narrower sholders etc.
In our modern world there is a fashion shape and then there is an erotic
shape. The fashion shape is thin with hips that could not bear children.
The so called modern erotic shape seems to be top heavy.
You will also notice that in life class
(painting from the nude) the female models
are more passive and the male models are more
active, even though neither is moving. The male model radiates an outflow
of energy the female does not. This is a more intutive perception than
the average student experiences - I think I captured some of
this effect in my fall paintings 2000 (on my
site)
I am trying to give you ideas that you may use
to construct your own concept of woman. You have to search into your own
feeling and generalize your impressions - that takes a great deal of time.
I am not sure what you mean by detail - so
many people try to copy with out knowing how
to translate what they see into planes and thus create a generalized shape
that has interprative value. I think the photo has done a great deal of
harm in this respect. You seem to want more than just making a copy of
a female figure.
This is a very complex area and If you feel that
you would like some supplementary
clarification please feel free to submit more
questions.
take care: keith
|
| Subject: sound and
light
Questiong
: I'm a studied musician. I'm being
laughed at by "experts" in the lighting
field. They are all asking each other and none
of them can remember ever reading about color, grey scale and music.
I have a ton of books on music and theory and can't remember which
book I found it in. Now I'm insulted and have to prove (which I hate)
that I'm correct in order to get an apology. If possible you would help
out a fellow artist and send me some web pages on the subject I would be
ever in your debt.
Answer:
I have a book somewhere, on the relationships
between music and colour, but I can't find it just now - it also relates
different instruments to colour.
Even having a book in your hands to prove that
such analysis has been done does not
mean anything. They can just argue that if it
had value it would be taught in the schools.
Think about it for a minute. (1) musical notes
fall into a sequence of ascending sounds, (2) coloured light falls into
a sequence of colours including a dark to light sequence, (3) grey's fall
into a sequence of tones from dark to light. You say
you are a trained musician, then you know
about keys and transposing between keys. So it's
just a transposition problem between
different perceptual sequences - sound and light.
You are trying to talk about art (which is designing
and discovering systems of relationships based upon human perceptual systems)
to technical specialists (interpretation of rules and procedures) and it
can't be done, but by trying to prove things to them you are moving your
thinking away from the art level and being thrown into the technical level,
and that is not in your best
interest.
take care: keith
|
|
Subject:
organic art
Questionh
- What are the definitions of organic and
inorganic art? & What are the differences between them?
Answer -
Traditionally organic art is the name given to
a work of art that uses in it's design of forms, soft flowing curves, derived
from soft skined life forms generally referred to as feminine forms. They
evoke deep memories of infant nurturing - that's why I am against the idea
that you should not
pick up your crying child because it will spoil
it - but that's another topic.
Traditionally inorganic art is the name given
to a work of art that uses
in it's design of forms, straight lines and sharp
corners sometimes referred to as masculine forms. They evoke deep infant
experience memories of having hurt ourselves on sharp objects.
The above definition satisfies the requirements
of your question as to
definition and difference.
Now the question becomes how do we use them in
a work of art. Some artists lean towards using one or the other depending
on the subject, others try to use both and create tensions between them.
take care: keith
|
Questionb
- Is there something
I can put on my pictures, in pencil, so they stop smearing?
Answer -
This is an old problem.
After your pencil drawing is finished it can be
sprayed with artists fixative available at art supply stores. I have tried
acrylic with some
success.
The problem is that there is a trade off. Fixative
sprays change the surface of the paper and how it reflects light. Some
artists don't mind that change - it can darken your tints - it can add
a shine etc, other artists care about anything comming between the viewers
eye and the pure graphite.
If the smearing occurs while drawing (because
you rest your hand on the
paper) there are special drawing bridges that
you can rest your hand on. I think I saw one in daniel smith art supply
catalogue - try
"https://www.danielsmith.com"
Another problem may be that you use very soft
pencils that deposit a lot of graphite on the paper such that it shines
or the paper you are using is very smooth - In that case you may not care
if the fixative adds a bit of
shine or changes the tint.
As you can see there are variables such as: the
type of paper the type of pencil and the drawing style all of which together
can influence the outcome.
I hope this has been of help:
take care: keith
|
Subject: Perspectives
Questionc
- What are perspectives and when are they
used? Is there any additional
information that I should know about perspectives?
Thank you
Answer -
Perspectives are just different ways of looking
at things. You can have a graphic image with multiple perspectives. All
you do is use different vanishing points in the same image. Some
artists feel this is a more
natural way because it follows the focus of the
eye. Other artists feel that everything must be subordinate to the strict
rules of perspective.
Multiple perspectives are used as an emotional
aspect of the artists
graphic expression.
take care: keith
|
Subject: Negative
space
Questiond
- How do I produce a negative space drawing,
any advice would help thanks.
Answer -
I have always disliked the term "negative space".
It only confuses people.
The old fashioned phrase is: "figure ground relationships".
For example: an apple is a "figure". The area around the apple was
refered to as the ground. Now it is called negative space. (the term
negative space is part of that meaningless jargon called "artspeak" and
is meant to impress more than to describe)
Now, when you ask the question: "how do
I produce a negative space drawing", the answer is leave the page blank.
You can now see what I mean when I say that the popular idea of negative
space just confuses people.
I would suggest that you use the old phrase "figure
ground" it makes more sense. For example: you can have an apple on a plate
- the plate becomes the ground for the apple, but the plate can be on a
table - now the table
becomes a ground for the plate etc.
Now lets try that with modern terms. The positive
space (apple) is surrounded by negative space (plate) which in turn is
converted to positive space because the table is negative space for the
plate and we
can't have a negative space on a negative space.
Now if you want to have fun with people you can
use this sensless language which has no meaning, but in the end you will
only confuse yourself.
Your teachers will insist you use the term negative
space but now you have a better idea of what it means - call it what they
want after all they are giving you the marks.
have fun: keith
|
Subject: Free online
art classes
Questione
-
I am a 55 year-old, disabled woman. My
disability is Post Polio Syndrome and, as this is a progressive illness,
I find it increasingly difficult to do anything requiring physical strength.
I have always loved to sketch,
mainly pencil drawings, but at one time I did
work in pen and ink, as well as water colors. About a year
ago I suffered a fall and, unfortunately, had a glass in my right hand
which shattered on impact severing the ulnar nerve and artery in my right
wrist. Yes, of course, I am right handed. Even more
devastating than the injury itself, I did not
receive proper medical treatment initially and, months later, was told
by a neurosurgeon and hand specialist that this would have completely saved
the function of my hand ....
Answer -
This may appear to you an unusual answer. Every
morning when I go to the washroom I take a small sketch book from
the drawer and do a quick memory sketch of a figure. It only takes a few
minutes. Every evening I take out
another larger sketch book and do a quick
memory sketch of a figure.
I do other sketches and paintings as you can see
from my web site at:
"https://www.tinmangallery.com", but that is the
minimum I do every day and I keep every black bound classical sketch book
that I have sketched in.
You leave me with the impression that you have
sketched before and have obtained a skill level. You seem to be looking
for a schedule that will remind you to sketch every day. If you adapt a
morning and evening routine you will start to sketch more often.
When I was 45 I decided to begin training my hand
to never rest on the paper when sketching - I am now 61 and can't
sketch with my hand resting on the paper. Draw with your arm, your
hand only holds the pencil - don't even move your wrist. Next, think of
drawing as a form of dancing. In music you have long and short notes.
In dancing you have long and short steps (some dancing).
Think of moving your arm - your hand is holding
the pencil - while at the same time think of musical notes and dance
steps - and move your arm in short and long movements going in different
directions. In stead of
dancing with your feet you want to dance with
your arm and the paper is the floor.
Using this method you can produce a conjunctive
line. You can take your pencil off the paper sometimes but just make a
line - don't lift your pencil and start a second line in the same of different
direction. The
objective is to feel the dancing aspect
of drawing and painting.
If you have a need to reproduce exactly what you
see - like a photograph - then this process will not be of much help until
you give up the need for accuracy.
I stress working from inside your head and not
becoming dependent upon exterior objects and I stress feeling as opposed
to mechanical reproducing of shapes and tones. Art comes from inside not
outside.
I hope that some of my view points will be of
help to you. You will note that I have not recommended an on-line art class.
You leave me with the impression that you have a skill level and I think
you need more of an
artistic feeling approach than a technically
"how do I" based approach.
take care: keith
|
|
|
