Class 4: FoD – Compositions, Finding Balance

We have done a lot in 3 classes.

We practiced seeing SHAPE and VALUE.

We practiced drawing CREATING LINES, MAKING SHADOW, MAKING A TEXTURE, and more!

We know the value in VALUE (difference between light and dark values).

We can also control the edges in our work to make soft shadows or sharp, crisp edges.

The rest of our classes we will be practicing composition. We will do exercises to see what composition is, and what are the parts and mechanics.

Elements (Parts) in a Composition

There are 6 building blocks or parts you can put in your composition. If you try an say “There’s one more Kelli!” It’s actually just something we can break down into one of these elements.

Line: a long narrow mark that has length in a particular direction

Value: relative lightness or darkness of a color; the relation of one part in a picture to another with respect to   lightness and darkness

Shape: the particular form or appearance of something

Don’t forget our new term from last week, edge. Edge isn’t an element of art (it is created from value contrast, or texture contrast) , but this definition helps create many other things in your work.

Edge: the place or line where something begins or ends.

The next 2 are new, but you’ve already have them in your drawings:

Space: The area around, inside, & between (related to the artwork)
It is the opposite of a shape. Sometimes called negative space (but there’s nothing negative about it!)

Not everything can be a shape or an object.

Space is those shapes that don’t define an object, or a portion of an object. This can be a background, or a large napkin under some fruit. It’s something that doesn’t look like a main object in our art, but it is definitely something you have to get the right proportion of and value.

Texture: Actual or implied change of a surface from varied mark-making or change in media.

Some artists hate texture and want all values and lines to be perfectly smooth.

Some artists want ALL THE MARKS to be a highlight of the art and seen in all parts of it (I’m that kind of artist).

Some want to use texture to just suggest different surfaces like a plant, to cardboard, to fabric.

You can do any combination of the above. You create texture, by varying your marks, and leaving some of that mark on the page.

Now that we are clear on those terms, let’s get to the main term for the next 3 classes.

Composition Definition

Composition: The harmonious arrangement of the parts of a work of art in relation to each other and to the whole

I bet you have some photos that you’ve already seen in this class that you liked how things were arranged better than others, I know I do!

Can you think of some of your favorites? Go back and look at them, and see if you can put into words some you like.

Let’s take a look at a few.

This one has good value changes, but… just that singular vase in the middle, and the fabric is just laid around it without thinking adjusting the shadows in the background to accentuate the vase. Bleh.

This one has good shaped vases, but taken at a horrible angle that the shadows get confused with the vales. The shapes of shadow and vase isn’t clear. This would look better if the left vase was much taller, and the right vase was moved up, or a little taller, so that top shadow edge isn’t so dominating, so the vases are featured.

This one has good value changes, and clear shapes of the items, but since the items are a tall vase, and the other 3 items are virtually the same height, it cuts the composition in a unpleasing way. Try to choose items to the side of the tall item to have some variance of height.

These pieces are missing some harmony in their arrangement in items. And with the second one, it’s missing some clarity of what items are. Sometimes we need to arrange things differently.

Now, how to we make good compositions?

I want you to start off with these first items.

Good Composition Guidelines

Select items for your still life. Start off with 3–6 items. You can do a few more, but those extra items MUST be the exact same object(s). These items need to be simple, nothing too complex. You may have noticed in class that a piggy bank can be a bit tricky, so use that as a baseline. Fruits are actually a good item! Maybe a simple child’s toy, look around and try it!
Get a light source. Maybe you have a good desk lamp, or maybe you have a good window (during the daytime, nighttime doesn’t count) to sit items in front of.
Doesn’t matter which, just have a light source. Creating the shadows and where they hit your items, is important.
Arrange the items to create a rough triangle. Put the tallest item not necessarily in the center, but not on the edge. Put some shorter items around it, and see if you can arrange the items in a relatively pleasing way. A triangle is a simple way to bring in balance, without getting too wild with the arrangement.
Overlap the items. When you put items in your still life, and they don’t touch; or have small, awkward spaces between them; it is not as pleasing of a composition. Make sure the objects have some intentional overlap from the angle you are drawing from. Overlap creates unity with the objects.
Don’t have all objects on a big, fat, single, line! When you’re looking at a still life straight on, When the bottom of all your objects are mostly on a single line, that is boring.
To fix this, you have a few options. Try to either a) the items in front of the still life, pull them closer to you and further away from the back items, b) make the surface they are sitting on lower, c) make the surface they are sitting on higher.
I usually do a, but you can play with it.

For a little fun, I took some pics of some items around my house that I like too much so I don’t bring them to class. You can see which ones you like, or if you see an issue with the images.