Sketch from a photo

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Class, here is a rough sketch I did today from a photo.  There are a couple of things I would like you to notice.  First of all, I have broken down all the major spaces using our three tones.  Notice how much whiter the ground plane looks than the sky because it is enclosed within darker tones.  Try this out yourself:  draw a small white shape and surround it in on all sides with medium or dark tone.  See how much whiter it looks than the rest of your sketch page? 

Secondly, look how simple this subject matter is: Just a few organic shapes pleasingly arranged.  If I were to paint from this sketch and it would be easy to do with this much information, I would relocate the central rock shape as it is too much in the middle of the sketch like a bullseye. 

Lastly, and most importantly, please notice the top line that separates the sky from the ground plane.  This is our "horizon line" the most important line in terms of artistically dividing our space.  Please look for this line when you are using your viewfinders this week and find a good sky shape (think jigsaw puzzle piece) for your composition.   I will try to include one of these sketches from photos or the field each day for your study.  I am planning on painting at Castle Island this Saturday at 10:00 am.

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Attached Files   

Rough Sketch.jpg	BobbyFarrell	May 20, 2009	569 KB
Rough Sketch