Albrect Durer “Draftsman Drawing a Reclining Nude”1525

The draftsman in this image is using a view finder to draw the foreshortening of

this model!

Exploring the Visual Potential of Your SubjectBecause any subject you choose to draw will yield a variety of shapes when considered from different points of view, it is always smart to explore the potential of your subject from a variety of angles and positions. A common mistake of the beginning drawing student is to take the same seat in the classroom everyday. The drawing process is mostly about looking, therefore time should be invested in looking to find the most visually interesting view of the subject.

Consider these drawings from different vantage points of the same still life.

When deciding how to layout your drawing after you have chosen a viewpoint, consider these simple

composition rules to make your drawing more engaging:

1. Consider your composition in thirds.

2. Be certain that you use each corner of your page differently.

3. The use of diagonals helps move the eye around the page.

The Rule of ThirdsThe rule of thirds says that most compositions can be made more interesting by visually dividing the page into thirds vertically and/or horizontally and placing our most important elements within those thirds. If this rule is used properly, you will never end up with a composition with the subject smack in the middle, a problem that stops the eye from considering the entire image.

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

Paintings and works of art have applied the rule of thirds for a long time. Pay attention next time you are looking at art and see if you notice this technique. In this famous work by van Gogh the sky occupies two-thirds of the composition while the ground only uses one third of the image.

Cottage by Vincent van Gogh

In this composition the sky only occupies the top third of the layout.

Olympia by Edouard Manet

The figures in this painting occur on the right and left thirds while most of the white in the composition occurs on the lower third and left third.

Bridge at Giverny by Claude Monet

In this painting, the top third uses different colors and textures than the lower third. Can you see the direction of the brushstrokes and how they differ in the bottom two-thirds?

The sky of this painting ends exactly at the top third of the composition, leaving the action for the other two-thirds.

Notice how something different happens in each third of this piece.

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

Being certain to treat each corner in the composition differently also makes an image more interesting. Notice the different directions of the brushstrokes in the corners of this painting.

Cottage by Vincent van Gogh

Each corner of this piece uses different colors and general shapes to create interest.

Olympia by Edouard Manet

Here the corners use distinctly different shapes.

Bridge at Giverny by Claude Monet

The Blood of Fish by Gustav Klimt

The corners of this composition use dark, light, and texture for variety.

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh

The use of diagonals in a composition helps to lead the eye across the page. This is another method used by many artists.

Cottage by Vincent van Gogh

Bridge at Giverny by Claude Monet

Once again Monet’s use of the compositional tricks is subtle, but there are definite diagonals in this piece.

Olympia by Edouard Manet

Customs House at Varengeville by Claude Monet

The Blood of Fish by Gustav Klimt

When we return to the still life drawings, notice that the most interesting, most successful compositions use some of these basic compositional rules.

These two drawings have very successful compositions. Both use two thirds of the page for most of the drawing, use diagonals that sweep across the image, and each corner is distinctly different.

This composition is heavy on one side of the page. Most of the lines are vertical or horizontal with no sweeping diagonals. There is no attention to variation in the corners. It also makes a common mistake, which is allowing the subject to “sit” on the bottom edge of the page.

This drawing has most of the action in the center of the page. There are a few small diagonals to be found, but they do not lead across the page. The diagonals lead you back to the central horizontal form. This stops the eye from exploring the composition. The corners are also left wide open, providing no visual interest.

Which of these viewpoints provides the best composition?

FOR CLASS ON TUESDAY:Bring an assortment of at least four objects you have collected from nature. They can be anything from dead insects to live plants, branches, leaves, rocks, feathers. Anything from nature will do. We will be using them to draw textures so be sure they are interesting!

Please be certain you also bring your ink, bamboo brush, pen, and ruler.