Curves & Importance of Planning


Yes I still am intrigued with the graphic look of silhouettes.  Each year thousands of motorcyclists comes to the Blue Ridge Parkway to drive the switchbacks.  So this was a combination of using one of the switchback curve signs along with a iconic image of a motorcyclist.  Can you tell what is wrong with this picture?   I think the cyclist should be more leaned to the viewer's right, but when I put the drawing down I centered the circular curve and missed getting the lean which would have provided more action.   Planning is something that I am working on, and it just takes a few seconds to make a bad decision that if not immediately caught comes through the entire painting process.   So this will have to be done again to see if I can make a more dynamic

                                                                       PLANNING             
Here are some simple questions that if you take a few minutes to pre-plan and write it down to reinforce and have handy for review, it will improve the chances of success:
What is the mood/theme you want to convey?
What is the value dominance?  Light or dark?  Determine the dominant color
What is the Temperature dominance?  Warm or cool?
Intensity level? What is your light level, high or low key, bright or dull?
What is the value range?
Where is the location of the light source - I know of one artist that actually drew a sun, laminated it and actually places it by her picture so she is always reminded where the lights is coming from.
Color Scheme Complementary, analogous, etc.
Where is the center of interest?  Dramatize important areas, de-emphasize or eliminate the distractions.
What is the painting format size and shape?
Do your thumbnails - addresses composition and value before you get committed to the paper.  Composition gives a senses of visual order and eliminates haphazard lights/darks and warms/cools.  Good compositions create movement, you need to give the eye the direction to move through the painting.  You can't paint your way out of a bad design.  A small three value sketch (black, white, gray) done to scale checks the balance and aesthetic appeal of the design.
How are you dividing up the space?  Emphasize one place: foreground, middle or background.



Comments

Danielle v/d Horst said…
Ik ben dyslexie dus ik zie er een beest in dus ik kan je hier geen antwoord opgeven lieve groetjes Danielle
March 22, 2014 at 8:38 AM
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