In the last post called Yogurt Holds the Blueberry, I talked about thinking of everything in a composition as an active shape, painting the spaces between things, instead of painting an object floating on nothing.
If we are painting the space between things, we start to see the “background” as an active shape on the page. Instead of an object on a background, it is one shape pushing up against another shape, like two friends sitting shoulder to shoulder. In real life, a house would fall over if it was pressing against still air, but a painting is color on paper. How would you paint still air as it presses into a building, to hold it in place?
In this way, instead of negative space, you can imagine that everything in your painting holds every other thing in place. This doesn’t work automatically, and not all shapes push back equally. They require some attention from the artist to activate each shape and make it work. When activated, a “blank” shape can push into a painted shape, and hold it there. Do you see it?
Take a look at these watercolors by Morandi, and see what you think about the idea we’re calling “yogurt holds the blueberry.”
Today is the first part of a two part drawing. You can catch up tomorrow if you miss today, but don’t throw out your drawing for today! Thursday is Vocabulary day, and the word is sesquipedalian. The rare time this unusual word is introduced into conversation, it is to describe someone or something that overuses …
This is day 4 of the 30SAL creative challenge! To learn more about this 30 day challenge, click here. Looking at only the back of this altarpiece fragment, imagine what the front looks like, and recreate it. You can draw, paint, lay out baguettes and hosiery, or anything else that inspires you. Share your drawing …
Rainy Moments in Art Edited from http://blog.orangecarton.com/famous-rain-moments-in-art-painting/ Rain has been one of the most popular subjects of art painting. Artists like Monet, Van Gogh, and many others found rain as perfect subject for their paintings. Here are some paintings to celebrate this rainy season. Paris Street; Rainy Day Paris Street; Rainy Day Gustave Caillebotte was a French …
Iryna Yermolova was born in Ukraine, and has lived in England since 2005. Her figurative works are illustrative, bold, spontaneous, and colorful. They can be a bit too illustration/pretty for my personal tastes, but they still give me some good inspiration for my own painted figurative studies. [image_with_animation image_url=”3855″ alignment=”center” animation=”None”] The fresh quality of the paint might feel as …
Morandi’s Watercolors
In the last post called Yogurt Holds the Blueberry, I talked about thinking of everything in a composition as an active shape, painting the spaces between things, instead of painting an object floating on nothing.
If we are painting the space between things, we start to see the “background” as an active shape on the page. Instead of an object on a background, it is one shape pushing up against another shape, like two friends sitting shoulder to shoulder. In real life, a house would fall over if it was pressing against still air, but a painting is color on paper. How would you paint still air as it presses into a building, to hold it in place?
In this way, instead of negative space, you can imagine that everything in your painting holds every other thing in place. This doesn’t work automatically, and not all shapes push back equally. They require some attention from the artist to activate each shape and make it work. When activated, a “blank” shape can push into a painted shape, and hold it there. Do you see it?
Take a look at these watercolors by Morandi, and see what you think about the idea we’re calling “yogurt holds the blueberry.”
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30SAL Challenge: Sesquipedalian (Part 1 of 2)
Today is the first part of a two part drawing. You can catch up tomorrow if you miss today, but don’t throw out your drawing for today! Thursday is Vocabulary day, and the word is sesquipedalian. The rare time this unusual word is introduced into conversation, it is to describe someone or something that overuses …
Day 4: Altarpiece #30SAL
This is day 4 of the 30SAL creative challenge! To learn more about this 30 day challenge, click here. Looking at only the back of this altarpiece fragment, imagine what the front looks like, and recreate it. You can draw, paint, lay out baguettes and hosiery, or anything else that inspires you. Share your drawing …
Rainy Moments in Art
Rainy Moments in Art Edited from http://blog.orangecarton.com/famous-rain-moments-in-art-painting/ Rain has been one of the most popular subjects of art painting. Artists like Monet, Van Gogh, and many others found rain as perfect subject for their paintings. Here are some paintings to celebrate this rainy season. Paris Street; Rainy Day Paris Street; Rainy Day Gustave Caillebotte was a French …
Iryna Yermolova
Iryna Yermolova was born in Ukraine, and has lived in England since 2005. Her figurative works are illustrative, bold, spontaneous, and colorful. They can be a bit too illustration/pretty for my personal tastes, but they still give me some good inspiration for my own painted figurative studies. [image_with_animation image_url=”3855″ alignment=”center” animation=”None”] The fresh quality of the paint might feel as …