You are now at the second half of our 30 day creative challenge. It’s all uphill from here! Did you see the post with some of my favorites?
Today’s challenge builds on yesterday’s. You can use the same plant, or even the same drawing, if you wish. This time, instead of drawing continuous contour lines, focus on flattening and simplifying the shapes, so they create a composition across the page. Color in either the plant shapes or the spaces around the plant shapes, so there is stark contrast to the design. Below are a few of Ellsworth Kelly’s designs for inspiration. You can see he’s not just looking at the plant, he’s looking at all the shapes within the whole composition. Notice how parts of each shape overlap, touch, or almost touch the edges of the compositions. See how much energy is in those moments? I love seeing the tiny areas of adjustment in “Plant II” the one right below this text.
Ellsworth Kelly, “Plant II” (1949), oil on wood, 16 1/2 x 13 inchesEllsworth Kelly Study for Plant 1 1949 and Vaults/Flowers 1949
Share your drawing on Instagram with these tags: #30sal, #organiccomposition
Take a class with SAL – anywhere! PAINTING TECHNIQUES TO GET YOU STARTED Blocking in is the step after your sketch, in which the canvas is covered with flat shapes that indicate where elements will go, and what color or value they’ll be. Move past outlines into shapes. You can easily shift and change things around …
The SAL Challenge for Tuesdays is to draw from observation. My suggestion for you today is to draw your bedding. Fall in love with the wrinkles, the rumples, the folds. Tease out the shadows. Go slow. Materials are artist’s choice. Set the timer for 20 minutes. When the timer chimes complete, feel free to continue …
[image_with_animation image_url=”10682″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] If there is a collection of feet in art, I don’t know about it. I’ve been looking. In ten toed optimism, I ordered an art book called “Feet.” I was quite excited to see different ways these difficult subjects are represented across time and cultures. I was disappointed. Once …
Have you ever gone shopping for easels and found the options of fall-apart folding easels vs. expensive hardwood calliopes, and thought “what the heck do artists buy?” The answer might surprise you. Many painters don’t use easels at all. For my biggest paintings, two 4x4x16” pieces of wood service nicely. They lift a painting off …
Day 16: Organic Composition #30SAL
You are now at the second half of our 30 day creative challenge. It’s all uphill from here! Did you see the post with some of my favorites?
Today’s challenge builds on yesterday’s. You can use the same plant, or even the same drawing, if you wish. This time, instead of drawing continuous contour lines, focus on flattening and simplifying the shapes, so they create a composition across the page. Color in either the plant shapes or the spaces around the plant shapes, so there is stark contrast to the design. Below are a few of Ellsworth Kelly’s designs for inspiration. You can see he’s not just looking at the plant, he’s looking at all the shapes within the whole composition. Notice how parts of each shape overlap, touch, or almost touch the edges of the compositions. See how much energy is in those moments? I love seeing the tiny areas of adjustment in “Plant II” the one right below this text.
Share your drawing on Instagram with these tags: #30sal, #organiccomposition
Or post to today’s Padlet page.
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Blocking In
Take a class with SAL – anywhere! PAINTING TECHNIQUES TO GET YOU STARTED Blocking in is the step after your sketch, in which the canvas is covered with flat shapes that indicate where elements will go, and what color or value they’ll be. Move past outlines into shapes. You can easily shift and change things around …
30SAL Challenge: Bedding
The SAL Challenge for Tuesdays is to draw from observation. My suggestion for you today is to draw your bedding. Fall in love with the wrinkles, the rumples, the folds. Tease out the shadows. Go slow. Materials are artist’s choice. Set the timer for 20 minutes. When the timer chimes complete, feel free to continue …
Feet in Art
[image_with_animation image_url=”10682″ alignment=”center” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] If there is a collection of feet in art, I don’t know about it. I’ve been looking. In ten toed optimism, I ordered an art book called “Feet.” I was quite excited to see different ways these difficult subjects are represented across time and cultures. I was disappointed. Once …
Best Easel for Artists
Have you ever gone shopping for easels and found the options of fall-apart folding easels vs. expensive hardwood calliopes, and thought “what the heck do artists buy?” The answer might surprise you. Many painters don’t use easels at all. For my biggest paintings, two 4x4x16” pieces of wood service nicely. They lift a painting off …