I’ve been writing about ideas from “Powerful Watercolor Landscapes,” a terrific book for artists of all media, written by Catherine Gill. My last post looked at the “why” of a drawing. Now let’s consider the “what” and the “where” together, since you really can’t have one without the other. The “what” is something that expresses the… Continue reading The What and the Where
Tag: Composition
Developing the Drawing
Last week I started with a basic tone of lines over the preliminary drawing . This design becomes the foundation to build values and depict details. While filming this week’s video I was dismayed to discover that my video camera has given up the ghost – may it rest in peace. It was my intention to show through the video… Continue reading Developing the Drawing
Beginning the Drawing
After the very small thumbnail sketches to plan how I will compose a scene, it’s time to begin the actual drawing. I’m going to be working on an 8″ x 10″ piece of 140 lb hot press watercolor paper. Arches is my brand of choice. I love the way the ink from my pigma micron… Continue reading Beginning the Drawing
Planning a Drawing
Over the next few weeks I’m going to work through my process for planning, drawing, watercoloring and finishing a piece. Sometimes I see a scene that I know will make a great drawing in its entirety. More often than not, I find a view with possibilities but there are things about it I’d like to change. Artist license… Continue reading Planning a Drawing
Improving Composition
Last week I posted a very simple drawing with some major composition flaws. There are any number of ways to improve problems such as these. Here again is the “wrong” picture, and a review of what I purposely drew wrong and how I corrected it, The “right” picture is at the bottom – and a color enhanced version… Continue reading Improving Composition
What’s Wrong With This Picture?
It’s time to have some fun with composition. I did a very simple drawing where I tried to make mistakes based on some of the concepts I covered in the last few weeks. In doing so, I learned that trying to draw something wrong is almost as hard as trying to draw it right! This… Continue reading What’s Wrong With This Picture?
Upside Down and Backward
One of the best ways to assess a drawing is to step back from it for a bit and analyze it objectively. Perhaps you’re focusing intently on getting that perspective right, or making the shadow values dark enough. When you step back, the tendency is to stare at the places you were just working on. I like to take… Continue reading Upside Down and Backward
