Contrast equals focus in picture making.

That is why the dynamic duo of our lightest light and darkest dark are always under scrutiny while composing our picture. Where is the focus? That is the question. What do you want to tell your viewer? Do I want to make it soft? Do I want to make it strong? These are all our cards we play with while creating pictures.

I like to view creating art like playing many games of chess on top of each other all at the same time.
1. Creating compelling pictures

2. Using line, shape and tone to create your elements.

3. Story telling. Moods and feelings can be conveyed by seeing your art as a communication of a feeling, an emotion or a mood as a criteria of emphasis in your picture making process.

So your playing three games right there, all complex in there own right, building pictures with form and space thru line, shape and tones along with controlling how you want the picture to look, and feeling or mood of the piece, all at the same time. I think artists seek to find the place where this all comes naturally and the experience is as enjoyable and fulfilling as seeing the results of a well thought out piece.

Bob Peak created this image. I just think it is a fabulous example at what a master Bob was of so many picture making techniques like storytelling, using contrast to enable a strong focus along with such a sophisticated and tasteful sense for shape making. Also apparent in this example is how Bob always was in control of his picture and left beautiful negative spaces in his art. He was able to carefully eliminate the unnecessary elements to make the picture that much more visually appealing. While all artists can struggle with creating the perfect picture and increasing sensitivity while creating art, let us not forget that the journey is just as important as the final product. Many times just letting the viewer see how your picture was created by giving them the clues that you left for them to discover. Your creative process becomes evident and allows the viewer to take the journey and explore your vantage point. Your multi layered game is visable even if you don’t quite know all the different levels. Enjoy making art.

Grey your way to great portraits

As always there are a ton of factors which create great art IMHO. Making a portrait is fun and challenging and for me I would like to offer a few insights into some techniques which took my own efforts to the next level and maybe can help others with their efforts as well.

Pencil and charcole on paper

Greys are the second most important factor to deal with in this discussion. First would be the darkest dark and the lightest light. The dynamic duo. These important reference points are always in the mix when concentrating on our grey values. Here is how. Greys are the point from the darkest dark to the lightest light. There can be hundreds of them represented to show the information relevant to your picture.

Picture making is only made up of three things: Line, Shape, and Tone (color being tone). So tone is a pretty important tool to get control over in our toolbox for a complete artist. Beginning and advanced artists can both benefit from more acute awareness of the subtleties of the grey tones and how to manipulate them at will with precision and ease in any media you prefer to work in.

For beginning students I will explain some of the simple drills to practice to gain mastery of tones.

The ol’ 10 step grey chart. 

Go ahead and make a rectangle and create ten boxes in there. The first box will be the lightest light (white) and the last box will be the darkest dark (black or close to it). Now for the drill. Create the different shades of grey to show value between the first square to the last square. There are many ways to get the tone in the square, (with pencils we have the option of hatching, cross hatching, stippling, scumbling). With charcoal (the beast to conquer on many drills) attention is needed to the sensitivity to create the desired result.

Pencils- A Brief Explanation

4H, 2H, HB, 2B, 4B

With these five different pencils we can get an incredible range of grey tones.

4H- Your lightest light value after white. Your hardest pencil we are going to work with on this exercise. This pencil is great for beginning stages of execution as it is easy to erase and control. Your easiest pencil to create tones which fade to white

2H- The next hardest pencil. Also good for early marks and tones which fade to white.

HB- The standard pencil which is the middle hardness of all pencils. Great all purpose pencil as it can get dark and light.

2B- now we are getting into the softer pencils which get darker but also create more grain on the paper.

4B- Our darkest pencil for this drill. Creates our darkest dark and the fades from that point. Also give the most texture as it reacts to the texture of the paper differently than the 2H and 4H.

Pencils-Hints

Use each pencil for what it was meant to be used for. Use soft pencils (HB, 2B, 4B) for darker marks and blends. Use harder pencils for lighter tones, fades to nothing and as a smudging value.

Try not to use your finger in blending. (I have always been caught breaking this rule, claiming to brings more connection to the piece, but…)smudging with your finger or hand spreads oils to the surface of the paper which has a negative effect. The oils bind to the surface and acts as place where the new pencil marks cannot get to easily. Try instead to use a harder lead to create a smoother tone overall.

Don’t get to dark to early. No matter what media you are working with this tip helps. Work your light values and fading to nothing. Only after the lights are complete will the darks compliment them in the final rounds.

Keep your pencils sharp.

For lightest marks try holding the pencil farthest away from the lead holding it with your thumb and first two fingers as lightly as possible. Using a motion fast like a hummingbirds wings paying attention to the sensitivity to how light a mark you can achieve.

So after our grey chart is mastered and we get control of exactly how to put down these subtle grey tones we move on.

Tones to show form.

Tones will allow us to show light on object and make the form believable to a viewer by making them solid. Our grey chart showed us how many different values there are to express light, now we will take it to the next level and by placing the tones naturally we can develop believable shapes. Lets try it with a round shape we will call the ball drill.

Imagine a light source and shade that ball to show the shape of that circle in space. We are going to take our grey scale drill and put it into shapes. So just like the grey scale drill it took time and attention to build the right shades, here too it will take some effort and thought to shade the ball with the subtle grey tones we just worked with. The more greys the better. Try to concentrate your greys fading off to nothing and greys fading off to your darkest dark.

Pencil, charcole and pastel on brown paper

Oill on paper

Charcole on brown paper

Charcole on brown paper

Pencil and charcole on paper

Perspective

Perspective is the view or how you see depth (or space).

Vocabulary-

1. 1 point perspective (1 per)

A way to show depth and space on paper utilizing the horizon line and one vanishing point.

2. 2 point perspective (2 per)

Same as 1 point but with 2 vanishing points. One point for the left side of the image, one for the right side.

3. Point perspective

Same as two point but with a third point (I will call the gravitational point) or the point from the center of the earth.

4. Horizon line

This is an imaginary line which is invisible unless you were somewhere where you could actually see the horizon. This is the line where the curve of the earth is seen, or as it appears from your eyes to be the end of the visable space (beyond any obstacles that are in the way from viewing the end).

5. Vanishing point

This is an imaginary point that gets assigned to be on the horizon line. All perspective lines are pulled exactly to the point. Like the rays of the sun or the spokes of a wheel, these helpful lines are a template for your perspective drawing to be created.

6. Grandfather cube

A useful tool for beginner artist to help visualize a 3-D space on a 2-D piece of paper.

Exercises-

Understanding the space of our page. "The Grandfather Cube"

- Draw a box close to the outside edge of your picture.

- Draw another box inside a bit but not more than half the page in.

- Now connect the 4 corners of the inside box to the 4 corners of the outside box.

Now you have created "The Grandfather Cube"

- Now attack your gesture drawing and keep this space in your mind as you draw.

- Complete the drawing session in these cubes which you create first before your drawing begins.

Note:

As budding artists we are always learning, experimenting, and trying new things. We want to look and see differently and put down marks differently to fully explore the range of possibilities of the way our drawings may be created. So we like to call these attempts "thumbnails", or small sketches. To work these thumbnails is like having a best friend that you always want around. You work these thumbnails tirelessly. You have fun with them, you experiment with them, and most of all, you never are afraid of making mistakes with them. We could waist days and loads of paper on these thumbnails, all to be thrown away just to have your artistic journey further along on the path to self discovery and self mastery. Through diligent work with thumbnails you get the warmup you need to loosen up, let ideas and marks flow, and to be free from worry about making a masterpiece.

Extra secret:

When we work with thumbnails we make a box to create our picture in. No matter how small or how big we always create our boarders of our picture making space. I used to think that this was just to help us with our picture making to include these edges as foundations for where our graphics and marks would end for the viewer, and to always contemplate these edges in your work of picture making. Now this box takes on another meaning. It is "The Grandfather Cube", but simplified in only one box, you imagine the rest of the cube. So there it is. The box is useful and you will see many artist utilizing this tool in their drawings.

Other interesting variations of the cube:

Angle of view, the origin of where your viewpoint starts.

 

Overlap- Things on top appear closer because the top overlaps the bottom.

Principles of how to create background and foreground.

Background-

Less contrast

Muted, no detail

Far away

Lighter

Foreground-

Maximum contrast

Strong, detail visable

Close up

Darker 

Master Drawings to copy and learn from

Exercise 1- Line, Thumbnails, Gestures

1. Inside a drawn box, with just line only (can be many lines like marks), create a quick sketch ( or gesture drawing) of your still life or model. Time- 30 seconds.

2. Repeat 1. Time- 30 seconds for 4 rounds. Make sure to express different ideas.

3. Repeat 1. Time- 1 minute for 4 rounds. Make sure to keep the thumbnails not bigger than 6 inches not smaller than 3 inches when you get started, move the boxes larger and loosen up when your ready to really explore and make a lot of pictures.

4. Repeat 1. Time- 2 minutes for 4 rounds. Make sure to experiment, make mistakes!

Line or Marks

Lines or Marks can deliver tremendous results, even alone. Lines can express more than just an outline. It can show feeling, direction, attitude, strength, weakness and many things. Line can also emulate shape and tone making for fantastic picture making and well thought out art with just lines.

Line, Shape and Tone

Picture making is simple, there are only three things that ever make it up: Line, Shape, and Tone (being grayscale or color). Getting these elements perfected in the right balance and harmony is a key to great art. There are endless variations and combinations of these to call your tools to have your toolbox filled to grasp any of these elements to execute art that is truly masterful.

Antonio Lopez

Thumbnails- Putting your ideas into a defined space (a box)

Getting thoughts into a piece of paper can be made easier when your first executions are in the form of thumbnails (or small sketches). Here we draw a box which clearly defines our edges for us and gives a reference for our graphics and picture making. Then our attitudes and feelings of how we want to draw our picture gets its full expression and intention. Never be shy or afraid of making mistakes, for the more marks we make, the more we learn what we like and what we don't, so go ahead and express fully in those small sketches. These are not masterpieces. These are only for experimentation and learning and most of the process of letting go of what you ever thought you should draw like and assume the attitude of  seeing the uniqueness and conveying that something special that only you and your fullest artist can create to share your rare vision.

There is a flip side to the idea of the thumbnail, which as described is to facilitate fabulous picture making with the multiple approaches and attitudes and explore the multitude of options. Putting down ideas quickly to avoid wasting time trying to create a masterpiece when the warm up hasn't even begun. The thumbnails are the warm up. Another interesting point our teacher Dave Passalaqua used to explain was that the thumbnail is only the first imaginary template or boarder to the whole of picture making which could be endless. He said if the art is good and the approach and attitude was good it could easily go beyond the boarders of the thumbnail to a bigger boarder and off the page onto multiple pages and off those pages on to an entire wall and onwards. The lines, the authority and way the marks are put down can all go beyond the boarders when it's good stuff being put down, it can just keep expanding. The thought is still the same if its the size of a stamp or a building. When someone asked Dave if they should copy the thumbnail to make the final and he replied, No, try to emulate the emotion of the thumbnail, the attitude, the approach, the thinking of the thumbnail.

Charcoal

What a great media to express yourself, especially for beginners who really need to attack the page and put some marks down. Notice how many grey tones can be achieved. How subtle you can make it and how bold also.

Inspiration- Bob Peak

One of the most influential illustrators of our time. An unbelievable draftsman who had all the tools in his toolbox to constantly create visually stunning work. A modern mentor for sure.

Processes of Possibilities- Creative Thinking for Fantastic Art กระบวนการต่างๆของความเป็นไปได้ – ความคิดสร้างสรรค์เพื่องานศิลปะที่น่ามหัศจรรย์

Great art takes great thinking. This thought process will determine how your piece comes out and how the viewer will take it in. The more you pay attention to these questions the more impact your art will have on the viewer.

งานศิลปะที่ยิ่งใหญ่ใช้ความคิดที่ยิ่งใหญ่เช่นเดียวกัน  กระบวนการคิดเช่นนี้จะบ่งชี้ว่าผลงานต่างๆของคุณเองจะออกมาอย่างไร และผู้รับชมจะเสพผลงานเหล่านั้นอย่างไร

ยิ่งคุณให้ความสนใจแก่คำถามเหล่านี้มากเท่าไหร่ ก็ยิ่งส่งผลกระทบแก่ผู้ชมผลงานของคุณมากขึ้นเท่านั้น

1. What is my purpose of what I am creating? What is the concept?
อะไรคือจุดประสงค์ในสิ่งที่ฉันสร้างขึ้นมา คอนเซ็บอะไร

2. Why am I creating this piece?
ทำไมฉันจึงสร้างงานชิ้นนี้ขึ้นมา

3. Who is the targeted audience?
ใครคือผู้ฟังหรือผู้ชมที่เป็นเป้าหมาย

4. Where will it be seen?
มันจะมองเห็นได้ที่ไหน

5. What do I want this piece to say?
ฉันอยากจะให้งานชิ้นนี้สื่อถึงอะไร

6. What style could it be in?
มันสามารถจะเป็นสไตล์แบบไหนได้บ้าง

7. Is lighting important?
แสงสำคัญหรือไม่

8. Is color important?
สีสำคัญหรือไม่

9. Is perspective important?
เทคนิคการเขียนภาพให้ได้สัดส่วนนั้นสำคัญหรือไม่

10. What kind of emotion do I want to convey?
อารมณ์ความรู้สึกเช่นใดที่ฉันต้องการถ่ายทอด

11. What size will it be?
มันจะเป็นขนาดไหน

12. Do I want it detailed or abstract?
ฉันจะต้องการให้มันมีรายละเอียดหรือเป็นนามธรรม

13. Do I want it soft and light or bold and hard with lots of contrast?
ฉันจะต้องการให้มันอ่อนโยน บางเบา หรือ เข้มแข็งโดดเด่น และแข็งกร้าวพร้อมกับความขัดแย้งกัน

14. Where do I want the focus to be?
ฉันต้องการให้จุดโฟกัสอยู่ที่ไหน

15. How many visual elements do I need? How few?
ฉันจำเป็นที่จะต้องมีปัจจัยสำคัญที่สามารถมองเห็นกี่จุด มากน้อยอย่างไร

16. Is there a 'Wow' factor?
มันมีจุดที่ทำให้เกิดความรู้สึก "ว้าว" หรือไม่

17. How can I make it more visually appealing?
ฉันสามารถทำให้มันมีความดึงดูดทางสายตาอย่างไร

18. Do I need empty space in my piece (for text,etc...)?
ฉันต้องการช่องว่างในงานของฉันหรือไม่ (สำหรับข้อความ หรืออื่นๆ)

19. If my favorite artist was going to do this project, how would they approach it?
ถ้าสมมุติว่าศิลปินที่ฉันชื่นชอบจะทำโครงการนี้ เขาจะเข้าถึงได้อย่างไร

20. How can I think more unique or unusual (out of the box thinking) about this?
ฉันจะสามารถคิดให้มีความเฉพาะตัวและผิดปกติได้อย่างไร (คิดนอกกล่อง)

21. What can make the concept stronger?
อะไรที่ให้ฉันสามารถทำให้แนวคิดนี้มีความแข็งแกร่งขึ้น

22. How can I have fun with this piece?
จะทำอย่างไรให้ฉันมีความสนุกสนานกับงานชิ้นนี้

23. What can I use for inspiration (photos, etc...)
อะไรที่ฉันจะสามารถใช้เป็นแรงบันดาลใจ(รูปภาพ และอื่นๆ)

Art Lecture 1 Vocabulary: Learning from the Masters