THOUGHTS ABOUT COMPOSITION

Still Life: Pewter and Silver Vessels and a Crab.  Willem Claesz.  Oil on oak. 54.2x73.8cm

This week, I visited the National Gallery in London, had a wonderful couple of hours sketching kids with their teachers in the room with all the Turners and Constables, and before leaving the gallery, my sketching buddy dragged me up to the Still Life room. I was a bit reluctant, to be honest, because I tend to find old still life paintings rather too contrived for my liking!  I also am a fan of the Impressionists, rather than the Realists of old.

She wanted me to see this picture, a classic Dutch still life which fascinated her because of its excellence.  The limited range of colour, the glow of the objects – even the lemon peel seemed to have a glow of its own -  the AMAZING texture of the draped slk cloth – it was almost photographic, but somehow went far beyond the work of the camera.  It was painted between 1633-7, long before the invention of the camera, so there is no chance that the artist worked from a photo, as so many do today.  It is in the Haarlem tradition of the so-called “monochromatic” still life.

I, rather,  was immediately drawn to the design/composition. The underlying structure of the image unfolded in front of my eyes.  It is a slightly strange sensation, but one I relish.    I believe that an artist needs to be able to divorce himself from the “shopping list” in front of him ….in this case, jug, bowl, crab, plate, lemon, glass, salt cellar etc,  or in the case of a landscape, 1 mountain, 6 trees, 1 path, 5 clouds…and stop concentrating solely on how best to paint every individual object.  When the artist begins to be aware of the design of the image,  the underlying important shapes and rhythms, the connections and movements as well as the colour, the tones, and the individual objects,  then he or she will really begin to grow as an artist.   

Looking at the image upside down – a neat trick to use with your own work from time to time – begins to help us to “see” the painting with fresh eyes.  We stop looking at the texture of the cloth, the clever painting of the peel of the lemon, and instead, we begin to see the main elements of the composition.  We can see how the simple largest tonal areas are massed and carefully placed to balance within the rectangle, and beyond that, we begin to spot how the artist creates rhythms to draw our eye across the composition with clever use of repetition of circular and oval forms - albeit subtly, and as a secondary note if you like, because of the close tones - colour is not a major player in this image.  Underlying geometric ideas take precedence in this painting – one main vertical and one main horizontal, supported by a series of interlinking curves.  We have echoing shapes, not just in the objects, but even in the negative spaces between objects - notice how the curved sides of the salt cellar and glass perfectly echo the curving legs of the crab!  I just love discovering little things like that.


  I realise this explanation is far too brief and is a gross simplification, but it is just a beginning.  If you can see what I can see here, then you have made a start.

The word “composition” means “design”, or the putting of things together.   A painter may know nothing much about composition, yet he is unconsciously composing every image he creates. However, it is quite likely that without any knowledge of, and consideration of some of the possibilities of composition, the artist is likely to be dominated by the bits and bobs within the subject matter - like - how to paint the bricks in the wall,  the tiles on the roof, the shine on the apple, rather than by ideas about placement and design of groups of shapes, of a linear framework, of rhythms and movements, of repetition - and more. This takes a bit of effort to begin with, but then once your awareness is awakened, it becomes second nature.   I hope you agree with me that this subject merits looking at more deeply, folks,  so further blogs on this subject to come, watch this space!  In fact, if you haven't signed up to receive the blog by email, now might be a good time to do so!


Just for fun, and because it is yummy and gorgeous, (you will notice, judging by my reaction, that it is obviously more to my personal taste!) here is a vibrant Gauguin still life:

Still life with Mangoes   Paul Gauguin

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/paul-gauguin-still-life-with-mangoes/*/key-facts

This time, colour is an important factor ...but perhaps you can  "see" some of the underlying structure?

further sketchbook thoughts

Before we get to specifics about materials and sketchbook types, I would like to say a further word or two about the USE of the sketchbook.  You saw from my previous post that I like to sketch on my travels, and my sketchbooks often contain images which are simply records of what I see and want to capture.

small woodland thumbnails

However, I touched on the idea of also using your sketchbook for THUMBNAIL SKETCHES, and without going into the whys and wherefores and design elements of thumbnails, let me just say this.  When you are working on location, you sit in front of a promising subject - and it stretches on indefinitely, above, below and to each side, doesn't it!  Well, if you plan to create a painting from your subject, it really does help to get some sense of what the image may look like eventually CAPTURED WITHIN A RECTANGLE (or square of course). You can use your camera viewfinder, this helps to isolate a scene.  You can also use a small cardboard viewfinder.  whatever you choose, doing a thumbnail forces you to:

•  take the edges of the scene into consideration, 
• to see how your subject "fits" within that rectangle, and
• whether it "balances" nicely. 

and when you then come to paint at your easel, you will feel a greater sense of confidence - it makes a big difference, even without knowing very much about composition and design..it will automatically help you to trust your own judgement.


The top image above shows three thumbnails in a sketchbook which is approx  10" square.    Two pencil ones, and one with added watercolour.  In the end, I didn't like any of them very much, and didn't paint this subject at all!  But I did enjoy sitting there doing them, and it is all good practice.

Venice window

Now this one I really enjoyed.  I started with the top window, and allowed the image to grow up, down and out from there.  I knew more or less right from the start that I would paint within a tall rectangle, it was that kind of scene,  so I just had to think carefully about the placement of the main elements when I started on my pastel paper.  After about 15 mins spent on this watercolour sketch in my sketchbook, I cracked on with the painting, which happened quite quickly.  the shadows moved a bit as I worked, but I had my sketch to refer to, so it didn't affect me too much, I stuck with the sketchbook shadows.

I could have worked the thumbnail just with pencil, a tonal study,  but actually, I find it really helpful to use watercolours onto my pencil sketches;  with a tiny winsor & Newton travel box of watercolours, I can quickly capture the areas of colour and tone within the scene, more quickly than scribbling away with coloured pencils.  Watercolours are transparent, so if it dries too light, you simply add another layer.  You don't have to worry too much about technique, as it dries very quickly. If you put in a tone which is too dark, you can add some clear water and blot it to lift the colour.  If you wish, you can work with pencils over the top, even a simple lead pencil is good to add extra darks.   Remember,  it is only a sketchbook image after all - you dont have to show it to anyone, it is just for YOU, for reference!

TIP:  Just one thing.........if you do work just in pencil, pastel pencils, or charcoal, dont forget to use plenty of spray fixative, because otherwise, when you close your sketchbook, you will dirty the opposing page.

If you have no chance to work on location to complete a painting from your thumbnail, you can take photos of course, and then work at home, BUT ONE THING IS FOR SURE.  YOUR MEMORY OF THE PLACE WILL BE REINFORCED BY HAVING DONE THAT LITTLE SKETCH ON LOCATION. It makes a huge difference.  Just taking a photo and working from that photo at home is one approach, which can work,  but I absolutely promise you, hand on heart, that you will enjoy your painting experience far more if you have spent time producing a thumbnail sketch first.  Studying your subject FULL SIZE, even just for the 15 mins it might take to make that little thumbnail sketch, makes all the difference in the world.  It is a very positive way to use part of your sketchbook.

JackieSimmonds Artyfacts

Hello Folks.


It is time for me to join the blogging revolution!  I am an artist, a writer, a teacher, and a perpetual student.  I have decided to share my knowledge, my art, and a few details about my life, through this new, rather extraordinary communication medium.  Communicating with people "on line" really is, to me, magical...somehow people all over the world connect with each other purely by sitting before a computer screen.  We all take it for granted - but actually, it is really very fabulous what we mere mortals have achieved.

Pastel on paper - source - a maarket scene in Cape Town

For years, I have been a painter and teacher.  I have shared my enthusiasms with others, both in person, through the written word in books and articles, via my paintings, and via the internet.  




I have written 7 art instruction books.  Made, I think, 7 or so dvd's - I lose track!  I taught for years, tho sadly now, and somewhat older and greyer than I was,  I do not have the physical strength to teach any more, not in person anyway, so this seems like a good idea to me....a chance to share some of my thoughts and experiences by way of a regular blog post, which I plan to offer weekly, if not more frequently.


So - what will I talk about?


I will show paintings and will demonstrate teaching ideas, will also offer some paintings for sale, the proceeds of which will go to charity.  I favour the NSPCC, the society which helps children suffering from cruelty, something I cannot even bear to think about, ...any movie or tv programme showing the suffering of children, reduces me instantly to a blubbering heap on the floor.


Any of you who found this blog because you recognise my name,will know that I have long been a pastel painter, and I will share some of my pastel thoughts and ideas with you. 

I also work in other mediums, so we might go there some weeks, and I will talk about watercolour, mixed media, acrylic painting and oil painting.  I will talk about sketching too and some of the interesting materials you can use.  And examine some of the important "building blocks" of painting - I have noticed that many people jump straight in there, without understanding the importance of pre-planning, and my pet subject - "design and composition" is so often neglected.  I will probably bang on about that quite a lot!

Venice sketch, made on location

 I will also talk about some of the things connected with painting and available to painters and would-be painters....painting holidays for example ...what it is like to go on a painting holiday, what you will need,  and importantly, what to expect and to think about.


I will talk about what it is like to exhibit your work, and to organise your own exhibitions.


I am working on the idea of an "Artist's troubleshooter" section, where I can show some common painting and sketching problems, and talk about how to solve them.


I will do my best to vary the content of the blog;  I dont want it to just be about my own work.


If there is something YOU might like me to touch upon, just let me know. 


I hope I might gain a few friends and/or followers along the way.