Composition, a Painter's Guide to Basic Problems and Solutions


Book Description

Discusses compositional problems and techniques, offers appropriate projects, and provides illustrative examples in chapters devoted to space and value relationships, negative and crowded space, color, vertical, and horizontal composition, empty space, an







The Artist's Way


Book Description

"With its gentle affirmations, inspirational quotes, fill-in-the-blank lists and tasks — write yourself a thank-you letter, describe yourself at 80, for example — The Artist’s Way proposes an egalitarian view of creativity: Everyone’s got it."—The New York Times "Morning Pages have become a household name, a shorthand for unlocking your creative potential"—Vogue Over four million copies sold! Since its first publication, The Artist's Way phenomena has inspired the genius of Elizabeth Gilbert and millions of readers to embark on a creative journey and find a deeper connection to process and purpose. Julia Cameron's novel approach guides readers in uncovering problems areas and pressure points that may be restricting their creative flow and offers techniques to free up any areas where they might be stuck, opening up opportunities for self-growth and self-discovery. The program begins with Cameron’s most vital tools for creative recovery – The Morning Pages, a daily writing ritual of three pages of stream-of-conscious, and The Artist Date, a dedicated block of time to nurture your inner artist. From there, she shares hundreds of exercises, activities, and prompts to help readers thoroughly explore each chapter. She also offers guidance on starting a “Creative Cluster” of fellow artists who will support you in your creative endeavors. A revolutionary program for personal renewal, The Artist's Way will help get you back on track, rediscover your passions, and take the steps you need to change your life.




The Artist's Guide to Composition


Book Description

Examining the elements of good composition in painting, this book looks at each factor in turn, including shape, line, space, tone, texture, object size, and colour. Each point is illustrated via simple diagrammatic line drawings, and through the work of 24 artists the author demonstrates good composition in over 140 finished paintings. Key points, and some of the author's ideas, are highlighted in the tips section which closes each chapter.




Mastering Composition


Book Description

Create Better Compositions by Design The path to better painting begins with Mastering Composition. This effective guide blends clear, visual instruction with 5 step-by-step demonstrations to show you how to plan and paint your best work yet. Composition is the key, and here you'll learn to design paintings with new skill and confidence. It all begins with the armature or structure of the picture plane. Every great painting has one, and you'll see through several famous examples exactly how the Old Masters used armatures to create movement, narrative, harmony and fluidity. Based on these examples, you'll practice what you've learned following a series of hands-on demonstrations. Once you understand the basic principles of design, you'll be amazed at how quickly and effectively your compositions come together. Soon you will be painting more boldly and confidently than ever before with less reworking and overworking. Whether you're a beginner looking for basic instruction or a more advanced painter troubleshooting a specific problem, the proven methods in this book will work for you. Ideal for all mediums, Mastering Composition gives you the knowledge you need to create powerful paintings out of every subject.




Composition


Book Description

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.




Problem Solving for Oil Painters


Book Description

Finally - a book to help you solve all your painting problems! Inside you'll learn how to study a painting and correct problematic areas. Study topics include: Ideas - Is there a good abstract idea underlying the picture? - What details could be eliminated to strengthen the composition? - Does the painting have a focus? - Are the unessential parts subbordinated? - Does the painting "read"? - Could you finish any part of the painting? Shapes - Are the dominant shapes as strong and simple as possible? - Are the shapes too similiar? Value - Could the value range be increased? - Could the number of values be reduced? Light - Is the subject effectively lit? - Is the light area big enough? - Would the light look stronger with a suggestion of burnout? - Do the lights have a continuous flow? - Is the light gradiated? Shadows - Do the shadow shapes describe the form? - Are the shadows warm enough? Depth - Would the addition of foreground material deepen the space? - Does the background recede far enough? - Are the halftones properly related to the background? Solidity - Is the underlying form being communicated? - Is the symmetry in perspective? Color - Is there a color strategy? - Could a purer color be used? - Do the whites have enough color in them? - Are the colors overbended on the canvas? - would the color look brighter if it were saturated into its adjacent area? Paint - Is your palette efficiently organized? - Is the painting surface too absorbent? - Are you using the palette knife as much as you could? - Are you painting lines when you should be painting masses? - Are the edges dynamic enough? - Is there enough variation in the texture of the paint?




Renaissance Composition and Painting Techniques


Book Description

"Renaissance Composition and Painting Techniques by Chris Ridgway" is a book for painters and fine artists who wish to learn the basics of composing and painting pictures in the style of the Renaissance artists. It is extensively illustrated with examples from the Renaissance masters, including Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Durer, Andrea Mantegna, and Raphael. Examples are given of the salient points relating to Renaissance composition and the book also provides a guide to Renaissance painting techniques such as grisaille underpainting and painting with glazes. The Appendix also contains information on drawing in perspective, silverpoint drawing, and the author's own thoughts as to what the young Leonardo da Vinci may have looked like. This book is the result of extensive research and practice by the author. He was prompted to produce the book due to a lack of available books that deal with the practical aspects of Renaissance composition for paintings. This book contains over 80 colour and 30 black and white images. It is suitable for the advanced beginner and intermediate artist. This book does not teach you how to draw. A basic ability to draw a representation of what you see in front of you is assumed.




Landscape Painting and Composition


Book Description

What are the secrets of great landscape painting? Discover them in a straightforward, highly visual and enjoyable way with this unique handbook that will quickly become an indispensable companion for painting landscapes in oils, acrylics, pastels etc. Designed as much for beginners as for experienced artists, it is a complete and engaging practical guide to landscape painting. Highly visual, straightforward and easy to use, this manual is an indispensable tool in discovering the secrets hidden beneath great paintings and how to apply them to your own work. Designed both for those new to landscape painting and artists experienced within the genre, this is a comprehensive practical guide that is engaging and inspiring. Illustrated in collaboration with some of the best contemporary landscape painters, the book has hundreds of images and diagrams, as well as QR links to complementing videos , which help readers understand and put to use the techniques and information set out in each chapter. You will discover composition as your greatest ally in depicting landscapes at their most engaging as well as how to maximise your creative experience and process. You will: Get to know and learn to use essential compositional resources for successful paintings. Improve the spatial depth and three-dimensionality of your landscapes Establish visual pathways through your paintings to attract and hold the viewer ́s attention. Identify which types of landscapes are interesting to paint. Discover better formats, framing and view-points. You will also learn how to: In summary - an essential guide for learning to paint and to appreciate landscapes. Create and reinforce a focal point to increase a painting ́s intensity. Highlight or adjust elements of a landscape, depending on what you wish to express. Master the different perspective types applicable to landscapes. Decide the most appropriate pictorial treatment for each area of a painting, depending on its role within the painting. José Payá is the director of "Gaia, Centro de Estudios de Arte y Restauración" (Gaia Centre for the Study of Art and Restauration), the most prestigious art school in Valencia (Spain) and has taught landscape painting since 1992. As a result of his desire to improve amateur learning and to address shortcomings he has detected in the range of books available teaching landscape painting, his series ̈The Secrets of Landscape Painting: Landscape Painting and Composition) was born. This is the first volume, to be followed by six additional titles. His work is available to view and purchase at www.josepaya.es.