(This is a compilation of notes and comments from a recent class I taught.)
There is an old tale about someone approaching Michelangelo as he chiseled away at a huge block of marble, which was to become his famous statue “David”. The visitor admired the partially-completed work, and asked the artist how he knew just what to cut away. Michelangelo's supposed response was this: “It's easy - I just remove everything that doesn't look like David.”
Cropping is an important part of composition. It refers to trimming the edges of an image so it contains only those elements which are crucial to the subject. Just as Michelangelo 'cropped' the block of marble with his chisel and hammer, we can crop reference photos we plan to use as subject matter for our painting compositions.
The cropping process actually begins when we first capture the photo. Through the camera lens we make several decisions before we even snap the shutter. First, we find something we want to capture. Next, we decide which views of the subject we want to record - whether it be a wide-angle shot taken from a distance, or a closer shot focusing on a more detailed view of the subject. We might actually walk around and take a number of photos from different angles, and different distances, and perhaps from different heights as well.
Then once we have photos in hand or in a computer file, we can crop some more.
Before I continue with this, I'd like to point out that until just a few years ago, all of this 'image cropping' was done 'by hand' - with numerous thumbnail sketches to test various arrangements, using different portions of the image at hand, until I arrived at the one which most clearly represented what I wanted the painting to say. This process could take an hour, or ten hours, or a few days, or longer.
With the computer, I'm now able to accomplish this same task in a relatively short time, by doing the initial compositional cropping and designing right on the screen, even before I print out the resource image. Several detailed time comparisons have shown me that this computerized process can knock up to 10 hours off the entire creative process. By the time I print the reference image, it's already more-or-less the arrangement I am planning for the painting. Any additional changes or tweaks can be made during the initial draft on paper. When you work with Coloured Pencils, as I do, this is a HUGE time-saver and means I can complete more paintings in the course of a year.
There are 3 main criteria I keep in mind when examining a photo with the intent of turning it into a painting.
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Message - does the image 'tell a story'? Or is it just a “pretty picture”?
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Impact - is there one part of the image which grabs the viewer's attention?
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Emotion - does the image evoke an emotional response in the viewer?
I should add too that I only use photos I've taken myself, for a couple reasons - first, obviously, it eliminates any possibility of copyright infringement; and second, I feel that I can adequately represent a scene only if I've actually been there myself, so I'm able to call on my memory images as well as the printed image in front of me.
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THE ART OF CROPPING involves knowing what to remove, and also knowing how to do it.
The goal is not to reproduce the reference image, rather it is to make 'the best possible painting' using the subject matter in the reference photo.
Cropping is in large part an esthetic decision, and so it will be based on the individual artist's creative judgement. However, there are some general compositional elements which can be considered ...
The composition should lead the viewer's eye into the painting and encourage it to remain there for awhile, as it leads the eye around the various parts of the painting. The viewer's eye should easily locate the main area of interest, while still being able to appreciate how everything else in the painting relates to that main focal point.
If we compare a painting to a room in a house, perhaps we can more easily 'see' this concept.
Close your eyes, and picture room # 1 - it's chock-full of decorative furniture from many different eras and in different styles and different types of wood and different colours and patterns of upholstery. The windows are hung with heavy floral printed drapes and a contrasting striped sheer panel. There are bookcases and wall shelves crammed with all sorts of books and magazines and knick-knacks from all over the world. The walls are filled with family photos and bright posters and other decorative items, all set against brightly-patterened wallpaper. Every seat in the room has a cushion, or a book, or an afghan, and the family cats are casually perched on several chairs.
Now, still with your eyes closed, picture room # 2 - the walls are painted a soft neutral colour, the furniture is functional and straightforward, all in similar styles and wood finishes. The window curtains are tastefully co-ordinated to blend with the main contents of the room. Books and magazines are neatly arranged on a single bookcase, along with a few decorative objects to balance the shelf arrangements. The walls are painted a soft neutral shade and are tastefully adorned with a few carefully chosen and placed photos and paintings whidh share a common theme. Everything in the room 'feels' like it belongs there, and items have been strategically arranged to guide the visitor's eyes to one specific item which seems to hold the place of honour in the room. There is a clearly identified pathway to the seat reserved for visitors, and it waits invitingly for its next occupant.
If you were a visitor to that first room, you might find it difficult to relax, even after you've finally moved a cushion or a book or a cat to find a seat. Your attention may wander away from the conversation as your eyes dart around the room trying to take in everything at once. You will probably be quite glad when the visit is over and you can escape from the clutter.
In the second room, however, you may find yourself settling into a state of peaceful comfort, as the calm surroundings relax you and put you at ease. You find it easy to admire the main items in the room, positioned as they are to direct your attention to them. When it's time to leave this room you might find yourself wishing you could stay longer, and you know for sure you want to return again.
Now, let's place paintings of these 2 rooms in a gallery and watch the visitors, to guage their reactions. We will mostlikely find that viewers will definitely stop at the first painting, the one of the cluttered room, since it will definitely be eye-catching, and will make an attempt to wander visually through the painted image. Very quickly though they start to feel bogged down, with no clear indication of where they should look next, and their eyes tire of all the visual clutter. They are unable to figure out what the 'story of the painting' is all about, since there is just so much visual information.
When they arrive at the second painting, however, they are far more likely to linger longer, as their eyes follow clear pathways around the painting, noting all the individual elements which ultimately lead their eyes to the main area of interest, that special item which holds the place of honour in the painting, just as it did in the uncluttered room where that visitor wanted to stay. They are far more likely to feel some sort of emotional response to this second painting, since the artist has made it so much easier for them to 'find' the story in the painted image.
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HOW TO CROP
Using an adjustable viewfinder makes it easy to isolate various portions of an image, for closer examination and study. Using two L-shaped pieces of card, about 2” wide, you can overlap them to frame various parts of the image, in different proportions, until you find what really speaks to you about that particular subject.
These viewfinder pairs can have various 'arm' lengths, depending on the size of the image you want to examine. You can overlap them to form different sizes and shapes of openings.
LEFT - 2" wide viewfinder arms, this pair is about 7" long on each side. I cut mine from scrap pieces of matboard. I prefer black or dark gray, for they seem to serve as more of a visual block when viewing one portion of the photo.
RIGHT - viewfinder arms overlapped. By moving them around it is possible to create different sizes and shapes of 'window' opening, which allows you to zero in and isolate different parts of the image you're planning to crop.
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LEFT - this is a photo I had taken a few years ago, on a clear crisp day in early February. I had taken a few shots of the big old willow in my backyard, admiring the naked winter branches as they stood out in sharp contrast against the incredibly clear blue sky of that cool winter day. Then I noticed a bit of movement, and discovered a squirrel perched up there, munching away on a peanut. If you look closely you might be able to see it, about 1/3 up from the bottom and 1/3 in from the left side.
CENTER - Using the viewfinder arms I first blocked off a horizontal composition, then decided there was still too much emphasis on the pattern which the brances made and the poor little squirrel was still 'lost'.
RIGHT - I then moved the viewfinder arms around a bit, and ended up with this vertical format composition, which still has enough of the branch patterns to give the general idea of where the squirrel is, but allows the squirrel to become the center of interest.
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From the vertical cropping I sketched the basic composition, which then progressed to a colour draft, worked in Coloured Pencil, titled LOFTY LUNCH.
At this stage it is very light, without much detail. This is how I begin most of my work lately - a faint image to establish line patterns and colour fields, and positioning of all elements. The squirrel sits in the lower left are of the composition, and is so faint that it barely shows up - but that will change in the next step or two.
Keep watching future posts to see further development on this painting-in-progress.
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Here are a couple photos I've already used as subject matter for paintings, along with the paintings which resulted. In each case I cropped the photos to focus on the main subject and eliminate unnecessary distractions, to make a good Painting, instead of just a copy.
1. BLACK'S HARBOUR
LEFT - the photo ... the picture was taken from the wharf at Black's Harbour NB, while waiting for the ferry to Grand Manan Island. I was particularly intrigued by the boats and the varied textures on the water.
RIGHT - the painting ... BLACK'S HARBOUR © Sharon L Hicks, 2010. Coloured Pencil. You can see how I cropped all edges of the original photo, to call more attention to the boats and rippled water.
2. ALWAYS FRESH
LEFT - the photo - on a downtown walk after a snowstorm, the streets weren't cleared and there was not traffic moving anywhere in sight - except for the few cars which had somehow made it to the local coffee shop. This incongruity is what captured my attention, and attested to the loyalty (or craving) some folks have for their morning cuppa.
RIGHT - the painting - ALWAYS FRESH © Sharon L Hicks, 2010. You can see how I've cropped out quite a bit of the left-hand side of the photo, plus some from the right-hand side, and moved in on the main area of focus - the cofee shop.
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In each of the above photos, you can also see there are numerous other possibilities for more paintings, with other centers of interest and other stories to tell ... and eventually I might get around to doing just that.
Until then, I hope this little demonstration might spark some interest and help others push their skills to the limit.
cheers
Sharon
"Youth is a gift of nature, Age is a work of art"
"Home is where the Art is."
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[email protected]
[email protected]
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www.sharonhicksfineart.com
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