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NOTE  -   this is a transcript of material covered in a class I taught last week, with a group of members of the Sackville Art Association, in Sackville, NB.     Here's some of the group members hard at work, planning and creating their landscape paintings. 

 

   

 

 

The world we live in, the “real world”, has 3 dimensions - we call it 3-D.  We have Height, Width, and Depth. Our binocular vision (looking at the world with 2 eyes) is the primary factor in our ability to see “depth” when we look around us, for each eye sees a slightly different version of the same scene, and these two images then overlap in our brains, giving us our sense of 'depth perception'.

 

Without this binocular vision, as in someone who has lost the sight in one eye, this depth perception is compromised. It's like looking through a camera lens, which has only one 'perspective' on the scene in front of it - just Height and Width, which we refer to as 2-D. Similarily, this lack of depth perception in the camera lens presents challenges when we use our photos as reference sources for paintings.

 

Then, whether working from life or from photos, we are further limited by the very paper or canvas we are using. These supports have only two dimensions - Height and Width. There is no depth in a flat piece of paper, and so we need to use specific techniques in order to fool the viewer's eye into believing that it is actually there.   In short, to keep a landscape painting from looking like just a flat design on paper, we need to use 'tricks' to create an illusion of depth.  But before we get to the techniques, let's review a few basics first.

 

 

LANDSCAPE COMPOSITION

We can think of a landscape painting as a jigsaw puzzle - we take various parts, or elements, and fit them together to form an image which is interesting to look at, and which conveys a mood or tells a story. This “composition” involves many different aspects, all of which are important, and all of which work together to create a pleasing visual effect.

 

FORMAT - We start out by deciding on the size and format (shape) of the painting-to-be. The format itself has an effect on the overall impact of the completed image. It's easier to create a sense of distance in a horizontal format than in a vertical one. This is due to the fact that our natural 'field of vision' is a wide horizontal band.

 

You can test this for yourself .. stare straight ahead, then without moving your eyes, and using just your peripheral vision, hold one hand above your eyes and one below your eyes, and move them until both 'just disappear' from your peripheral view. This marks the 'height' of what you can see.    Then do the same thing to mark the side boundaries of your visual field, to find the 'width'. You'll discover you've defined a horizontal swatch of space - that is your natural visual field.

 

Because of this natural visual 'preference', horizontal landscapes are in general more successful, since the viewer's eye is able to relax and wander around the painting comfortably. You could say a horizontal landscape gives a restful feeling.

 

By contrast, a vertical format is more energetic, since the eye has further to travel from bottom to top of the image. This type of painting can be very effective to emphasize certain subject matter, like waterfalls, tall trees, etc. While such a vertical landscape can be very dramatic, it's much trickier to obtain the illusion of depth, and requires careful attention to technique.

 

 

FOCAL POINT - Remember the 'rule of thirds' when determining where the main area of interest will be in your landscape composition. Also, bear in mind that the main focus shouldn't be too far in the distance, or it loses its impact - crop as much as necessary in order to zero in on the main focal area. It's equally important to remember that everything in the painting should relate somehow to the main area of interest ... avoid secondary elements which distract too much from the main focus.

 

 

ENTRY POINT - Aim for a natural-looking visual entry point into the foreground of the painting (remember the rule of thirds again), and build a natural-looking path for the eye to follow in the painting. Be conscious of this goal when you first sketch your basic composition plan.

 

This entry point and visual path need not be actual objects, but can be accomplished by the use of strategically placed shadows etc. This is also where moving items around can benefit the overall impact ... partly by adding directional cues, and partly by eliminating distractions. If there is no obvious entry point in what you are painting, feel free to invent one. It's the painting that matters, not whether you paint only exactly what is there.

 

The most natural path for the eye to follow is bottom left to top right. This is influenced by nature, in the fact that when we look at scenery outdoors it spreads out in front of us from foreground to background, which is from the bottom to the top of our visual field. Then, in our culture we learn to read from left to right, and so this becomes our 'normal' eye movement direction for looking at most things.

 

 

LINES - Make the most of lines in your composition, both defined ones and suggested ones. A 'defined' line might be a row of fenceposts, or a riverbank, etc. A 'suggested' line might be a seroes of shadows, or grass blades bending in one direction from the wind, etc.

 

Also remember how different types of lines can impart different effects in a painting. While horizontal lines are restful, vertical lines suggest more energy or grandness. Curved lines are soothing, while converging lines deepen the sense of distance.

 

 

 

A FEW LANDSCAPE TIPS

- Don't include everything you see in front of you - be selective, focus on the main elements which give the feeling of the scene.

 

- Use your imagination, feel free to move things around if it makes a better painting ... if a tree is growing on the right side of your view, but it would make a better composition if it were on the left side, go ahead and paint it there.

 

- Include foreground interest ... the foreground should show more detail than the background - this helps develop the distance perspective, or depth.

 

- Make use of 'framing' elements for added unity - archways, doorways, windows, a gap in dense foliage, overhanging tree branches, bridges, shadows, etc

 

- Do the same scene more than once ... do a series of paintings, based on the same scene ... each time you do it you will see something different and find a different way to interpret what you see.

 

 

 

 

TECHNIQUES FOR ADDING DEPTH TO LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS

 

LAYERS - Think of landscape paintings as being made up of 4 separate layers, which overlap each other ...

1. sky - can help frame a painting, or set the mood, or provide an 'exit point' for the eye

2. background - provides a 'backdrop' against which the other layers rest

3. middle-ground - usually contains the main area of interest ...

4. foregound - provides an 'entry point' into the scene, gives a 'starting point' for the eye to follow

HORIZON LINE - The horizon is the line where the land or sea 'appears' to meet the sky. The position of the horizon line can influence the focus of a landscape painting ... it's a vital clue to the overall relationship of all parts of the landscape to each other.

• low horizon - emphasizes distance, sky ... indicates viewer is at ground level

• high horizon - emphasizes importance of foreground & middle-ground .. indicates viewer is looking down from a higher vantage point

If the horizon line is either too high or too low, the overall impact of the painting can feel awkward to the viewer. Not necessary to stick rigidly to the 'Rule of Thirds', but good to remember to have enough space both above and below the horizon line to make a pleasing arrangement of space.

 

LINEAR PERSPECTIVE - Objects appear smaller as they recede into the distance. This can readily be seen in a road which runs from the foreground to the background ... the sides of the road converge as they recede into the distance,  and this serves to pull the viewer's eye into the painting.

 

One easy and effective way to create an illusion of distance is to include an element of a known size which gets smaller as it recedes into the distance. Roads, railway lines, trees, fenceposts, etc, all can work in this manner..   Adding a figure (or figures) to a landscape is another easy technique to show distance, and a sense of scale as well. Our eyes tend to gravitate toward figures (either people or animals), and our brains then can automatically determine the scale of everything else in the painting.

 

 

AERIAL PERSPECTIVE - The atmosphere itself has an effect on how easy it is to see details in objects as they recede into the background. The further away an object is, the more vertical 'layers' of atmosphere there are to interfere with our ability to see the details of the object.

 

Objects in the foreground show clearly defined edges, and details are apparent. The same object located in the middle ground is less clear, and details become less discernible. And, the same object located in the background loses much of the detail, and it may be difficult to determine the actual identity of the object. Objects in the background are therefore best rendered as just a 'suggestion' of the basic shape and colour.

 

One simple technique to add depth is to adjust the tonal values in different parts of the painting, depending on whether they are closer to the foreground or set in the background. In general, using a lighter tone, or value, will push an area further into the background, and this immediately gives a sense of depth.

 

As objects recede from foreground to background, the contrast between tonal values also becomes less obvious. Dark values in the foreground quickly change to medium values in the middle ground, while light values in the foreground remain as light values in the middle ground, so the contrast between the lightest and darkest values in middle ground is reduced. In the background this contrast narrows even further, so there is very little difference between darkest and lightest values.

 

 

COLOUR PERSPECTIVE - The atmosphere also has an effect on the appearance of colours. Particles in the air act as a filter for light waves, and blue light passes through the 'filter' more easily than other colours, so things in the distance appear blue. The warmest colours are the most affected by this filtering effect. For this reason we say that 'Warm colours advance, while Cool colours recede'. As objects move from foreground to middle ground to background, the colours appear lighter and bluer.

 

Colours become less intense as they recede into the distance as well, and become closer in tone to the background colour (usually blue). So a red object will become lighter and more purple as it goes further back, and eventually will appear light blue. There is less contrast between colours.   Dark tones are altered more than light tones,  while pure white maintains its tone even as it recedes into the background.

 

As a basic 'recipe' for applying colour perspective to your landscape paintings, think :

• Foreground = 'Normal' tones

• Middle Distance = A Little Lighter in Tone, and Bluer

• Far Distance = Much Lighter, and Bluer

 

EDGES - Here we're talking about Hard and Soft edges. Foreground edges will be 'harder' and more defined, while those in the middle ground will be 'softer', and in the background some edges may be blurred, or 'lost'. This creates visual depth as well.

 

 

So there we have it. Some 'tricks of the trade' to fool the eye into 'seeing' depth in a flat painting. It's all sleight of hand, folks. Magic.

 

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INTRODUCTION

We've all been there at one time or other - the ubiquitous group critique. A group of artists take turns showing their work, while the other members of the group offer their opinions on it.

 

This is usually done fairly quickly, often 'tagged on' at the end of a meeting, or done as a quick preamble at the beginning of a class, the object of the exercise sometimes seems to be to 'git er dun' as quickly as possible. Members of the group are anxious to get to the 'real' reason for the gathering, or else they're anxious to get home as soon as possible, if the meeting has already taken place.

 

Because of this 'rushed' atmosphere, a potentially valuable source of peer feedback becomes instead a form of 'mutual admiration society', with comments such as: “What a great painting!” ... “I really like this one!” ... “I love the colours!” ... and more of the same. Nobody wants to say anything 'negative' about someone else's work, because we all secretly want to hear positive comments about our own work.

 

A pat on the back is always nice to get, of course, and goes a long way to boosting the ego, but is that what a critique is really all about? Such comments really don't give us much in the way of insights to work with, and contribute little to our overall growth as artists.

 

 

DEFINITION OF 'CRITIQUE'

Some artists cringe at the mere thought of having their work critiqued. The very word 'critique' is based on the word 'criticism', and in our culture that word has taken on a negative connotation, since to criticize something usually means to point out its faults.

 

The dictionary definition of the word 'critic', however, indicates it is 'someone who passes judgement on something, usually in reference to art and literature'. That is a neutral statement ... the 'judgement' could be either positive or negative, or a combination of both.

 

 

FINDING THE CRITICAL BALANCE

So how can we improve group critiques? If we are to comment on each other's work in an effective and constructive way, it helps to pay attention to a few basic guidelines. The overall goal is BALANCE between what is working in the painting, and what could benefit from a different approach or further thought.

 

For the person who says they “really like the painting” --- Why? What is it about this particular painting which appeals to you? Is it the balance of lights and darks? Do the colours match the colours in your livingroom? Is it the fancy frame which appeals to you? What else?

 

For the person who says they “love the colours “ --- what is it about the colours you like? Is it the balance between brights and subdued tones? Is it the juxtaposition of complements that catches your eye? What else?

 

For the person who says “it's a great painting” --- why do you feel it's a great painting? Great compared to what? Is it the composition? The treatment of subtle details? The skillful handling of the medium? What else?

 

Once you identify what does appeal to you about the painting in question, then it's time to take the next step and  pick out one or two elements which the artist could perhaps approach a little differently. That is balance.  That is neutral. That is constructive.

 

BASIC GUIDELINES FOR CONSTRUCTIVE CRITIQUE

Art is a language, and like any other form of communication, it consists of two parts -  the Intention, and the Perception.

 

Paintings elicit definite emotional responses in the viewer.   The process of critique allows the artist to determine whether their 'intended message' is the same as the 'perceived message' which the viewer feels when they observe the painting.

 

When doing a critique of someone else's work, it's important to do it in a constructive manner. It isn't necessary to comment on the entire painting ... sometimes it can be far more helpful to zero in on one element which is working well, then pick one element which could benefit from a different approach.

 

The first question should be “What were you attempting in this painting?” ... the answer to that question often paves the way to constructive comments on various elements in the painting.

 

 

ELEMENTS TO EXAMINE:

• artist's statement - what was the artist's intention? Is it finished? Are there any particular problem areas where the artist would like feedback?

  • Emotional impact - how does it make you feel? Does it match the artist's intention?

  • Title - does the title give a sense of the artist's intention? Is it self-explanatory?

• technical skill – how well has the artist handled the medium?

• Unity - is the medium and subject matter handled the same way throughout the painting?

• Presentation - brush hairs? Scratches? Fingerprints? Appropriate framing?

• Composition -

  • Subject matter - does it convey some sort of 'life' or 'story'? Is it varied? Interesting?

  • Format - arrangement of shapes, suitability of painting size & shape ...

  • Perspective - consistent throughout painting?

  • Colour - use of complements ... balance of brights and subdued hues ...

  • Focal point - easily identified? ... suitable location ?

  • Texture - consistent throughout painting? Consistent with subject matter?

  • Value range - pleasing arrangement of tonal values?

 

Ideas ...

• turn the work upside down, to check for balance of design elements ...

• look at the piece from a distance and then from closeup ...

• look at the painting through squinted eyes ...

 

 

RECEIVING CRITICISM OF OUR WORK

Since we all have different backgrounds and experiences and educations when it comes to art, no two critics / artists will ever give the same opinion of a particular piece of art. Most importantly, we need to remember that the critique is of the painting, and not the painter.   It's not personal.

 

The person on the receiving end of a critique has the option, of course, of whether or not they decide to make use of any suggestions being offered by the group, or by an individual critic. But even if they end up making no changes on the painting being appraised, the suggestions and comments will be absorbed into the subconscious, and will likely come into play at a later time, with a different painting.

 

 

THE GROUP CRITIQUE EXPERIENCE

There are advantages to having our work critiqued by an art professional, for sure. Those individuals offer their expert opinions based on extensive training and/or experience, and can be an invaluable addition to our overall art education.

 

However, a well-focused Group Critique, where the members of a group pass comment on each others' work, can be equally valuable. For one thing, members of a group tend to know each other fairly well, and can be more open about making suggestions or asking questions.

 

Some members of a group might feel they are not experienced enough or knowledgeable enough to critique someone else's work, but the truth is that we all have something valuable to offer. Any person who attempts to put pigment to paper or to canvas has the ability to contribute to a group critique. We all know “a little something” that the next person may not be aware of, or may not have thought of.

 

As individuals, we learn just as much from seeing someone else's work being critiqued, as we do from critique of our own work. In a group environment, it's like receiving numerous 'little lessons' for the price of one, so to speak. Our minds register all these little nuggets of information for future use, even if we're not aware of it happening.

 

As a result, every member of the group ends up growing as artists.

 

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