Study Important Painting Tips – Pencil Drawing Tips on Shape Balance
Pencil Drawing Tips on Shape Balance
Composition refers to the relationship of a number of elements that constitute a drawing. The positioning of shapes is one of those elements.
A viewfinder is a see-through adjustable piece of cardboard that lets you frame and isolate certain parts of the composition you are trying to realize. It is an invaluable tool to plan your composition. You can judge how different shapes are or are not balanced relative to a given focal point. It can be used with both photographs and life subjects.
You can easily construct a viewfinder as follows:
From a piece of cardboard, cut two identical L-shaped forms.
Join the two pieces together using two paper clips so that they form a square frame.
Because we used two pieces it is now possible to adjust the window of your viewfinder to the size of the scene you want to view.
For the purpose of composing a drawing we must take into account not only the positive shapes (the objects themselves) but also the negative shapes (the empty spaces in-between the objects). In addition, you also must see all those shapes in relation to the dimensions of your drawing paper.
With your viewfinder as an aid you can now apply some or all of the following guidelines:
1. As already pointed out, be aware of the format of your paper when placing your shapes.
2. Throughout your drawing effort be constantly aware of the location of your chosen focal point.
3. Unify not only the positive spaces but also do the same for the negative spaces. A good composition balances both the positive and negative shapes with respect to the focal point.
4. Two equally sized shapes should be positioned more or less the same distance away from the focal point. When one object is much smaller than another then the small object should be proportionately further away from the focal point than the larger one. Thus, in the end, the focal point should approximately function as the centroid of your drawing.
5. Generally speaking, a shape-unbalanced drawing or painting will look inharmonious and produce discomfort for the viewer. If this is not your intention you should improve the shape balance. On the other hand, unbalancing your shapes is a good way to purposely create an uncomfortable tension in your work.
6. Objects and/or subjects are best arranged asymmetrically relative to the focal point.
7. For some reason, it is more pleasing to the eye to see a group of an odd number of shapes than a group of an even number of shapes.
8. Your shapes should be arranged in such a way that the eye is always being led back to the focal point.
The few guidelines should give you a good start in your handling of shapes. However, remember not to apply the rules too strictly. Give your intuition and natural ability plenty of room when composing your next masterpiece.
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Add comment November 26th, 2008