Monday, May 24, 2010

Challenge 4- Painting Texture


(click on the image to open a better quality photo and download it)

Painting together is so much fun! Its really admirable that everyone in our group takes the time to provide constructive and encouraging comments. I learn a lot from everybody's feedbacks as well as by studying how different artists paint a composition.

A big welcome to our new members! We are really glad that you found us and hope to see your paintings (or drawings) in this new challenge.

And, as you review the new composition, don't forget to provide your comments about the last few paintings submitted recently!


About the composition

Before we begin with a series of landscape/cityscape paintings outdoors from the next challenge, we need to explore painting different and challenging textures.

As you can observe, this composition was photographed under controlled single directional light positioned at the upper left corner. This way, all the light and shadow areas are very easily distinguished and it also helps in guiding a viewer to the focus of the painting - the strawberry.

Once the viewer has explored the light and dark areas of the strawberry (or how tasty it must be), his (or her) eyes drift to the empty space next to the strawberry - here the viewer observes the remnants of another strawberry. That is the time when emotions start to flow, and the story begins...


Each viewer will "see" a different story. Some will be sad, while the others will have a happy imagination.


For example, I see all who are waiting for someone else to show up... perhaps, a couple in the restaurant; she left to check make up and forgot her bag.... I can go on and on ...forever....

In this situation, the title of the painting may help to suggest what the artist was thinking of while painting this composition. We have already seen in our previous challenges how skillfully chosen titles added an exciting perception to the paintings.


Technically speaking, this composition is all about painting difficult textures. Both strawberry and wood bark have a lot of details.

However not every single dot needs to be where it is in the photo. All that is needed is to "read it" as strawberry not apple and textured wood bark not solid cubic of wood.

Don't forget that the texture continues in the shadow areas as well, although camera may not have caught it very well.

If you would like to alter the composition go for it but do make sure you communicate the texture of both strawberry(s) and wood bark.

Another part of our assignment is to choose the best possible title for the painting! It would be fun to see how it influences the viewer's perspective.

Please send photo of your painting the latest by June 12. The next painting reference will be posted on Sunday June 13.

No comments: