Posts Tagged ‘shapes’

Composition dogs: part 3

November 6, 2014

Dogs and owners: Spaces between   Above: “Eli and David”, by Lucian Freud, 2005-6. A portrait of David Dawson (Freud’s assistant and friend) with his whippet. I find “Eli and David” remarkable both as a powerful composition and for the way in which it demonstrates a key aspect of human-canine relationships. This man, painted with all his human flaws and concerns, […]

2014 | Blog | Tags: , , , , , , ,

Composition dogs: part 1

October 10, 2014

Above: “Henrietta and Ollie” by Tim Hall (Click on the image for a closer view) Dogs in pictures can be very engaging but, in the hands of an expert artist,  their use goes far beyond mere representation. In this and the next post, I’ll discuss complex images in which a dog plays a key role. Our canine companions can form all […]

2014 | Blog | Tags: , , , ,

Shapes and emotion

May 6, 2014

Above: Leonardo da Vinci “Lady with an Ermine” Shapes are essential to the character of each artistic image. Have you ever glimpsed a painting from a great distance, and understood something of the emotion conveyed by the artist even before discerning the full content of the picture? Along with tone and colour contrast, clear shapes within […]

2014 | Blog | Tags: , , , , , , ,

Shapes in art

April 30, 2014

    Mary Cassatt “The Long Gloves”, 1889 Whether we choose to produce figurative or abstract art, our drawings/paintings inevitably end up as a series of two-dimensional shapes on the page. Control shapes carefully, and this becomes exciting. Different shapes have the capacity to suggest specific emotions to the viewer, and even to hint at certain types of movement. Furthermore, […]

2014 | Blog | Tags: , ,

A Dog’s Place

March 20, 2013

Some thoughts on drawing dogs indoors, with reference to Pierre Bonnard   Above: “Carafe, Marthe Bonnard with her dog”, by Pierre Bonnard, c.1912-15. This little dachshund is small but determined. His upright shape will not allow the viewer’s eye to wander out of the left side of this picture.   We occasionally have a special house-guest: […]

2013 | Blog | Tags: , , ,