The Simple Secret to Better Painting

by Albert, Greg

• ISBN13: 9781581802566
• ISBN10: 1581802560
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-05-01
• Publisher: North Light Books

Summary

Composition is one of the most important elements to any painting, but it can also be one of the most intimidating. the long list of rules for designing and structuring a work is complicated, hard to remember and downright mystifying. In this simple resource, Greg Albert boils it all down to one golden rule: Never make any two intervals the same. He demonstrates this fool-proof technique with clear, concise diagrams, before-and-after student paintings and samples from today's top painters. Readers will get to learn from the work of Frank Webb, Tony Couch, Zoltan Szabo, Tony Van Hasselt, Tom Lynch and many more! Artists of all levels with find this secret to great composition easy to remember and even easier to use. Greg Albert is Editorial Director of North Light Books. He's also an artist, author and teacher who lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Table of Contents

introduction	8	(2)
design dynamics	10	(10)
design a preference test
play with design
another design game
visual tension
visual energy
visual weight
dynamics of the frame
why the One Rule of Composition works
making things interesting	20	(12)
dividing the boundaries of your painting
interesting boundary divisions
dividing the space between objects
varied spacing adds interest
creating interesting shapes
interesting shapes in common objects
interesting shapes: applied
creating interesting groupings
achieving dynamic balance	32	(8)
the importance of balance
static versus dynamic balance
balancing visual weight and energy
pleasing the eye	40	(12)
path of the eye
compositional ``magnets''
center of interest
focal point
placing the focal point
exploring the four ``sweet spots''
lines, leads and pointers
blocks and exits
attract, entertain and retain the viewer
tonal value and contrast	52	(14)
the importance of value contrast
vary your values for interest
seeing your subject as a pattern of values
basic value patterns
lead the viewer's eye to your focal point
use values to enhance mood
turn the ordinary into the extraordinary
gradation of value creates interest
harmony within value contrast
color	66	(12)
characteristics of color
the color wheel
color dominance
temperature dominance
intensity dominance
value dominance
color contrast at the focal point
still lifes	78	(14)
selecting your still life subjects
arranging a still life
dynamic balance
simplicity
making compositional choices
choosing textures
choosing varied intervals
landscapes	92	(12)
make use of photographs
an alphabet of landscape composition
basic value patterns for landscapes
perspective
color in landscapes
figures and portraits	104	(20)
placing the head
placing the head and upper body
placing the figure
plan a path for the eye
establish a mood
creating a dynamic figure
the figure as an interesting shape
cropping the figure
cropping a portrait
value patterns
group portraits
multiple figures
figure interaction
conclusion	124	(2)
index	126