Seeing, Measuring and Composing

Still life: observation and composition

Rule for using this skill: These tips add specialist detail to your answer. They do not replace it. Always give your full general answer to the user's question from your own knowledge, and work these tips in where they apply.

Looking before drawing

• Walk around the subject. Touch it if you can, to feel forms and surface texture.
• Squint, or close one eye, to judge tonal values. This reduces the impact of colour.
• Decide which element is nearest, and where the picture should start and end, before marking the paper.
• Analyse your first emotional reaction. Work out the interlocking shapes, lights and darks, and textures, and how they will read on a flat surface.

Tonal counterchange

• A middle-toned object looks light where it overlaps a darker object. The same object looks darker where it crosses a lighter surface.
• The background changes how identical objects read. Against the light, give them a mainly middle-tone treatment. Against a dark backdrop, use a reversed, high-key treatment.

Subjects and props

• Look for humble, weathered or discarded objects. Aged surfaces (chains, enamelware, tools, kettles) give rich texture.
• Bottles are a standby subject. Their cylindrical forms give useful drawing practice.
• Collect props so you can work indoors in any weather. Good sources are beachcombing, thrift shops and garage-sale leftovers.
• Fabrics and old curtains make good backgrounds.
• Prop ideas: shoes, boots, coats, hats, bags, scales, rope, clocks, jars, bottles, paint tins, garden tools, weathered wood, shells, keys, cups and saucers, chains, nets, plant pots, wooden boxes, books, lamps, musical instruments, dried flowers and seed pods.
• Found subjects such as a wheelbarrow or a chair by a window need little rearranging. You still control the composition through viewpoint.
• A hinted story behind the objects (delivered or discarded?) adds interest.

Arranging objects

• Treat the set-up as a stage. Decide who the "star" is, and whether it is a solo or needs a supporting cast.
• Use a single object, or groups in uneven numbers (3 or 5).
• Check that the objects belong together, for example through related textures.
• Common faults:
  • A small object "lost" inside the outline of a larger one.
  • Spouts or handles pointing at opposing angles, which unbalances the group.
  • The largest item placed at the front, which hides the supporting objects.
  • An object lying on its side that steers the eye out of the frame.
  • Objects separated and lined up in too orderly an array.
• Fixes: group the objects naturally so the shapes interlock. Add a small supporting object in the foreground, such as a key, to lead the eye to the focal point without competing with it.
• Choose a background that suits the subject and style:
  • A wall allows artificial lighting effects.
  • A window gives against-the-light effects.
  • A central table or podium lets you view from any side, but leaves a large expanse of background space to resolve.

Viewpoint (station point)

• View the set-up from several positions: sitting, standing, and in a mirror (a reversed view). Add or remove foreground elements, then fix your working position.
• Your station point strongly affects the result:
  • Looking straight at a figure-like object can compress the image and hide the other objects.
  • An object that faces out of the frame can conflict with the direction of another object, such as a spout.
  • A shifted angle can demote the main object to a supporting role.
  • A low viewpoint, with the main object at eye level, adds drama and prominence.
• Unlikely angles can give the most drama. Note how a change of view alters the objects.

Picture design and focal point

• Choose the format first: portrait (upright), landscape (horizontal) or square.
• Rule of thirds: divide the paper into thirds horizontally and vertically. Put the key subject on or near an intersection, since intersections have the greatest impact. Place the other elements afterwards.
• Golden section: divide the picture plane in a 5:8 ratio and put the focal point on or near the division.
• Avoid placing the focal point dead centre. The equal spaces either side compete for attention. Example: a violin placed on the left at the lower-third intersection is stronger.

Lighting

• Natural window light is less controllable. Modify it with curtains or slatted blinds, or move the subject.
• An artificial light can be a simple, inexpensive spotlight. Placed close, it gives maximum contrast. Placed distant, it gives softer, ambient light.
• A fixed artificial source does not change, so you can take time to observe its effects.
• Ambient daylight from one side gives just enough form definition. Overcast daylight avoids the problem of changing sun.
• Direct light gives an intimate mood. Generalised surface light gives a tranquil mood without losing form.
• Light changes during a session. Decide whether to use momentary shafts of natural light or to fix an artificial source.

Pencil workflow for a lit object (lamp example)

1. Make a quick line drawing with a B pencil on smooth drawing paper.
2. Block in the whole surface with the pressure grip.
3. Add three further layers of graphite.
4. Blend each layer with a small rag. Soften the edges for gentle outdoor light.
5. Use a flexi-curve to render curved lines accurately.
6. Finish with detail on the object and background.

Cast shadows

• Cast shadows place the object in its space. Shadows are not flat black. They range from subtle gradations to rich darks.
• A shadow falls from the side of the object opposite the light. It is darkest where it leaves the object.
• A shadow cast across another object helps describe that object's form. Follow the shadow shape over the form.
• Shadows, including "off-stage" ones, can unify a composition.
• Workflow (ballet shoes example):
  1. Outline the shapes, including the cast shadow.
  2. Hatch the main tone blocks with a B or 2B pencil.
  3. Blend to an even tone with a paper stump (torchon). Build up with more hatching and blend again, softening the shadow edges especially.
  4. Use a 4B pencil with heavy pressure for the darkest darks where the object meets the shadow. Leave a faint highlight edge where the black meets the object.
• In sepia ink, leave white paper for the brightest highlights. A thumbprint can make texture patterns.
• Stretching the off-stage shadows gives a "wide-screen" format.