It’s not just how or what you put on the page but where.
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| Edward Hopper sketchbook |
A part of the grand scheme of creating images is to
understand composition, the art of putting things together deliberately. The
arrangement of visual elements, with an eye towards a sense of rhythm, balance
or imbalance, is as fun as simply drawing itself.
The first given in a composition is the shape of the page
and the ratio of the sides – rectangle or square, horizontal or vertical, thin
or fat (we’re here assuming a shape like a rectangle and not a circle or other
unusual shape for now).
But we are not ruled by the random shape of the page decided
for us by the paper manufacturers and their cutting machines! We are in charge!
We can draw our own shape within the shape of the page, or even cut the page to
suit our needs! We are unstoppable!
Any horizontal or vertical line we draw within the
composition will resonate with the lines that bound our composition. Any
diagonal line or curved line will provide contrast.
Our eyes seek lines to follow, and we can control where people look within a
composition, and how quickly or slowly their eyes move within
the drawing.
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| Drawing by Alphonse Mucha, showing a languid composition |
Essentially, something first attracts the eye in the
composition – a moment of high contrast, perhaps, with the most dynamic lights
and darks within the drawing. Once this is investigated, the eye wanders along
lines we have created to bring them through the rest of the composition in the
way we like – slowly and languidly, along the curves of fabric, for instance,
or quickly and dynamically, down the lines of a hallway perhaps. Do we lead the
eye further into the composition, or move it out and away?
Symmetry is something to be played with – the center is a
powerful spot. But does an object at the center gain or lose power and
interest? Many compositions are asymmetrical, with the point of interest off to
the side – why, we can ask ourselves, is this so interesting? I would suggest
that we seek to balance and settle any composition, and when objects are placed
off-center, we jump in and try balance it in our minds, thus becoming actively
engaged in the image.
This is certainly a simple, verging on simplistic, overview
of composition as a subject, but we’re just throwing everything in the mix
here.
Your Mission
This is a continuation of the sketchbook reporting mission
from last week. Seat yourself comfortably somewhere, preferably with a cool
beverage close by, and draw a rectangle in your sketchbook – a shape that is
pleasing to you. Within this rectangle compose the scene before. What is the
most interesting thing before you – an attractive person, an unusual chair, a
strange plant, whatever. Put that somewhere within the composition, and arrange
everything else around that. Simple as that! Just play around and see what
resonance you can find between shapes and lines. This is open-ended – you’re
diving in to see what you will discover, rather than making a 'correct' drawing.
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| Edward Hopper notebook sketches |
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| Edward Hopper Sketchbook |
