The line...

Here we go!
Lines can have a huge impact on an image or even brushstrokes. Many famous pieces of art of line of some form. There are plenty different uses for lines. For example:


Lines don't have to be straight as an arrow; such as above. They can curve and move in all different directions. It is a technique used to define your object as well as move the viewers eye around the image. Vincent Van Gogh used his brushstrokes to help show emotion as well in the "Starry Night":


Jeez! He was amazing!! Even the dark form in front seems to have motion. WELL......now that I just place one of the greatest artists on my page I think I can go no further......but I need to.

I attempted to use lines to show a direction and ended up showing a perspective as well.



The lines proceed back to the horizon. The telephone polls and wires proceed back as well. That's my attempt at line! I would say done pretty well but yet there is...well...nothing too interesting. Jeez I need to be more creative!

There are RULES!!

Rule of 3rds that is! In photography this is stressed but I feel it can be used in painting and drawing as well.

I once did a still life painting and well...lets just say it was for my technical skills rather than my portraying skills. Well, I did a search on Google, the famous search engine, and found an article on the rule of 3rds on Wikipidia. If you center an image it seems to be stuck in the frame and cant really "breathe" as I like to say. Or it could not lead the viewers eye around the picture and there will be no mystery! Sometimes you can break the rule, and have a solid picture, but that is not what I would like to do. I want the viewer to have a good look and try to figure out what I am thinking or trying to convey.

So! I have done two sketches to start the ball rolling!

In the center

I know it is not much to look at, a pencil sharpener, BUT it is right in the middle!...I do not like it! The glimpse of the glasses does help with the interest level but I am over it...moving on...

Not in the Center

Well? What do you think? Better? I think so! I do wonder, however, what is going on in the rest of the frame but that is something I need to work on. I think I have learned my lesson on Rule of 3rds!

Wikipida does have some more information about lines and the usage in of them in an image. Next week is the line! Get excited!!

So I need help! I need help trying to figure out what I would like to paint! If you have any suggestions I would love any help I can get!

The beginning!!

I am a Photography major at the University of Utah and am required to take a foundation section in which I am to take a painting class. I have taken an oil painting class previously and found my ways of composing on canvas were and are not up to my personal expectations. Looking through my lens, I seem to have no problem achieving a solid frame. Of course as anyone who works with cameras knows, you could have 50 frames and only have one frame that you are satisfied with.

So, my blog is to help me keep a record on how I have achieved something in the end that I like.....or even that I don't like, but none the less show my thought process through it all. Huge disclaimer: I am not very good at drawing so you will have to just see the concept, opposed to the quality, and not judge to harshly.

Here is one of my photos that I have worked on.



Location: Athens, Greece. He was a very nice man! The rope squishing against the bags of colored Easter grass, leads my eye to his cute little belly bursting out of his shirt buttons.

Here is a photo of some recent art I attempted to paint this last year.




















The one of the tree was from my head and the orange one is done from a black and white photograph. As you can see I need a lot of self exploration on composition.

So the journey begins! I am going to attempt to better my eye for composing a frame.