BobBlast 552 - "Bob’s Favorite Compositions for a Landscape, Part Two"

Weekly BobBlast Issue 552
Bob's Favorite Compositions for a Landscape, Part Two

Welcome Back to Another BobBlast!

In this BobBlast, we are continuing with our New Year “Back to the Basics” theme… focusing on Bob’s four favorite compositions for a landscape. This is Part Two, featuring Tunnel Vision and the Golden Section.

The first featured composition this week is full of visual drama and strong contrast: Tunnel Vision Composition.

This graphic composition is exactly as it is called… everything leads your eye to one lighted point, whether you're looking out through a tunnel (light at the end of the tunnel) or you are at the bottom of the Grand Canyon with high mountainous cliffs on both sides. You are illustrating a Vanishing Point and that focal point may be the setting sun, a wedge of sky or a gap in the forest of trees. Even urban scenes have a vanishing point, using buildings and sky scrappers and the pedestrians' point of view… all the way down to the red stop light.

The end result is a simple, yet powerful graphic design with a memorable impact. This week's Tunnel Vision painting demo shows my preference for dark shapes on both sides, leading to one bright focal point.

The second composition is the Golden Section. I quickly show you how to find the eye-catching Golden Section — the sweet spot, the focal point!

Think 1/3 • 1/3 • 1/3 - Divide the painting surface into thirds, much like a tic-tac-toe. Where the lines overlap and intersect in the four places, you choose only one “crosshair” spot as your Golden Section. Whatever focal point you position in that chosen spot is aesthetically pleasing and comfortable to human nature.

For a deeper and more scientific quest on this subject, do a google search for the Golden Section or the Golden Means. Get out your protractor, ratio guides and lonely nights. I prefer the BobBlast way! 

Don't forget your morning warm up exercises: 
Start small daily warm up paint sketches of landscapes. Spread all papers cut or torn to the size you want on your painting table. Use extra large brushes, paper towels and fingers. Paint all paintings at the same time, one after the other.

Think about the graphic design BEFORE you start. Consider the following:
•Color Combination
•Light Source
•Darks and Lights
•Soft and Hard Edges
It's all about your own original point of view!

Stay tuned for the next BobBlast, where we will feature another one of Bob’s favorite studio techniques… working with isopropyl alcohol to create interest and texture!

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