#4 The ViewpointĪlways be aware of the placement of the horizon line. Following is a list of Edgar Payne‘s composition ideas form the book Composition of Outdoor Painting, an oldy but a goody: Some design ideas by Edgar Payne. Repeating shapes and use of reflections create harmony. S-Curve or Z, curvilinear, arabesque, cruciform, mass or cluster, pattern, linear or strata, alphabet letter such as the capital letter L, H or A, frame-within-a-frame, perspective. This is a great example of big sky, small earth (big background, small foreground, smaller mid ground.) Canadian artist Brent Lynch creates fabulous designs. A common device is to put the focal point near the crossing of third lines or golden mean intersections (a ratio of 1.618). Keep your focal point away from centre, unless you have a tonal value plan to make it work. At the most basic level, decide if your image is about the foreground, mid-ground or background and make one of these use a majority of the space. The Design 9 compositions and colour scheme ideas For example, is it square, portrait, landscape view, long and narrow, small or big? #3.
The FormatĬhoose the best size and format for your idea before diving in. This way all the elements can be used to support the big why. Is it the interlocking shapes the mood or the way the river meanders through the space? Be clear about the theme before beginning.
Basically this means asking Why am I painting or drawing this idea? or What is inspiring to me about this image? Perhaps it the way the light hits the masses, or the type of light (hard, soft, ethereal). Landscape Painting Basic # 1: The Big WHY. Additionally, using techniques that provide depth and perspective are key to the success of our landscape painting. We also need to be clear on our design, the focal point and especially why we want to paint the idea. In landscape painting, we need to understand the dominance of value, temperature, and intensity. The basics you need to know to paint landscapes well.