Art Tips & Techniques

JUDGING PROPORTION

Ian Sidaway

In order to draw accurately, you need to be able to assess the relative proportion of an object, and how this relates to its surroundings and position in space. To do this, artists take measurements. The distance between two points is usually measured by holding out a drawing implement at arm's length.
The artist looks past the pencil to the subject and aligns the top of the pencil with a point on the subject, the top of the head for example, then slides his or her thumb up or down to indicate another point, perhaps the tip of the chin. The thumb is kept in this position, and the "unit" is then used to estimate the length or height of the complete figure, or the length of an arm or leg. A person's head might equal one "unit" and their entire body might be 7 "units" high. These measurements are then transferred to the drawing. To make a drawing larger or smaller, change the size of the unit on your drawing surface; as long as you are consistent, the measurements should be correct. Never take anything for granted! Always make a few simple measurements of any subject and be guided by what you see and your measurements rather than what you might assume is the correct proportion.

Drawing, Watercolor or Acrylic Topic

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Art History Topic

The foreign artists who arrived in Rome towards the year 1600 found the Italians all excited about a young painter named Caravaggio, who had himself come to the city only a few years before from a town in northern Italy. A look at his work will make you realize how little his work has in common with the strained, other-worldly art of the Mannerists. Caravaggio had learned a good deal from the Venetian, High Renaissance style, but he refused to idealize his figures. His own outlook was naturalistic, which means that he wanted to show the world just as he saw it in everyday life...he painted soldiers such as one might have met in any Roman tavern, playing a crooked game of cards...At first people were shocked at this kind of subject - they claimed it was neither noble nor beautifu enough for a large painting. Yet they couldn't help admiring the way Caravaggio made the group come to life. Two things impressed them particularly: Caravaggio's new sense of timing, which let him catch the characters at exactly the right moment; and his dramatic use of light and dark. He was the first painter who spotlighted his pictures like a stage director, contrasting brilliant highlights with sharply outlined, deep shadows in order to make every face, every gesture as expressive as possible. Caravaggio could translate an important biblical story into the workaday reality of his own time aa nd yet fill it with the deepest religios feeling; it is his discovery of light as a force that raises a tavern scene to the level of a sacred event.

from "The Story of Painting", H.W. Janson and Dora Jane Hanson, Herry N. Abrams, Inc.

Mixing Your Own Colors

Colour theory can seem complex and daunting, but once the basics are understood, it begins to make sense. Four main terms are used to categorize colour: temperature, intensity, tone and hue. Temperature describes whether the color is warm or cool, with the reds, oranges and yellows being warm, and the blues, greens and purples being cold. Intensity indicates the brilliance or purity of the colour. Tone assesses the relative lightness or darkness of a colour. Hue is the general name given to a colour such as red or blue.
The primary colours - red, yellow and blue - cannot be mixed from other colours. When mixed together, they produce a range of secondary colours - orange, green and purple. Tertiary colours have elements of all three primaries and tend to echo those colours found in nature. Neutral colours are mixed using equal amounts of the three primaries. By varying the proportions, a range of browns and greys are produced. One colour can be changed significantly by adding white (or water) to lighten it producing tints or by adding black producing shades both ends of a tonal range.
Colours which fall opposite one another on a colour wheel are know as "complementary" (red and green) and have a unique relationship. Mixed together, they tend to neutralize one another but placed next to each other, they appear to increase in intensity.
The best way to learn about colour theory is to experiment with a limited palette and range of combinations.

...from "The Instant Artist"; Ian Sidaway, Collins & Brown, Ltd., 2001

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