Just some paving, but take the photo at an angle and it becomes more interesting… I don’t know why, maybe because of perspective? Perhaps it’s composition. Perhaps it’s to do with the fibonacci spiral? or The Golden section which is pretty much the same thing in spiralling oblongscinsteadvof the actual spiral.
Think of the Great Wave off Kanagawa as the crashing wave spirals around the side of the print with Mount Fuji in the distance.
I think it’s the feeling of movement you can create by changing the position of the image. More interesting than a static set of horizontal and vertical lines…
Today’s #bandofsketchers prompt was distant. I used to like to play with perspective drawings, using either one or two vanishing points. Both show how buildings or streets dwindle into the distance, becoming distant. It’s also fun to make up your own architecture.
When I was young I used to practice drawing perspective using one or two vanishing points. When our #bandofsketchers prompt came up as construction I thought I would do something along those lines. Then thinking of Ukraine and how it will need rebuilding I decided to colour it blue and yellow.
Coffee or tea mug, pencil sketch with watercolours on top. Plain and metallic. Trying to get accurate ellipses. I usually make the mistake of having stronger curves at the top than the bottom, when actually it’s the other way round!
If you are learning to draw have you tried drawing vanishing points yet? If you draw a horizontal line along the middle of a piece of A4 paper you can work out how to do three dimensional objects. Draw a dot somewhere along that line. Use a ruler and draw lines radiating from it. Then draw vertical lines up or down to them. Instant buildings in perspective. You can even use more than one vanishing point. For curved objects like a can or a glass it gives you a clue on how to draw curves and what direction they will be in. Generally upwards if you are looking from below the rim of a can and downwards if from above. It all depends on your eye level. The horizontal line in this exercise represents that. But it’s your choice. The line can be higher or lower (think of the view for a child, closer to the ground, or someone at the top of a bus!)
I used to also have fun drawing boxes with this, or alien buildings, or anything, I tried it with a horse once! You can use soft pencil to draw in the lines so you can erase them later, or use to mark out an object before you start a painting. It helps you sort out all types of things, including portraits or figures. Just play about with it. I only suggested A4 as that gives you plenty of room…. You can use any size or type of paper.
Finding things that I haven’t seen for years. There is a set of old slides that I might try and get turned into photos. I’ve also seen an app where you can convert negatives to photos on your phone, which is great, but I already have them in albums and do I need more on my devices? I wish I still had the painting but it was sold to the local MP at the time. I think it ended up at the house of commons!
This was a friend years ago. I painted it with the idea that the perspective of the window gave it an interesting effect. The figure looks large in comparison to the shelves across the window. I also liked the slightly twisted pose. It’s an oil on canvas.
Mallaband-Brown 