We all know what it feels like to stand on a tilted surface--we feel like we're going to fall in the direction of the tilt, so
we lean ourselves in the opposite direction to compensate. The same thing can happen in a painting if the visual directional movements all lean in a similar slant.
Below is one of my paintings hashed a bit to illustrate this. No matter how skillfully a work is created, if it feels off balance, it can be painful to look at. In this case,
all the tilts (or angles) are moving in a similar diagonal direction, making it feel bottom heavy.
WE NEED A COUNTER-BALANCE
How do we correct that? We need a way to counter-balance those repeated angles. One effective way to do that is to change the
composition so that there are diagonal movements in opposing directions and/or horizontal or vertical directions. All three methods work to balance poorly weighted angles.
Here's the unhashed version of my painting:
The key to all good composing is awareness. Once we become aware of how a principle works, we never lose
it.
- Go to Quang Ho's landscapes HERE,
- Choose one of his paintings to work with.
- In your sketchbook or on a sheet of paper, draw a rectangle in proportion to his painting.
- Within that rectangle, place 5 to 7 (no more) straight lines that represent the major directional angles in his painting.
- Note how he uses directional movement of angles to create balance. Pay attention to how he's uses diagonal/counter diagonal as well as horizontal and vertical.
- Go through several of his paintings doing this exercise.
- Make some notes about what you have learned.
Have yourself a balanced weekend!
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