ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• If you have trouble discerning shadows when the sky is overcast, our April 23rd workshop will clear that up for you and show you other things you might not have considered about overcast light.  Find out more HERE.

Check out my new book HERE. You can review the first few pages by clicking on Read Sample below the cover photo.

I hope you enjoy this revised encore from nearly three years ago.

The most misunderstood artists' composing tool is contrasting. For one thing, too often the word itself is used to mean extreme difference, but in painting, any amount of difference is a contrast. It's like hammering in a two-inch nail or driving in a small tack. You are using the same tool, but the degree of force varies according to its purpose. 

Another way contrasting is misunderstood is that too often it is used only to refer to value, but that's a mistake.  ALL the elements can be contrasted.

WHAT DOES CONTRAST DO?

Think of strong contrasts as a way to create emphasis. Think of lesser degrees of contrast as ways of making things belong or transition, even keeping the balance within your painting. 

In the example below, can you feel the difference in the values between the top and bottom pairs of shapes? Those shapes on the left are the same value, but those on the right are of a different value.

Being closer in value to each other, the top pair, having more in common with each other, cause a feeling of less emphasis than the bottom ones whose values have less in common. Thus, they emphasize each other more. 

WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER SIX VISUAL ELEMENTS?

For the other six visual elements, here is one example for each out of dozens of ways we can contrast them.

CONTRAST IS NOT A RULE, BUT A TOOL!:

Using the tool of contrast, we keep in mind two things:

1. We use the tool of contrast to create whatever degree of differences we need. For strong emphasis, we can use strong contrast. For closer relationships, we can use weaker degreens of contrasts. 
2. We use the tool of contrast with ALL the visual elements, not just value.

Light and Shadow: The one thing that lets our eyes see.
Visual Movement: What our eyes do when images are visible.
Seeing Beyond the Image: The possibilities beyond just describing what our eyes see.
Freeing the Artist Within (Curiosity): Finding our individual interpretation to what our eyes are seeing. 
Composing:  Finding ways to put together all that we discover.
Drawing:  Searching the potential of images.
The Craft:  Continually forging our skills to visually communicate what we continue to discover with our eyes, mind and soul.

And the eighth:

The Art:  The results when all the above are working together.