“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” ~ Vincent Van Goah.
If you have seen me on social media these past days, then you have probably seen that quote. It is definitely one of my favorites, because I see it in every painting I create or try to create….LOL!
I very often will ask my students to ‘look past their subject’. In other words, let’s say you are painting an elephant , stop seeing the elephant as a whole. Start looking for all the shapes that exist within the boundaries of the elephant that come together to bring the elephant to life.
The photo below is a really good example of all the shapes that come together to form an elephant. The shapes on the face are much more defined while those on the ear are softer and more subtle in nature.
Image by reglohsg from PIxabay
Start by trying to find the shapes you know….squares, triangles, rectangles….then move beyond and start looking for the more organic shapes. Those that are irregular. Look for a change in value or color or texture….what is it that makes that shape somewhat different from the others. How does that shape relate or interact with the others.
Some shapes are bold and have hard edges. They are usually easy to spot. Some shapes are soft and subtle and their edges often blend well with those around them. Some shapes are found in the negative space and often time lie beneath or beside the other.
That is how I begin and how I approach teaching. I’ll help you find all those small things and then we do them together….one small step at a time.