12-26-2013, 08:38 AM
Hey meat, that is so much better already, just by looking at values. The other thing I would say using Javier's Carlson example; he has reserved the most saturated areas and hue contrast in the desired focal point i.e. that tree. As well as a general value shift from darker high contrast to higher low contrast values from foreground to background for depth, he uses a lot of dark passages against lighter passages to direct the composition and add more depth. If you look at the abstract pattern of the dark and light they all generally lead diagonally to the tree thereby strengthening the composition. The other thing is that overlaying light against dark repeatedly is called counterchange and it helps add to the sense of depth!
Now examine your latest update. The high sat. green in the bottom draws a Lot of focus down and out of the canvas. You do use counterchange a little in a broad sense where the hills overlap, but you can see that the foreground right hill doesn't really make use of this to help the composition. If you did this within the hills themselves it would give them more form and weight to the comp. especially in the foreground. I think you need to pick your focal point, add a sense of interest...and then design your paint passages and values towards accentuating this composition. That orange patch seems to be the place to develop, but perhaps a bit more definition of what is going on there would help solidify it as a focal point.
I also can't help but feel some more foreground would help. The painting sort of peters out in the midground, and feels a bit weak at the bottom. Perhaps a dark foreground passage that goes from bottom right fifth down to the left towards the focal point and into the distance to connect it to the midground more?
If you haven't read it already, I highly recommend a blog by landscape painter Stapleton Kearns. Awesome analysis of masters, and general techniques...all traditional.
This link goes to a list of his own picked useful posts. Lots of good things to read through, but also use the labels tag for specifics. I learned so much from this excellent blog!
http://stapletonkearns.blogspot.co.nz/se...al%20posts
He recommends Carlson's book as well as Edgar Payne's 'composition of outdoor painting', another landscape painter's bible
Hope that helps!
Now examine your latest update. The high sat. green in the bottom draws a Lot of focus down and out of the canvas. You do use counterchange a little in a broad sense where the hills overlap, but you can see that the foreground right hill doesn't really make use of this to help the composition. If you did this within the hills themselves it would give them more form and weight to the comp. especially in the foreground. I think you need to pick your focal point, add a sense of interest...and then design your paint passages and values towards accentuating this composition. That orange patch seems to be the place to develop, but perhaps a bit more definition of what is going on there would help solidify it as a focal point.
I also can't help but feel some more foreground would help. The painting sort of peters out in the midground, and feels a bit weak at the bottom. Perhaps a dark foreground passage that goes from bottom right fifth down to the left towards the focal point and into the distance to connect it to the midground more?
If you haven't read it already, I highly recommend a blog by landscape painter Stapleton Kearns. Awesome analysis of masters, and general techniques...all traditional.
This link goes to a list of his own picked useful posts. Lots of good things to read through, but also use the labels tag for specifics. I learned so much from this excellent blog!
http://stapletonkearns.blogspot.co.nz/se...al%20posts
He recommends Carlson's book as well as Edgar Payne's 'composition of outdoor painting', another landscape painter's bible
Hope that helps!