Nearly all of my work begins with some type of preliminary
sketch, either a thumbnail drawing in a sketchbook or oil study in my Pochade
Box. Lately I have been spending a great deal of time sketching, gathering
information outdoors and drawing from my imagination. Creating small rough
abstract sketches to work out composition and design elements.
Mainly I am using pen and ink with watercolor. I like the
ink because you don’t fiddle with it as much as say a pencil sketch, you just
have to lay it down with some speed and confidence. It is very permanent mark
making and you simply/humbly live with what you put down and move along. Over
that I wash in some color, do some crosshatching and try to capture the value
and mass pattern. I call them my scribbles; and that is what they are, quick
notations of design ideas based on nature.
They are exercises in capturing what I see in front of me
from direct observation (the Art of Seeing) but also it is about the simple
pleasure of drawing.
I look for a strong arrangement of dark and light patterns,
the Japanese use the word Notan which means the "dark-light"
harmony. But a notan is also as much
about shape/form, positive/negative, figure/ground relationships. It is why it
is such a strong abstract design tool. I like to think of it as being the
ying-yang of composition. Ever walk into a gallery full of art and be
instantly attracted to a particular piece, drawn to it from across the room?
Our eyes are drawn to the strong arrangements of shapes and patterns. As
you learn to use this design tool you will recognize it in paintings and
drawings of master artists.
Slow down mentally and take a long look at your subject,
carefully choose the center of interest or theme of the piece, what it is
about, what has drawn you to this motif and design outwards from that point.
Simplify and edit down the elements by making them subordinate to that central
idea. That is the key to good composition.
It is fun working out compositions and concepts, playing
with the elements and ideas based on the anatomy of the landscape. Let them
evolve and "brainstorm" many studies, before you know it you will
have sketchbooks full of Composition Thumbnails which are a library of knowledge
and imagination to work from.
“Even in front of nature one must compose.” ~ Edgar Degas
Color Studies:
Last Light, oil on panel, 8 x 10 in, Jim Serrett
Over the Horizon, oil on panel, 8 x 10 in, Jim Serrett
Explore - Question - Learn - - Enjoy, Jim
Website - jimserrett.com
Studio Blog - jimserrettstudio.com
Landscape Blog - Pochade Box Paintings
Links:
Notan is a Japanese design concept involving the play and
placement of light and dark as they are placed next to the other in art and
imagery.
