Painting Composition 101: Creating a Strong Focal Point

Every representational painting (that is to say, a painting that represents something specific, rather than a purely abstract painting) has a subject or several subjects. Some paintings have a simple composition with one easily defined subject, such as Leonardo da Vinci's portrait of the Mona Lisa, but many other paintings have several characters or objects, and, in general, just a lot of stuff going on. There may be a great deal to look at in a busy picture, but to capture the eye of the viewer, a painting must have a well-defined focal point. Once the eye is arrested by this focal point, the viewer will stay to take in the rest of your artwork.

To determine your focal point, decide what or who should be the star of the show. Pictures of the Assumption, for example, generally put the spotlight on Mary, but you might consider putting the focus on a watching child, to show that the event is being seen from her perspective.

Once you have selected your focal point, you can go about emphasizing it with one or more of the following techniques:

Framing Device. Set off your subject by placing it within a picture element that serves as a natural frame: a doorway or archway, a window, an arching tree branch or spray of flowers, a bonnet or helmet around a face. You can even use an actual frame, such as a mirror's reflection or someone standing in front of a framed picture.

Movement. In Leonardo da Vinci's painting The Last Supper, perspective is used to guide the eye toward the focal point. The lines of the walls and ceiling diminish toward the vanishing point, which happens to be face of Jesus Christ. In addition to the basic movement, Leonardo also has some of the disciples literally pointing at or reaching toward Jesus, which naturally leads the eye back again and again. Leonardo also uses a framing device, in that Jesus is seated in front of a window in the center of the painting.

Color. An effective way to attract attention to your focal point is the use of color. If your painting is full of blues and greens, as is a typical landscape, a red barn or bright yellow sunflower will provide an eye-catching burst of contrasting color (although be aware that a red barn is an extremely cliché subject). The color doesn't have to be bright, though, just different: In Vincent van Gogh's painting, Les Irises, a lone white iris stands out from its colorful bluish-purple peers and the reddish-orange ground because it is so singular.

Contrast. Along the same lines, contrast can be employed to pick out your main subject, as well. Putting something light in a dark area or something dark in a light area will draw the eye like a target. Most creatures, including people, are instinctively drawn to eyes (and Nature exploits this fact by equipping some animals with an "eye spot" pattern that can help them escape or intimidate predators), because there is such contrast in an eye (even fingernails and teeth are not as naturally white as an eyeball, nor is anything on the body as black as a pupil). In The Oath of the Horatii, Jacques-Louis David's picture of Roman soldiers swearing fealty to their captain upon their swords, the swords are shown shining brightly against a dark background. They are further framed by an archway, and if that weren't enough to establish them as the focal point, movement is also used, as both the captain and the group of soldiers stretch their arms out toward the swords as the oath is sworn.

 Definition. The relative amount of definition, or detail, can be used to home in on a focal point, much like one's eye focuses naturally on a subject of interest and lets the other stuff blur out a bit. In Portrait of a Madwoman, Géricault renders the face of his subject with incredible sensitivity to detail, showing the rough, age-spotted skin of her face, her red-rimmed eyes and querulous expression perfectly. Her white cap (a framing device) is shown in slightly lesser detail, and the farther one travels from her face, the less focus there is: Her brown mantle is barely indicated in loose brushstrokes, and the background is featureless black.

Size. Just as with a contrast in color or level of detail, a dramatic difference in size can draw the eye to a focal point. A watermelon among oranges would certainly stand out, but a focal point doesn't have to be the picture's largest item, just the most singularly different in size. An orange among watermelons would command attention just as effectively.

Finally, there is Placement. There is always a "sweet spot" on a typical rectangular page or canvas to which the gaze normally gravitates. On both "landscape" (horizontal) and "portrait" (vertical) orientations, that spot is about one third down the center of the page. The hilts of the swords and the captain's raised hand are in the "sweet spot" in The Oath of the Horatii, above. The portraits of the Mona Lisa and the madwoman, above, have the faces located there. Armed with the knowledge that people will naturally tend to look in that area first, you can plan your composition to put the focal point there. But do not feel locked in to that particular spot; with the use of contrast, framing, movement, or the other techniques I've discussed here, you can direct the eye to your preferred location, and very often an "off-center" focal point makes for a more dynamic composition.

Whatever methods you choose to enhance your painting, always be open to experimentation, and keep making art!

Want more art instruction? Check out the following articles:

 http://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2015/05/figure-drawing-101-so-you-wanna-be.html
 http://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2015/03/figure-drawing-101-wacky-secrets-of.html
 http://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2015/03/i-have-been-professional-portrait.html

 All images are in the public domain and can be found on Wikimedia Commons

For regular shenanigans, please follow my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/allsortsofart

Superman + Batman = SuperBat!

Another entry in my "Hybrid Heroes" line is SuperBat, whom I got from combining the DC superhero favorites Superman and Batman. As you can see, I have combined Superman's red cape (with scalloped "batwing" edge, a la Batman) and blue bodysuit with Batman's black spiky-looking gloves, black undies-on-the-outside (as opposed to Superman's red undies-on-the-outside), yellow utility belt (as opposed to Superman's plain yellow belt) and the famous batsignal. As well as the cape and the chest logo, the boots are a true amalgam, being Batman-black but with the Superman design at the top. Last but not least is the bat-eared mask, which I decided to use instead of the cowl so I could show the distinctive curl-on-the-forehead 'do of Kal-El (although Bruce Wayne has similar hair)!

SuperBat can fly, of course, and can use his super-hearing for echolocation. Not only is he invulnerable to bullets, he is also a skilled martial artist and has amazing powers of deduction. He belongs to the Hybrid League with Bat Canary, who we met earlier: http://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2015/01/batgirl-black-canary-bat-canary.html and with Wonder Bat, a more recent addition: http://allsortsartbyali.blogspot.com/2015/03/batgirl-wonder-woman-wonder-bat.html . Things are pretty batty in the Hybrid League!

Picture is my original artwork; mixed media on bristol board. Superman and Batman are trademarked characters of DC Comics, Inc, but SuperBat is my own invention. Click on the image for more detail!

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Figure Drawing 101: So You Wanna Be a Portrait Artist

So, here's the thing: I am a working portrait artist-have been for quite some time-and yet, in my portraiture course, I devote a class to teaching my students how to become successful portraitists themselves. Why would I teach classfull after classfull of talented people how to compete with me? Am I nuts? Do I not need the business? Um, "No" on both. The world market is not glutted with portrait artists, and is never likely to be, for this particular reason: Everyone wants a portrait.
 
Think about it: Wouldn't you like a portrait? If not of yourself, than of your kids, or of your adorable shih tzu, or your beloved Grandma who passed away last year? And if not for yourself, wouldn't a portrait be a wonderful gift to commemorate an event like a wedding, an anniversary, Mother's Day or Father's Day, retirement, a new baby, or just because a portrait is a unique present that has the potential to become a family heirloom, treasured and passed down for generations?

Well, now, you see? EVERYBODY wants a portrait. I personally cannot produce portraits for everybody, so by all means, feel free to step into the gap. And to get you started, here is my advice on marketing yourself to the portrait-hungry public.

Okay, so now you know the big, secret fact: Everybody wants a portrait. Here's the second part of it: Not everybody knows a portraitist. That's why you have to promote not only your talent, but also your availability as a working portrait artist. You can do this in a number of ways, which I will organize here as People, Places and Things (just think of the definition for 'nouns' to remember).

People: Family; friends; coworkers; customers; classmates; fellow members of clubs/ churches/ organizations/ groups. Think about all the people you know-friends, relatives, people in your book club, members of your church, etc. Maybe you are taking classes or belong to an organization like Rotary, a volunteer group or a social club. Maybe you have coworkers at a job, or your own clients through another business, like interior design or real estate. The point is, you know a lot of people. How well do they know you? Your family and friends probably know you are an artist, but do they know you want to accept portrait commissions? Make sure they know, and that everyone else does, too. You don't need to be pushy; just let people know you are a portrait artist, and they will file the fact away for future reference.

And, hey, don't just say you're thinking about being a portrait artist or trying to become one, say you are. Have some confidence! People will be fascinated, and it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Now, think again about all the people on that list that you may know, and think about this: Every one of those people has a list, too. Your friends have coworkers; your relatives belong to churches and clubs; your neighbors have family and friends and clients.

So if your brother's boss or your friend's Sunday School teacher is thinking about getting a portrait done and asks if anyone can recommend an artist, your brother or friend can pipe up, Yes! And you end up getting a commission from someone you may never even have met. And once that commission is filled and hanging proudly in their home, think of all of their friends, family and so on who might see your artwork, compliment it and end up referred to you. So, if you want to end up with an order from your son-in-law's boss's best friend's minister's gardener's neighbor's manicurist, make sure your son-in-law knows about the whole portrait thing in the first place, okay? It might be nice to sweeten the pot by starting to do portraits as gifts for your friends and family; that way they'll have something to rave over and send your name on down the line.

Places: Retail (yours and theirs); public spaces; galleries; shows and expos; the internet. Presuming that you have produced some sample portraits, there are a great number of places you can show them off. If you happen to own a restaurant or store or know someone who does, these can be great places to display your artwork. Include contact information that people can remove from the pieces and take with them (I usually make a little business card holder out of card stock, which can be stuck to the glass on the portrait itself). If you don't have your own store but you're feeling intrepid, ask around. Many local restaurants hang art for sale, and you might get stores interested by matching your subject matter to their clientele: Put wedding portraits in bridal shops, pet portraits at pet-supply stores and veterinarian's offices. You could overcome some resistance by offering a small percentage of the proceeds on commissions resulting from the displayed work.

Shows and expos offer similar opportunities. You can rent a booth or table at a bridal expo or at a cat, dog or horse show, displaying your portraits and even having one in progress to work on while you man your booth. One caution: People do not come to these events armed with photos and ready to place an order, so these shows should be viewed more as a networking opportunity than anything else. If your want to make your booth rent back, you should take some small things you can sell off the table, such as note cards or magnets featuring your artwork.

Working in public spaces is a great way to get exposure. People cannot resist the magnetic pull of an artist at work, so take a sketch pad to the zoo, park, mall, or even a museum, and get ready to chat with admirers. Have some finished samples of your art to show (I usually have some nice finished drawings in my sketch pad that I can flip to), and have your business cards ready to hand out.
Obviously, the internet is another powerful marketing tool. If you don't feel ready to invest in your own website, you can get your work seen on other websites at very low rates, or even free!

Check out Etsy (click here to see my shop!) or other art-sales websites, your local Craigslist, or make an artist page o Facebook Click here to see mine. Your ISP (internet service provider, like AOL or Time Warner Cable) may give you a free home page you can use to advertise your services, as well. At the very least, you should create an email address to use solely for your portrait business. You can email samples to interested folks without ever having to bother with a website.

Things: Business cards; "leave behinds"; direct mail (flyers and postcards), magazine or newspaper ads. Business cards are indispensable, a must-have. They can lead to many opportunities, and are a relatively inexpensive investment-these days, you can make them on your own printer at home. But be careful about what kind of information you put on them, because they might end up in the hands of a scammer or a creepy person. Your business card should have your name and/or your business name, a phone number and an email address, at the very least; maybe a website and a mailing address, but none of these things should be your personal information.

Get a PO box or private mailbox and use that instead of your home address. It's nobody's business where you live! I never meet clients at my house or theirs, and nobody has ever had a problem with that. Along the same lines, never put your home phone, only your cell phone. Even if you have been careful not to use your home address, it can be easily found out by entering your home phone in a search engine like Google or Superpages. So, name; cell number; PO box, and your business, not your personal, email.

Another handy tool is the "leave behind", a kind of 'super business card' for artists. It gets its name from being what commercial artists leave behind with an art director to keep on file after they have shown off their portfolios. This usually consists of a card in a standard size, usually 4"x 6" or 5" x 7". One side features a sample of the artist's work (one image or several), plus the artist's name and contact information, just as on a business card. The reverse side can be set up as a postcard, with spaces for address, message, and stamp, so your piece can serve double duty as a mailer as well as a handout.

If you try to secure commissions using direct mail or print ads, try to keep it local-shipping photos and artwork back and forth can get expensive, and loss or damage can occur. Some of my portraits have ended up in France, Mexico and Ireland, but they all started from local contacts.
As you can see, there are many ways you can get your artwork in front of potential customers. The best part is when your portraits start to sell themselves. I personally do not spend a penny on advertising at this point in my career; all my clients or either repeat business, acquaintances, or referrals, and they all contact me. It's a pretty nice setup, really. Well, now that you know how, go out and drum up some business!

If you'd like to read my other Figure Drawing 101 articles, click here:

Figure Drawing 101: Is the Human Figure Really Harder to Draw? 

Figure Drawing 101: Wacky Secrets of Proportion

Image is my original artwork, soft pastel on Canson pastel paper. Click to enlarge! 

For regular shenanigans, please follow my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/allsortsofart