hibbary

Composition and planning on commission

Added 2021-04-05 17:25:25 +0000 UTC

So, I've been learning as much as I can about composition lately, because it's an area in which I do not excel. I've been watching videos on various websites, especially New Masters Academy, reading books, etc. and am slowly filling in my blind spots.

I'm not great at it, by any means, but I've picked up some things and am applying them.

Here are some of the conscious decisions I've been making with my latest commission for Luchs. The lynx is the main character and so I'll be focusing most of the detail on them. The point of action, the swipe at the antagonist, is placed on the point where the thirds of the image meets.

If I'm not careful, these two areas will compete for dominance and make the image muddled, so I'm either going to have to really downplay the contrast there so that Luchs is the main point of interest, or I'm going to have to let Luchs take a backseat to the action area. I haven't decided what I want to do about that yet, but the mock up looks like I'm downplaying the swipe. Usually with a commission the character is the whole point, and so I make them the area of focus.

I have a really hard time keeping my mind on the 'point' of my paintings, where I'm going and why I'm making it, (thanks ADHD brain) so having a kind of map or plan like this is terribly useful. Of course, I haven't DONE it until now, which is why so much of my art looks so aimless! But uh, better late than never.