Friday, April 14, 2017

Lesson Plan 2

One of the nice things about doing 100 5x7" pieces is I then have a set of flashcards to study.  I find marks and textures I forgot about that I can revisit.  I especially like to lay them all out and see what grabs me and what doesn't, and try to figure out why.

As I mentioned last time, out of 100 little pieces, there are about 10 that I really like.  Here are my favorites.

 I like the irregular shape of the circle, the soft edges, and the splashy texture.
The delicate, busy texture contrasted with black and white solid areas.


I love a vessel shape.  This piece symetrical but I think the texture varies enough to keep it interesting.

I love the texture of the white square with black charcoal dots.  I smeared them slightly and it made them look 3-D.  I couldn't help but name this "Egg Salad."



I use cruciform compositions a lot.  I like the simplicity of this one and the almost masculine quality of it.  It feels like a graffiti wall.

Always like an abstract landscape, and I especially like the moody atmosphere of this one.  I would like to raise the horizon line about 1/2" though to make it more dramatic.

Just like the playful movement of this one. 

I like the movement and the way the very thin white lines add to that.

I'm really surprised to see this is my fifth symetrical composition here!  I didn't think I usually like those.  

I like the feeling that it is just balancing but could easily tip over.

I probably learn even more from studying the ones that don't quite work, and there are many of those to choose from.  Here are three.
I think it's the lack of dominance of any one thing that bothers me here.  3  similar size shapes piled up in the center.


Same thing here.  Similar size shapes, nothing emphasized, and the page divides down the middle.

And a "what was I thinking?"  I like a calligraphic line, but this one isn't appealing.  This looks like a start that I would then work on top of with more layers.


Overall I like simpler, cleaner compositions with sharp value contrasts.  I like the pieces that have strong emphasis, whether it's on one shape, or movement, or a cluster of texture.  I like rich layering, but also need quiet areas.  And I guess I like symmetrical compositions way more than I thought.

4 comments:

Dreamcicle Journeys said...

Robin, I love your lessons and through them how you teach us about line, composition, value and balance. Keep them coming.

Robin Olsen said...

Thanks Paula. One of the reasns I decided to blog again is it gives me a chance to reflect on my work and learn from it. Glad you found that helpful!

Suzanne Reynolds said...

Please make some of those little pieces into big pieces. They are wonderful. The landscape especially speaks to me. What a great idea to have those lessons to look back on.

Robin Olsen said...

Thanks Suzanne. It's surprisingly hard for me to scale up small paintings. They always seem to lose something in the translation. But it's a challenge I keep working on.