Did you know that a simple principle for creating art can make the difference between an art project that turns out to be disappointing and one that turn out looking remarkable?
The principle is simple, and it can be stated in a few different ways:
-
A drawing isn’t finished until most of the paper is covered, or
-
Negative space (the space left over when you have finished drawing your subject—the positive space) is uninteresting, or
-
Make your picture interesting by USING THE NEGATIVE.SPACE!
A really skillful artist might use a very small subject in a blank space to suggest loneliness, but for most of us, putting a small object on a surface—and leaving the space around it blank—results in a picture that lacks interest.
Take the bird that is the subject of The Plate From Nepal. The lesson suggests that art students draw the bird on a paper plate, and because the plate has a ridge around the perimeter, it’s unlikely that the bird will cover the entire plate. A drawing of the bird looks something like this. It seems lost in space.
Look at what happens, however, if we use the negative space around the bird.. Both drawing show the same bird the same bird. The only difference is that the second drawing fills up the negative space and the first one does not. Which version seems more interesting?
Now look at what happens when we PAINT the two versions of the bird. The differences between the two versions become exaggerated.
Next time you are working on an art project, remember this simple—but very important—principle:
You’re not finished until most of the paper is covered!
Did you know that a simple principle for creating art can make the difference between an art project that turns out to be disappointing and one that turn out looking remarkable?
The principle is simple, and it can be stated in a few different ways:
-
A drawing isn’t finished until most of the paper is covered, or
-
Negative space (the space left over when you have finished drawing your subject—the positive space) is uninteresting, or
-
Make your picture interesting by USING THE NEGATIVE.SPACE!
A really skillful artist might use a very small subject in a blank space to suggest loneliness, but for most of us, putting a small object on a surface—and leaving the space around it blank—results in a picture that lacks interest.
Take the bird that is the subject of The Plate From Nepal. The lesson suggests that art students draw the bird on a paper plate, and because the plate has a ridge around the perimeter, it’s unlikely that the bird will cover the entire plate. A drawing of the bird looks something like this. It seems lost in space.
Look at what happens, however, if we use the negative space around the bird.. Both drawing show the same bird the same bird. The only difference is that the second drawing fills up the negative space and the first one does not. Which version seems more interesting?
Now look at what happens when we PAINT the two versions of the bird. The differences between the two versions become exaggerated.
Next time you are working on an art project, remember this simple—but very important—principle:
You’re not finished until most of the paper is covered!
Did you know that a simple principle for creating art can make the difference between an art project that turns out to be disappointing and one that turn out looking remarkable?
The principle is simple, and it can be stated in a few different ways:
-
A drawing isn’t finished until most of the paper is covered, or
-
Negative space (the space left over when you have finished drawing your subject—the positive space) is uninteresting, or
-
Make your picture interesting by USING THE NEGATIVE.SPACE!
A really skillful artist might use a very small subject in a blank space to suggest loneliness, but for most of us, putting a small object on a surface—and leaving the space around it blank—results in a picture that lacks interest.
Take the bird that is the subject of The Plate From Nepal. The lesson suggests that art students draw the bird on a paper plate, and because the plate has a ridge around the perimeter, it’s unlikely that the bird will cover the entire plate. A drawing of the bird looks something like this. It seems lost in space.
Look at what happens, however, if we use the negative space around the bird.. Both drawing show the same bird the same bird. The only difference is that the second drawing fills up the negative space and the first one does not. Which version seems more interesting?
Now look at what happens when we PAINT the two versions of the bird. The differences between the two versions become exaggerated.
Next time you are working on an art project, remember this simple—but very important—principle:
You’re not finished until most of the paper is covered!
