What do these paintings have in common?
Romanian Street, pastel
They are all pastel?
No…
Garden Gate colored pencil
They all have a path?
No
Sea Oats, pastel
They all have a blue sky?
No…
Sally’s Wild Flower Field, acrylic
They are all outdoor scenes?
No~
Hair Salon, acrylic
What do they all have in common?
A distinct focal point!
The focal point of a composition is the point
where your eyes land or are led to when viewing the artwork~
It is an area of contrast, or intense color,
or something that draws the eye through the painting
In Romanian Street there is a road winding through town
with buildings on each side
Your eye is drawn to the sunny side
and follows the bright colors down and around
It’s the open gate in Garden Gate that pulls you in~
aren’t you curious to know what’s behind those walls?
In Sea Oats, a sandy path takes you down to the water
in Sally’s Wild Flower Field, the focal point
is the yellow green grassy area
just in front of the distant trees
The sunflowers and daisies grab the eye at first and
then they take you through the field to the trees
When you look at Hair Salon,
you are drawn in by the curling strands on the sides of her face,
which take your eye up to the top of her head
When you begin a painting,
plan your composition with a focal point in mind
Divide your space into 1/3s vertically and horizontally
and where the lines intersect, the red dots,
are the best areas for focal points
If your focal point is in the dead center, X,
you run the risk of loosing the viewer’s interest
to see the entire painting as a whole,
as their eyes often stay stuck on the center
In the art supply painting below, the gold brushes grab your eye
and holds it there,
keeping you from noticing the paint tubes and palette
BUT
You can also do this on purpose
If you want a particular area to stand out,
becoming the focal point,
paint the areas around it with less contrast and detail~
In Red Roses,
the fallen petals in the bottom right catch attention,
leading the eye to the white part of the vase,
and landing on the focal point,
the big white highlight on the small rose
A good painting is a good painting…
A great painting has a distinct focal point
that draws your eye in and through it~
Have Fun
and Be Fearless!
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