Activity 1 -Panning and Preparing

Using your sketches and studies and other artists work it is time to start planning which elements and ideas you want to incorporate into your own more involved artwork. A time honoured way of exploring possibilities is in small scale ‘thumbnail’ sketches.

Although this delays getting started on the final piece it can provide opportunities to generate much more interesting compositions and perhaps anticipate and resolve some of the problems on a small scale (so saving bigger more time consuming problems down the line)

Think of yourself as the set designer or stage director saying “I want that here, lots of that there, a touch of that over there…” You are trying to create the impression of a garden, based on your own  observations and reality but essentially arranged entirely to your taste and imagination.

Compositional decisions

Make a series of thumbnail sketches using a pencil or pen and simple colour media (optional) to explore possible ideas.

Try out ideas in a few different shaped frames (square, rectangular, slice, panoramic, circular, asymmetrical, triptych)

Write notes alongside (once my ideas start flowing I can’t draw them out quick enough).

Mark out basic structure and forms (geometric or organic) (sparse or cramped) (symmetry or asymmetry)

Consider how your eye will move through and around the piece (via line / form / colour / tone)

Explore colour ranges (limited or full spectrum, saturated or muted), and contrasts (light & dark)

Watch the demo video:

Media decisions

You will already know which media(s) you tend to reach for out of habit or preference, but think about which media will serve you best to express the kind of garden you want to evoke.

If you want a loose, expressive, impressionistic garden then you could use acrylic or oil or pastels (perhaps on a textured surface).

If you want to include some detail and drawn elements you might choose watercolour with additional layers of other media (colour pencils, gel pens) and masking fluid.

Revisit your texture samples and see if any of them might suit.

Don’t forget the wonderful effects that can be achieved with collage.

Support and Format Decisions

Depending on which colour media you have chosen there may be several different options of surface to work on:

Paper (white, coloured, handmade, textured surface) Card (mount card, dartboard, cardboard, textured surface) Canvas, Canvas board (textured surface) wood, stone, papyrus….

The surface you chose may influence other decisions such as:

  • orientation
  • edge -smooth or torn
  • Uncommon (round, non symmetrical)
  • multiple (diptych, triptych)
  • Scale (miniature up to wall mural)

None of these decisions are set in stone and you should be open to and anticipate their evolution and to the ‘Happy Little Accidents’ that occur a long the way to continually shape and reshape your artwork.

Watch the demo video:

Last modified: Friday, 19 June 2020, 7:49 AM