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We have covered much of this in previous months.  This is were your creative intuition should ‘Kick in’.  The exact middle is not a good artistic balance, that is obvious, but what about the less obvious?  Like hills sloping left to right and nothing to balance it from right to left.  In summary all the elements of your composition should be contained with in the confides of the edges of the work so that there is space and detail balancing each other.  It all should create a harmonious one-ness that is inviting to look over. 

Contrast:
Sit down and make a list yourself of the variations in the ways we can use contrast.  You may think of more than me.  Now pin this list to your easel and ‘USE IT’.  Never miss an opportunity to place a contrast.  A shadow, gives an opportunity for a highlight, next to it.  A cool colour is a invitation for a warm colour. 

How many examples have you got?  Lets compare: Light and dark, hot and cold, soft detail, hard detail, thin paint, thick paint, moving, static….  I could go on but most would be a variation on this list. 

Happy Painting…
Ron Gribble

Contrast
Overlapping
Mix Media
Into the Picture
Texture
Cast Shadows

Into The Picture:
Avoid barriers in the ‘Eye Path’.  A gate left partly open or open is better than closed, when it forms part of the ‘Eye Path’.  The viewer should naturally want to stroll into the composition and wander about in it.  What is just around the corner?

Texture:
While I do not throw sand onto my paintings to make it look sandy, the principal of creating texture is good.  I love to render rocks for example, with bold impasto pallet knife work that mirrors the rocks texture. Do not over do it but definitely do it!  The texture of the image you are depicting should be obvious to the viewer.

Cast Shadows:
I have said much already about this.  Everything we see is in light.  Light is striking and spilling across it, therefore, choose a light direction and stay with it.  You should have ‘Highlights’ and ‘Catch Lights’ towards the light source, half tones, shadows, reflected lights and lastly cast shadows.  It should happen in this order

Highlight
Catch Light
Half Tone
Reflected Light
Cast Shadows

Try Painting a ball like that you will see what I am talking about.

Happy Painting
Ron Gribble

Often for no reason except convenience, I see the sun striking a distant hillside, disappear behind foreground detail, like a tree, or a house and not appear again on the other side.  Maybe there are better examples.  Just don’t allow the vertical view of a house for example, to line up with some other vertical edge.  A cloud behind a hill or a tree, allow it to peak out the other side just a little.

Similarly, you wouldn’t put a mountain peak, right on the edge of your painting, or roadway, stream, bank right onto the corner by thinking in thirds for such details  - that by a 1/3 up from the corner, a 1/3 in from the edge.

Mixed Media:

There are some things that mix very nicely.  I have used ink, under acrylic, under crayon, under oils.  Don’t try putting acrylic over oils, but the other way around is fine.  An acrylic was over a crayon layer can give you wonderful textures for rocks.  Dripping ink with an eye dropper allowing it to partly dry and blotting, can give lovely round ring mould spots that are so round and totally correct.

I am still looking for subjects for next month and beyond.  We have had no requests in response to my last lesson appeal.  Are there no problems out there? 

Looking forward to your e-mails (see below).

Ron Gribble

You will be fascinated as painting comes to life before your eyes. This not just another "How to" video, but a complete course. Over two years in the making, this video will thrill you with it's thoroughness and forethought.

Ron's video is ideal for the beginner to the experienced professional, all will get something from this video.

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