Landscape piece, early stages; Need compositional help.

[drd]

The base in canvas board, with an acrylic yellow ochre-ish wash.

This isn't really anything to critique as of yet, but I suspected I'd get more help here than in the sketches section....I really want this to be a great landscape piece, so I need compositional help. I've got down my basic idea in charcoal, but my scanner isn't big enough so I had to scan it twice and piece it together >< So just pretend the big line isn't there. The drawing is easily erasable so I'm open to any suggestions.

[drd]

So does this mean it's good?

[designboot]

hi there!

I see some broken tree in water, right or I'm wrong?
so I think you should at some 3dimensional on that and add some basic colors ...

to be more interesting add some creature or human ...

cheers

[drd]

Lol, I kind of see what you do...it's a mountain landscape.

But I've long since scratched this idea; I've got one I know I'm going to do down, so i'll post it up later...

[Elwell]

This isn't really anything to critique as of yet, but I suspected I'd get more help here than in the sketches section...
:frustrated:

[drd]

I know I shouldn't but I found that kind of funny.

Okay, it was a stupid sentence on my part, but I wanted the composition critiqued, right? I didn't expect to get a whole lot of helpful replies in the Sketches section, since it's not a Wip, it's just a composition that needs critique.

[Idiot Apathy]

Right now it's still too basic to communicate what you are going for. You're the only one who knows where you are going - or at least you should know that, if you don't - then just figure it out :P

Composition from here with only the big shapes to judge, my eye is being lead out of the frame almost immediately. If I saw it on the wall I'd probably walk by with only a glance. You don't necessarily have to change the big shapes, for example a nice dark patch of trees in the lower left would sort of anchor the eye a bit I think.

Anyways - if you want to study composition then study composition. You shouldn't have to paint an entire picture. Do thumbnails, even if you have to force yourself at first you'll start to find your ideas get better and better.

From there I would do value studies, large shapes and flat values.

[drd]

Here's my newest addition, I started Painting it in after Deciding it had decent composition, unfortunately, I had to take a picture on my Dad's camera phone which has extremely low resolution; So I had to scale it down. Here:

There'll be yellow flowers in the foreground the complement the purple mountains...

[tensai]

Anyways - if you want to study composition then study composition. You shouldn't have to paint an entire picture. Do thumbnails, even if you have to force yourself at first you'll start to find your ideas get better and better.
From there I would do value studies, large shapes and flat values.

if you want it to be a great landscape piece i would do some actuall studies yes. you can render the shit out of a piece but if its composition sucks its not gonna do you much good. listen to the idiot! he knows whats up..

happy holidays

[drd]

It's such a contradiction, listen to the Idiot. I feel like I'm insulting you =(

Merry Christmas to you too.

[Idiot Apathy]

Hahaha, I think that's why I've kept this name all this time.

When I talk about studies what I'm saying is focus - motivation is such a fragile thing, something that is absolutely necessary in order for you to learn (efficently at least). Motivation dries up when you've spent a long time on a piece and have gotten seemingly no-where. Experimentation is absolutely vital to progress, and as such experimenting quicker and more efficently means more progress. All this being said, never pass up the opportunity to learn more from a drawing or a painting - suck it dry even.

[tensai]

It's such a contradiction, listen to the Idiot.

well, he knows i love him too

:bashful:

enjoy the process