composition... a few personal ideas

[cyrillejubert]

Self taught, I can just write about my gropings and feelings.
You already know my website.. but do I analyse there my paintings ?
.. yes in the last pages... but did you read the 99 ones before ? :D

"A good drawing is worth 10.000 words" used to say Napoleon :p

Look at these paintings
http://www.museeduchien.com/images/dog_painting_1.jpghttp://www.museeduchien.com/images/Spointer.jpghttp://www.museeduchien.com/images/Complicesmal.jpg

1) you have a strong light behind the subject
2) your eyes can escape off the painting
3) strong light // strong shadows = contrasts
4) multiple plans but not too many
5) a strong detailed subject in the foreground

It's interesting to have a diagonal of light in the painting
I like when the subjects look at something out of the frame... it creates an enigma..


Look at this photo
The painting is not finished yet
http://www.museeduchien.com/images/photo-dulac.jpg

You see the diagonal of light
You have dense shadows (curtains) and strong light (window)
You don't search for the subjects.. your eyes focus at once on the dogs
The soil in foreground is relaxing for the eye and brings light (life ?)

look at this second photo
You can look at it in colour and see how each colour "sings" with the other one, they are complementary... or look at this photo in B&W ... You have dense objects and light ones, and white parts to rest your eyes.
It could be a GREAT drawing if you draw with 5H to 5B.
http://www.museeduchien.com/images/photo-jehanne.jpg

Do this analysis brings someone to your debate ? :cool:
:rolleyes: Great photos... yes you are right :p

[cyrillejubert]

Well, my dear Cyrille ;) You interest me ... at least :D
but perhap'zs should you translate this for "scribble talk" and for fans of drawings


:blushing: Ok ... I was about to do so...

If you found my kids graphite drawings... this this family portraits (http://thedogmuseum.com/family_portraits.html) for exemple... you 'll observe that the main light come from behind, too.. with a reflected light on the shadow part..

On 4 portraits, 3 kids are looking to some one else ... I mean not starring at you.. but this one...
I loved this photo, showing the two faces of his character

http://thedogmuseum.com/images/crayons/EmmanuelM.jpg

Do this portrait need a background ? no !
or a foreground ? neither !

The subject is in majesty.

well ! Cyrille, my dear... would you like a cup of tea ?
of course ! pssstttt ... I 'm coming back.. just ring the bell

[Brenda]

Composititon is a weak spot for me. I am going to learn a lot from you. I don't know enough to have a discussion other than to say, I LOVE your paintings and would like to learn more about how you set up your shots.

[Cleo]

What a wicked sense of humour.

My dear Cyrille...you give us other self taught artists hope.





Cleo :)

[lene]

Hi
I found your analysis very interesting and informative :) ... and the photos are great. Did you shoot them? (so you are an excellent photographer as well as painter ;) )
no debate from me :p - I couldn't disagree on your points :bye1:

[Arlene]

Cyrille, thanks for the chuckle while imparting good info.

I'm curious...the portrait with the french horn in it; is it a composite of several photos?

[Denise]

I, too, do not have enough comp. knowledge to contribute to any real discussion on the subject, so I am absorbing all of this...and will continue to come back to it over and over (heck, it took me months to understand the golden mean... :rolleyes: ).

Besides being full of information, Cyrille, you are also a crack-up! :D :D

[cyrillejubert]

First of all, I don't understand why this damn program does n't call me on my cell phone as soon as a Lady gets in, (I would at least stand up) and susurrates a question or whispers a word...
I have to find out that point

mmmmm ... ?
I 'm very deaf ... so when you wisper, come closer to me, dearest :cool:

I don't know either about the golden mean ? I just know that the golden beam in my pictures is as important as a full moon for a serenade :D

Yes I take 100% of my pictures. I have to if I want to keep all my rights to have my paintings printed in magazines. If you paint from somone else's photos, the rights will belong to the photographer. It's very important to know that.

Most of these paintings are built with a mix of different photos.
It's impossible to take the perfect photo that will be the perfect painting. It 's more true when you have pets in the picture. I need to focus on one pet as long as he has an interesting attitude (it needs patience and many many snapshots), then on such or such details.
The main difficulty is to keep the same perspectives... to keep the camera exactly at the same level (for me elbows on the ground) and from the same length from the subjects... with pets it's really terrible!
When I 'm not happy with my first snapshots developped. I come back knowing what was wrong... and trying to improve it. For the springer sleeping on the gun bag, I took photos inside and then outside, in the sunshine.
Then it's very difficult to take this part of this photo and add this from that photo in the same drawing. VERY difficult.


For my first dog paintings, the building of the composition was chance or instinct. 4 or 5 years later, I learned what I prefer in each of them and what the public likes in them. So I try now to take the best in each one and build a new mix to create a painting that is really in my line, and that could become the best of the serie.

I need a source of strong light, an interesting soil,
A seat ... or something vertical where I can hang or lay something... it will allow to have different "plans" (levels), vertical and horizontal, and a kind of building in the painting.
(imagine a still-life on a table with just a plate, a knife and a fork... it would be boring! If you add a big jug, it would be more interesting... if you the jug is in the middle, it's boring too... it has to be on the edge of your still life... )

If I can, I need something red in my painting. It's not so easy. When you build the final view on photoshop or with your pencils, You discover that the red gilet has disappeared, hidden by a dog or the perspective. Too bad !:D

Professional photographers still use polaroids. So they can visualize exactly what will be in the picture and analyse how to improve the real photos. But it's expansive and I cannot afford it.

I have to go working a bit... I come back later on.. whisper please :D