Comp Help - Water Lily

[Norma69]

Me again - This is the next pic I would like to start
#1 Is the pic I took as is
#2 The Crop I am thinking about
Please help

Norma

[Bill C]

how about these? I moved the lily up and over a little.

[Norma69]

Thanks Bill - What if I moved the one stem over a bit at a different angle - so it ain't squishing the fish?
Norma

[Bill C]

OHHHHH! now I see the fish, now I need to rethink the comp! LOL. Moving the stem should be no problem, just remember that it will help lead the eye, depending on how noticable it is. Do you plan on making the fish more visible?

[Bill C]

In this one I bumped this fish up some and moved him over and rotated him to sorta point towards the flower. You get the idea........

[Norma69]

Hey - when you moved the fish he took a bite out of the pad - Hmm didn't think they ate pads lol :D and yep was going to make the fish stand out more. Keep it coming - it keeps me thinking.

Norma

[Norma69]

Ok Bill, no one else is jumping in here - maybe the subject is too boring. So could you and I talk about art stix a bit? I just received a set of 12 and thinking of trying them on the water and lily pads - but.... I don't have a clue where to start - In your method do you do light layers - and how many - do you blend before adding other colours? well you get the idea of what I would like to know - I am re-reading your church pic anywhere else you could send me that gives some instruction on this?
Thanks (this will be my first "larger" piece) so thought this might be good for practise. Have been doing some exercises on scrap paper but could use professional help :D

Norma

[Dorell]

I see no fish!!!! :confused:

I would love to add my gems of wisdom, but my comp. skills are still at zero I'm afraid. Looking forward to seeing the finished article.... with fish :D

[gail]

Norma,

This is going to be great! I like that last crop Bill posted, but the one tall grass blade that extends out of the picture needs to be shorter and stay in the picture. Try a diagonal line from the bottom left up to the top right corner. That would be a nice place for it to stop. Plus it would play up the diagonal comp of the piece.

Gail

[Bill C]

So could you and I talk about art stix a bit? I just received a set of 12 and thinking of trying them on the water and lily pads - but.... I don't have a clue where to start - In your method do you do light layers - and how many - do you blend before adding other colours? well you get the idea of what I would like to know - I am re-reading your church pic anywhere else you could send me that gives some instruction on this?
Thanks (this will be my first "larger" piece) so thought this might be good for practise. Have been doing some exercises on scrap paper but could use professional help :D

Norma


well I don't know about the professional help, LOL. I haven't used art stix that much yet, just a couple of pieces and I really haven't gotten a good feel for them yet. For the church piece I applied one or two layers, medium pressure with the art stix and then blended with a dry brush. From there I went with prismas. I need to experiment more with the art stix, on that piece I felt that all the color was on the top of the tooth (wallis) I wasn't really happy with the results. Hopefully someone who's used them more will chime in with some tips.

[oozoo]

I think the first crop Bill did works better as long as the fish is brought out a bit more. The stems in the last crop are too symetrically spaced, and the fish is too far to the left. In the first crop, the curve of the fish follows the curve made by the series of lily pads, a subtle repetition which I find pleasing. Also, I think that the grass blade on the right should stay like it is, if you shorten it it won't frame the subject so well. I do think you could play with the placement of that little bud, move it up slightly to hit a sweet spot.

[Norma69]

Gail are you talking about the stems on the leaf or the grass - not quite understanding what you are suggesting

Oozoo I had planned to make the fish more obvious and leave it close to where the original is - and re the bud - you mean on the grass or the one lily bud in the bottom left corner?

Thanks for your suggestions and sorry I'm quizzing - just want to make sure I understand the advice.

Bill - I'll play around a bit more with the art stix - I too found that it did sort of sit on top, but was able to add more pencil layers. Hope there is someone else out there that has more experience with the pros and cons of lart stix.
I know Dave Larson has used them - but I don't see him around much these days.

Thanks again

Norma

[oozoo]

Oozoo I had planned to make the fish more obvious and leave it close to where the original is - and re the bud - you mean on the grass or the one lily bud in the bottom left corner?

LOL quiz away!! I meant that tiny little bud, sprout, whatever on the grass blade. I think if you moved it up the blade about half the distance between where it is now, and the top of the frame, just above where that white highlight is in the water to the right of the grass blade, you would be close to a sweet spot, and give a point of interest in the upper right quadrant of the pic. I hope that made sense. ;)

[Katydid]

I see no fish!!!! :confused:

I would love to add my gems of wisdom, but my comp. skills are still at zero I'm afraid. Looking forward to seeing the finished article.... with fish :D

look at the first pic - in the middle where the pads meet.

Norma i like the forground grass - it would add depth. lloking forward to see it when you decide.

[Dorell]

look at the first pic - in the middle where the pads meet.




Hey hey! I found it!!
Thank you :bye1: