WATERCOLOR ESSENTIALS Build a Better Painting Vol. II, Part I The Shape of Things to Come By Jean Pederson A Whole Bowl Full (watercolor on paper, 16x20) Shape-making is an exciting and rewarding pursuit. If you look back to ancient cave paintings, you can see that shape has been incorporated into art from the beginning. From France to Spain, Greece to Egypt, shape was, for the most part, treated with flatness. But over the centuries shape developed to illustrate depth and volume, implying three-dimensional form. Shapes come in many variations. Some artists prefer to stylize their shapes as the Canadian Group of Seven or modernist painter Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) did, while others choose to stick to more realistic shapes within their subject matter. Those who paint nonrepresentational imagery use shape in any way that serves their needs. To make your work memorable whether it s realistic or abstract you must first understand what shape is and then discover how you can best use it in your paintings. FEBRUARY 2006 www.watercolormagic.com 15
Watercolor Essentials: Shape Subtle value shifts on the body create a more flat shape in contrast to face. Value changes in the shapes of the face imply threedimensional form. Texture helps distinguish the background shapes from the shapes of the subject. Soft edges define the shadows and highlights on the face. Hard edges define the figure s clothes Rough edges define the subject and background. About Face In State of Grace (mixed media on paper, 16x20), I used edges both soft and hard to define shapes of the face and to distinguish the body from the background. What Is Shape? Like line, value, color and texture, shape is a building block used in the creation of a painting; it s an element of design. We see shapes around and within the objects that we want to render. We define these shapes through borders that are created by a change in one of the elements of design or a shift in a combination of these elements. The most common way of rendering a shape is by using line to define the border around the shape; we see examples of this in contour drawings. Artists may choose to create shapes through shifts in color, texture or value, as well. Although a shape is defined by some kind of a border, the border doesn t have to be hard-edged. Shapes can be geometric or organic, simple or complex, flat or round, referential or nonrepresentational, symbolic, positive or negative, and can imply depth in a painting. What a tall order for one simple building block of design! Simplify Shapes A common approach to shape is simplification. If you use too many shapes, your painting becomes busy. Simplifying the shapes can bring unity to the composition. Sometimes many smaller shapes of a similar value or color can be combined to read as one larger shape. The more you simplify, the further you go away from photorealism and the more you move toward a personal impression of your subject. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) developed many transitional diagrams of subjects, such as his famous bull drawings. Each sketch was simplified further and further, eliminating more detail until all irrelevant information was gone and the simplest essence of the subject was retained. Linking Shapes Together As you can see in my diagram of A Whole Bowl Full above (see unobstructed painting on the previous page), the shadows are linked to form simple shapes while highlights and shifts in value make the grapes themselves more complex. 16 Watercolor Magic FEBRUARY 2006
Paint in a Pattern We re used to thinking of shapes as something we can recognize like an apple or a flower, but shapes can be made with no association to meaning. Abstract shapes come from our imagination and don t represent anything I repeated various-size triangles in the chairs and in the shadows below the table. concrete. Whatever shapes you choose to paint, you ll want to think about balancing the shapes in the composition and offering the viewer a variety of sizes and slightly different variations. When you repeat shape in a mechanical way, you develop a pattern within your compositions. Pattern can be interesting and offer order, but often variety within repetition of the same shape creates a more intriguing painting for the viewer, as you can see in Previously Engaged (at left). Communicate Ideas The simplest shapes can communicate a story to the viewer. When you use shapes to communicate you re incorporating symbolism into your work. A simple circle can imply the earth, seasons or the sun, but draw a line from the bottom of the circle straight down and you ll have totally changed the meaning of the symbol. Set the Mood You can create a mood in your paintings through the style of shape you choose. For example, a painting designed with lots of curved shapes could imply sensitivity or femininity, while hard-edged and geometric shapes might depict a mechanical or constant, strong attitude. Stylizing shapes throughout a painting can communicate a strong personal language; think of Modigliani. To create a more stylized image I flattened the shapes in The Practice (at right). Can You Repeat That? The repeated shapes of the fence posts and rectangular spaces between them create an interesting pattern in Previously Engaged (mixed media on paper, 22x30). I painted around the negative shape of the shoulder to define it. The hair is a positive shape. Sense of Style The Practice (mixed media on paper, 30x22) is representational but not photorealistic. I stylized the shapes, flattening them to create an impression of the subject rather than three-dimensionally defining form. Notice how I used line to define shape. I also used positive and negative painting to define shape. For example, the hair was painted positively while the model s right shoulder was defined by the dark value I painted around it. Lines define the shapes. FEBRUARY 2006 www.watercolormagic.com 17
Watercolor Essentials: Shape Decide on the Dimension Shapes can appear either flat, as in many of Henri Matisse s (1869-1954) paintings, or round and three-dimensional as in Jan Vermeer s (1632-75) work. If you re going to paint shapes that show form, then you must consider a light source to provide you with the three-dimensional quality you seek. On the other hand, flat shapes don t require consideration of a light source and offer little to describe the form of an object. For example, in Patterns of Light (below, left), you can see how I used light and shadow to Organic shapes describe the flowers and vase. Geometric shapes Simple Geometry In Patterns of Light (watercolor on paper, 22x30), the organic shapes of the flowers contrast with the geometric edges of the table and background. At that juncture, a soft edge as well as a shift in value distinguish one shape from another, while hard edges distinguish shapes within the vase. A soft edge and shift in value distinguish one shape from another. Hard edges Use Negative and Positive Shapes A positive shape is represented by painting inside the area of an object to define that shape. Painting the space around a shape to define it creates a negative shape. (See Techniques at Work at right.) Try to combine the two methods of shapemaking in one painting. If you re painting a bowl of fruit, perhaps some pieces of fruit could be painted positively and some negatively, while others may be painted with a combination of the two techniques. Techniques at Work Positive Painting: In this diagram the shape is positive. I painted the black circle on the white square. Negative Painting: In this diagram I painted black around the white area to form a white circle. 18 Watercolor Magic FEBRUARY 2006
Smaller shapes high in the composition imply farther distance from the viewer. Shapes that overlap other shapes, such as one rider in front of another, appear closer to the viewer, and thus create the illusion of distance. Suggest Perspective The size and order of shapes can give the illusion of perspective. Shapes toward the bottom of your painting read as being closer than those higher in the composition. Larger objects also imply a position closer to the viewer while smaller shapes feel farther away. You can also imply depth through the use of overlapping shapes. Shapes that overlap other shapes are going to read as closer than the shapes behind them. Notice how the larger horse and wagon create this illusion in Gold Dust (above). Show the Distance Gold Dust (watercolor on paper, 22x30) reveals how overlapping shapes can imply distance in a painting. Positioning: Shapes high in the composition read as farther away while those lower appear closer to the viewer. Varying Sizes: Large shapes imply that they re closer to the viewer than smaller shapes. Overlapping: The white circle overlaps the black and reads as being closer and larger, even though they re the same size. FEBRUARY 2006 www.watercolormagic.com 19