P O C K E T
F I E L D
M A N U A L
First Edition 2014
Special thanks to my family, friends, and supporters who have
continued to share their love and encouragement throughout my
artistic journey. I couldn’t have done it without you! Thank you
Myron Barnstone for teaching artistic design and bringing to light
these great techniques used by the masters.
Copyright ©2014 by Tavis Leaf Glover
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright
Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced,
distributed, or transmitted in any form of by any means, or
stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written
permission of the publisher.
First edition published in 2014
Printed in U.S.A.
All uncredited photographs are created by Tavis Leaf Glover.
Find more information:
www.IPOXstudios.com
www.CanonOfDesign.com (365 Days of Design and Inspiration)
www.HawaiiPhiTographyLessons.com (Design Lessons in Hawaii)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Learning from the Masters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Bouguereau Analyzed Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Finding Your Subject, Then Your Style. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Locate Your Light Source . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Short Lighting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Natural Lighting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Understanding Light. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Greatest Area of Contrast (GAC). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Figure to Ground Relationship (FGR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Aspective View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Dynamic Symmetry (Constructing, Armature, MAD) . . . . . . . . . . 36
Diagonal Gauge & Grid Overlay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Dominant Diagonal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Uphill or Downhill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Magnetic Momentum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Arabesque (Law of Continuity). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Seeing Nature’s Hidden Beauty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Coincidences (Kissing, Overlapping). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Ellipses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Enclosures (Law of Closure). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Radiating Lines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Aerial Perspective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Balance (Filling the Grid, Negative Space). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Gazing Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Breathing Room. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Rhythm (Gamut). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Echoing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Pose Gamut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
90 Degree Angles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Edge Flicker (EF, Distractions, Cutting Off Limbs). . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Einstein’s Struggle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
LEARNING FROM MASTERS
It has always been said that you should learn from your mistakes.
Yes, that makes complete sense, but what if you could learn from
others mistakes; those who have taken the beating for you? What if
you could learn from the masters? Well, it just so happens you can,
and that’s what the Canon of Design aims to help you accomplish.
Learning the techniques of those before you will give you the ability
to powerfully communicate your visual message to your viewers
with clarity and vigor. Sure, you’ll stumble across new mistakes, but
there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.
Now, if you are learning these design techniques from the masters,
you might ask where they learned them from? Well, aside from
obvious and continuous activities such as painting, drawing, or
taking a picture...it’s safe to assume that it was
nature
that gave
them the guidance to represent the unspoken beauty in their work.
If you look closely and remain in tune with your environment, and
design techniques, you will be presented with a hidden beauty that
has been kept a secret by most of the master painters. Sure, you may
have experienced this and have been stopped dead in your tracks by
nature’s secret beauty, but to identify it, describe it, understand it,
then incorporate it within your art is a completely different thing.
Some people rely on luck, intuition, or their gut instinct, but by
learning design and studying masters you will take luck out of the
equation and be in full control of your art.
WILLIAM-ADOLPHE BOUGUREAU
One of my favorite master painters to study is William-Adolphe
Bouguereau. He designed all of his paintings with precise
draftsmanship and rendered his subjects beautifully. In the following
pages you’ll take a glance at the techniques he uses to create this
amazing masterpiece, which you can apply to your own art.
Opposite: William-Adolphe Bouguereau, “Nymphs & Satyr”, 1873, courtesy
of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
4
ROOT RECTANGLE
As you dig deeper into design
techniques
you’ll
discover
that the master painters used
root rectangles to organize
their canvas. Here you can
see Bouguereau using a Root
Two rectangle to compose his
painting. If you look closely
you’ll see elements of the
painting lining up to the basic
armature of the grid.
MAJOR AREA DIVISIONS
(MAD)
Bouguereau then takes the
Root 2 grid and breaks it up
into nine smaller grids (on
the theme of three) which
helps
him
organize
subjects even further.
6
his
LOCKED INTO GRID
Here you can see how many
areas of his painting are
locked into the root two grid.
His subjects aren’t arbitrarily
placed, they are well composed
and designed to communicate
to the viewer with clarity.
GAMUT
As you can see he uses a
limited number of directions
in his gamut which creates
a rhythm throughout the
painting. Using a gamut to
incorporate
rhythm
will
allow your viewer to “feel”
something special without
being able to identify where
that feeling is coming from.
“For me a work of art must be an elevated
interpretation of nature.”
~ William-Adolphe Bouguereau
7
90 DEGREE ANGLE
Bouguereau uses several right
angles to generate strength
amongst the forms within
his
composition.
The
90
degree angle is considerably
more effective if it’s creating
a diagonal instead of straight
vertical or horizontal lines.
COINCIDENCES
Here you can see him relating
different elements on the same
line across the canvas. These
edge to edge relationships
create unity and movement.
You’ll soon learn that unity
is a paramount aspect of
excellent design.
8
ARABESQUE
You can see all of the elegant
movement that Bouguereau
creates
with
his
flowing
arabesques. These curvilinear
elements adhere to the Gestalt
Psychology Law of Continuity
and help unify various objects
throughout the composition.
BLURRING VISION
In order to easily see the
arabesque you can blur your
vision and begin to take
notice of patterns in the light
and shadow areas of various
forms. This technique also
allows you to see the colors
more purely.
“There is only one nature and only one way to see it”
~ William-Adolphe Bouguereau
9
ELLIPSES
Bouguereau creates unity and
movement within each of the
characters by using a pair of
ellipses. Again, you can see
edge to edge relationships
linking the elements within
his design.
RADIATING LINES
Here you can see him directing
all of the attention to the Satyr
by using radiating lines. These
implied lines also adhere to
the Law of Continuity and
guide the viewers eyes to the
design’s point of interest.
10
GREATEST AREA OF
CONTRAST (GAC)
When you blur the image, then
convert it to black and white
you begin to see Bouguereau’s
value scheme. Further editing
will allow you to locate the
GAC (typically the lightest
light up against the darkest
dark), which is where he wants
his viewers to look first.
EDGE FLICKER (EF)
Bouguereau does a great
job of subduing the contrast
around the edges to keep your
eyes within his masterpiece.
Arbitrary distractions around
the edge of your frame can
create a harsh visual exit...a
flaw to be avoided.
“If I cannot give myself to my dear painting
I am miserable”
~ William-Adolphe Bouguereau
11
FINDING YOUR SUBJECT, THEN YOUR STYLE
Identifying your
subject is the first thing you, as an artist, should
consider. Are you wanting to capture nature, portraiture, models
within the landscape, nudes, macro insects, abstract? Knowing what
you want to capture will give you the direction you need to continue
with the art you are creating.
Once you identify your subject, what is your intent? Do you want to
portray happiness, mystery, humor, desperation, soft beauty, purity?
Even though a scene may appear to be humorous, you can capture it
in a way that reflects loneliness. An example might be a child sitting
at a birthday party, by himself, with his head down.
Your finishing approach is the final element of your style. Black and
white, colorful, muted, blurry, grainy, textured, swirling, blotchy,
blocky, soft light, hard light, experimental lighting. All of these are
potential finishing approaches.
A consistent intention and finishing approach which is unified will
ultimately lead to and solidify your style, allowing others to identify
your work. For instance, Van Gogh is known for painting landscapes/
sunflowers/self portraits (subject), in a cheerful manner (intent),
with fun, unique brush work, and bright colors (finishing approach).
His colorful/swirling finishing approach is unified with his cheerful
intent. The subject can vary, as you see with Van Gogh, but the more
consistent it is, the more you’ll be establishing your style. Just don’t
pigeonhole yourself into a strict style which doesn’t allow you to
expand your horizons, seek new locations, or try different formats
(other root rectangles).
Opposite Top Left: Vincent Van Gogh, “Self Portrait”, 1889, courtesy of
Musee d’Orsay
Opposite Middle Left: Vincent Van Gogh, “Wheat Field with Cypresses”, 1889,
courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Opposite Top Right: Vincent Van Gogh, “Sunflowers”, 1889, courtesy of
Philadelphia Museum of Art
12
When the intent isn’t unified with the finishing approach you may
not portray your subject as you wish, and consequently confuse the
viewer. You can see this in Van Gogh’s portrait of a sad man. The
intent is sadness, but Van Gogh’s colorful and swirling brush strokes
resemble happiness. When it’s converted to black and white you’ll
see more of the mood Van Gogh intended to capture.
Bottom: Vincent Van Gogh, “Old Man in Sorrow”, 1890, courtesy of The
Kröller-Müller Museum
13
LOCATE YOUR LIGHT SOURCE
Lighting is what breathes life into your art, so locate it immediately
and become friends with it. It’s the most important element of your
composition. As you may have heard in the art kingdom, “Lighting is
everything” or “It’s all about the light.” Sure, this is true...this is very
true. Yet, these catch phrases leave out the other half which is just as
important...shadow.
To put it simply, great lighting is flattering for the subject and is
used to create volume in the form. No shadow, no volume. Just flat
lighting.
Flat lighting is light that comes from the same direction
that you’re viewing, eliminating any chance of capturing necessary
Split
lighting has shadows, but isn’t very flattering for the subject because
volume-producing shadows (popup flash, on-camera flash).
it shows only half the form. Try working long shadows into your
design if you are feeling savvy, but remember that creating pleasing
volume is the ultimate goal.
You’ve all heard of
Rembrandt lighting. This technique shows the
most volume which helps create the illusion of the third dimension.
Below is a simple sphere rendered with Rembrandt lighting (about
45 degrees left and 45 degrees down towards the subject).
Light Middle Tone
Core Shadow
Highlight
Middle Dark Tone
Reflected Light
14
Umbra
Penumbra
Antumbrambra
In your art, once you understand the terms of light, you’ll be able
to easily identify what is necessary to enhance the third dimension.
Once you are aware of this you’ll be able to see how master painters
like Bouguereau “cheated” it into their form...further enhancing the
illusion of depth (see the reflected light below).
Core Shadow
Reflected Light
The triangle of light on the
cheek
signifies
Rembrandt
lighting. You can see this in a
self portrait painting by the
master of light himself.
Here‘s a handheld self portrait
shaped with the Rembrandt
lighting technique. The source
of light is emitting from a large
window above right.
Top: William-Adolphe Bouguereau, “Nymphs & Satyr”, 1873, courtesy of The
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Middle: Rembrandt, “Self Portrait”, 1629, courtesy of The Mauritshuis
15
Short lighting is very flattering light and works well with profile
portraits. It’s also a great way to slim the face, or light up particles in
the atmosphere such as water, or milk (as seen below).
To create short lighting, just be sure your subject is in-between the
camera and the main light source. Use fill light or reflected light to
fill in any dark shadows when needed. As you can see below, the
darker the background, the more prominent the short lighting is.
Natural Lighting (as seen on the left) is readily available and doesn’t
require a hefty budget. Remember, be aware of the direction of light,
where it falls on your subject, and the placement of shadows which
will help create the volume needed to represent the form. Read the
light and shadow.
Once you get a grasp on lighting you will be able to experiment
with flash photography (as seen below). Using various speedlights,
modifiers, and some editing, you will break free from the standard
techniques and create your own unique methods that fit your style.
UNDERSTANDING LIGHT
In order to use light effectively, you must first know how it works.
This is where the Inverse
Square Law comes into play. This Law of
light can be quite confusing, but there’s a simple way to understand
it. The closer the light source, the larger it is, which creates a softer
transition from light to shadow. The light loses power very quickly,
but as the distance increases it begins to even out which creates a
harder transition from light to shadow.
In the diagram below you can see that from Unit 1 to Unit 2 the
amount of light is only 1/4 of what it use to be. Match up the F-stop
equivalent (f/1 and f/2) seen in the same diagram and you’ll find that
there’s a 2 stop difference in light from Unit 1 to Unit 2.
Now, when you view the amount of light at Unit 4 you can see that it’s
twice as far away from Unit 2, but you are only losing 2 stops of light.
So, the further away you get from the light source, the more it starts
to even out. When you photograph a large group of people you have
to increase the distance from the light source to the subject in order
to evenly expose everyone. If the light was close to a large group, the
people in the back would be extremely dark because the amount of
light, when near the subject, is lost very rapidly.
As with any law of physics, there’s a nice juicy equation to accompany
it. This one isn’t that bad though. I’ve made “L” equal to the amount
of light. This way, photographers aren’t confused with “power”
of light to the “power” settings on their strobes. “Unit” equals the
distance from the light source to the subject with a proper exposure
(if there is no subject you would measure directly from the light
source). This could be inches, feet, meters...light is ignorant of these
measurements and acts the same in any scenario.
So, say you have your model in the proper location which is 19 inches
from the light source, and the camera is set to get a nice exposure
on her face; this location will be considered Unit 1. Now, when you
measure the distance from this first unit (the model’s face), you move
another 19” away (from her face) which makes you 38” from the
light source. This is Unit 2 and to get the measurement of light falling
on this location you just square 2 (2 x 2), then inverse it (put a 1 on
top), so Unit 2 = 1/4 the amount of light from Unit 1. That’s all the
math behind it. Pretty simple! Square it, then inverse it, that’s it.
23
If you are wanting more contrast, softness, and volume, put your light
closer to the subject. The closer you get, the more contrast you’ll get
because the light falloff (transition to shadow) is quicker and softer.
If you move your subject further from the light source, the light has
a chance to spread out and fill in the shadows.
You can see below the effects of moving your light source further
from the subject. On the left it’s two feet from the subject, and on
the right it’s ten feet. Can you see how it’s becoming a smaller light
source? This smaller light source will create less transition from light
to shadow, which makes it a harder light.
In this painting by Rubens you can see the light source (the torch on
the left) then the woman, Unit 1, properly exposed. This is his unit
of measure. When you look at Unit 2 you can see that Rubens has
rendered the light accurately to create an illusion of depth.
You can also redirect sunlight as Vermeer does. The window redirects
the distant, hard light of the sun into a closer, softer light source.
Top: Peter Paul Rubens, “Samson & Delilah”, 1609, courtesy of The National
Gallery, London
Bottom: Johannes Vermeer, “Woman Holding a Balance”, 1664, courtesy of
The National Gallery of Art
25
GREATEST AREA OF CONTRAST (GAC)
This is where the viewers eyes will most likely be drawn to first, so
be sure your subject is the GAC, or at least near it. There are many
different ways to interpret the term “Contrast”, but when referring to
GAC you are primarily concerned with tonal values - Light vs Dark.
Light areas beg for your attention. Just as moths are drawn to light, so
are humans. Squinting will allow you to easily see these lighter areas.
Once you locate the lightest area, you can place the subject within it
or nearby, then carefully subdue other areas of high contrast which
distract from the subject. When controlling the GAC you control the
viewers eyes and create a starting point to unfold your design.
Some exceptions for the GAC are things naturally accepted by your
eyes, like light reflecting off of water or metal, direct sunlight, light
through trees, or lighting found indoors such as lamps or candles.
This also explains the fascination with behind-the-scenes photos.
In this painting by
Nicolas Maes you can
see how he witnessed
the light coming in
from
the
window
and placed the model
nearby in order to take
advantage of the GAC
and it’s ability to draw
the viewers attention.
Above: Nicolas Maes, “Young Woman Peeling Apples”, 1655, courtesy of The
Metropolitan Museum of Art
28
In this beautiful painting by Pierre-Auguste Cot, you can see a minor
GAC tug of war going from the model’s face to the hair on her back.
Cover up the area where the hair meets the sheet in the back. Get
use to it. Now reveal it again and you’ll see the flaw jump out at you.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes shot (below left) where your eyes go right
to the light, your mind naturally accepts it (realizing it’s not the main
subject), then moves to the next area of greatest contrast...the model.
The same goes for the lamp in the painting on the right by Degas.
Top: Pierre-Auguste Cot, “Portrait of a Young Woman”, 1869, courtesy of The
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Bottom Right: Edgar Degas, “Interior (aka The Rape)”, 1868, courtesy of The
Philadelphia Museum of Art
29
FIGURE-GROUND RELATIONSHIP (FGR)
Figure-ground relationship, a Gestalt Psychology principle, is a
clear distinction between figure (subject) and ground (background).
A light figure on a dark background, or a dark figure on a light
background is the clearest possible way to define your subject. Visual
clarity is an essential quality which every artist should strive for. In
this next photo you can see both instances. A light figure on a dark
background and a dark figure on a light background.
Rubens Vase
If you do a search on figure-ground relationship you’ll surely find a
picture called “Rubens Vase.” Is it a vase, or is it two people facing
each other? This is an illusion to be avoided unless it’s intended, as in
this landscape photo near Halona point, where the foreground and
background merge to create an unusual, face-like shape.
Getting a clear FGR shot is much like playing pool. You want a clean
shot into the pocket. You don’t want to jump the 8-ball, squeeze past
the 9-ball, and risk missing the shot. You want a sitting duck...the
cleanest shot possible. Find the pocket, then shoot! You’ll find that
some pockets are bigger than others (seen on right).
In this painting by LePage you see an unclear separation between
figure and ground. In result, it appears that the tree is growing out of
the subjects head. I’m sure this wasn’t his intention, but remember
that your mind wants to see the simplest form possible.
Bottom: Jules Bastien-Lepage, “Joan of Arc”, 1879, courtesy of The
Metropolitan Museum of Art
31
Another FGR technique is to draw an imaginary line around the
subject as seen above in Emile Friant’s painting. This will help us
locate areas of low contrast which may impair the separation of
foreground and background. If you have a small area to work with
it’s most important to capture the features of the face (as seen below).
An
Aspective View is the most identifiable view of the form. This
is especially important to know when capturing silhouettes (below
left). If all you see is shadow, then the pose which offers the most
clarity is a side view of the face, and limbs separated. Much like the
Egyptians would demonstrate in their drawings. In the image below
right, taken at Sandbar, you can see an aspective view in the man, but
not in the woman.
Showing three sides or more is another characteristic of an Aspective
View. Much like the 3D box above, multiple sides can be seen which
enhance the illusion of depth. In the painting below, by Bouguereau,
you see a twist in the model which shows three sides.
Opposite Top: Emile Friant, “Chagrin d’Enfant”, 1897, courtesy of Frick Art &
Historical Center
Middle: Unknown artist, Egyptian Man Throwing a Javelin
Bottom: William-Adolphe Bouguereau, “Byblis”, 1884, Salar Jung Museum
33
DYNAMIC SYMMETRY
Much like the iron work of a skyscraper, dynamic symmetry is
the framework of your composition. It’s used to organize and help
promote unity, balance, and visual impact throughout the whole of
your image. Jay Hambidge, the father of dynamic symmetry, shows
us below how he uses the grid to help organize his design.
Above: Jay Hambidge, “McTamany Jumped In Front of the Locomotive”, 1899,
courtesy of Norman Rockwell Museum
36
Constructing each root rectangle is fairly easy and it all starts with
the square (as seen below). Swing a line down from the upper right
corner to create the next root rectangle. Each rectangle has a ratio
that will help you create the photo or canvas size you wish. Some
ratios are approximately the same size used in framing and cinema.
Square = 1
Root Phi = 1.2720, 11x14
Root 2 = 1.414, 5x7
1.5 = 1.5, 4x6, 8x12, 24x36
Phi = 1.618
Root 3 = 1.732, 16:9
Root 4 = 2
Root 5 = 2.236, 21:9
The Phi rectangle can
be created by swinging
a line down from the
square’s halfway point.
The Root Phi rectangle
swings a line up from
the lower right corner
of the Phi rectangle.
37
Once you have the root rectangle constructed you are able to build
the basic
armature which includes two diagonals, four reciprocals
(these intersect the diagonals at 90 degrees), and two horizontals/
verticals (through the intersections created). Below (left) is the 1.5
rectangle which isn’t a root rectangle, but equally useful and the
size of most camera sensors. When you have the basic armature in
place, and you are painting or further designing a photograph, you
can construct Major Area Divisions (MAD) by creating four smaller
rectangles (on the theme of two) within the mother (directly below).
Below are the root rectangles with their basic armature.
38
By using a diagonal gauge you are able to easily locate the diagonal
in your scene and choose the appropriate rectangle.
Attach the transparency
Grid Overlay to your camera’s LCD and
you’ll be able to organize your composition by using the reciprocals
and diagonals. Below is an example of the Root 3 rectangle being
used for video capture. Simple, yet effective.
39
DOMINANT DIAGONAL
Look for dominating diagonals to help design your photo and fill the
grid. To begin, try to make the subject touch at least three different
points of the grid. If you don’t see any diagonals, get low or high...
there are always lines in the ground or sky. See the image as a whole
and ensure that the subject is paralleling the diagonals found in the
background. This will enhance the visual rhythm of the image.
When you use a
Baroque Diagonal
(lower left to upper right)
you are creating a left to right movement, which may appear more
pleasing because it goes in the natural direction that you read...left
to right. The direction going from bottom right to upper left is called
the Sinister Diagonal. Yes, it’s named sinister for a reason. Since you
read left to right, the sinister diagonal is more “aggressive,” in a way,
because it goes against your natural visual flow.
“Art has a harmony which parallels that of nature.”
~ Paul Cezanne
40
Do you feel this original
painting
by
Francois
Joseph Navez is a bit
more pleasing than the
one at the bottom?
Most of the elements
within the composition
are
carefully
painted
in the direction of the
visually favored Baroque
Diagonal...lower left to
upper right.
When you flip the image
everything
moves
in
the direction of the
sinister diagonal. Can
you see how it changes
the readability of this
beautiful painting?
Above: Francois Joseph Navez, “The Massacre of the Innocents”, 1824,
courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
41
Uphill or Downhill?
Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Since you read left to right, and your sense of gravity pulls things
down, you can safely conclude that Fig. 1 is downhill (sinister), and
Fig. 2 is uphill (baroque). The baroque diagonal is considered to be
the more pleasing one because of the way you naturally read, but
can’t the sinister diagonal be read from left to right as well? Yes. So,
why did the masters name these two diagonals as they did? Why does
the more pleasing one start from the bottom of the frame, then go
to the top? It’s because art is naturally read from left to right, bottom
to top. It has to do with gravity (as seen above) and perspective.
Take the painting below by Corot. The main subject is usually in the
foreground, lower in the frame, and the way you show depth and
distance is by having other elements recede higher into the frame.
Capture a photograph and this will naturally occur.
Opposite and Above: Jean-Babtiste Camille Corot, “Forest of Fontainebleau”,
1834, courtesy of The National Gallery of Art
43
MAGNETIC MOMENTUM
With proper placement of the GAC, and taking advantage of the way
you read naturally, you can create added movement.
If you have the GAC (black circle) at the
lower left on the baroque diagonal, you’ll
create an uphill motion, then your eyes will
quickly go left to return to the opposite side.
Much like you do when reading a sentence.
With the GAC in the bottom right corner,
on the sinister diagonal, your natural eye
movement keeps it pushed in the corner and
requires extra effort by the mind, or added
design techniques, to keep the eye moving.
With the GAC in the upper right corner it
remains pushed up the hill. Your visual path
doesn’t allow it to roll down, creating an
upward, left to right momentum.
When the GAC is in the upper left position
and in close proximity of the sinister diagonal
you get a back and forth movement. Due to
the natural way you read, you can start at
top left, read to the right, and your eyes will
naturally come back to the left to read again.
The sinister diagonal in combination with
the magnetic pull of the GAC are helping
this movement. The “magnetic momentum”
is only found in this position.
44
Van Gogh’s original with
the baroque diagonal.
His GAC (the moon)
doesn’t
create
movement
added
with
the
baroque diagonal.
Once it’s flipped you can
take advantage of the
Magnetic
Momentum.
(The moon is the GAC,
and it rests upon the
sinister diagonal).
With a little extra design
you are able to playfully
continue
the
circling
movement through the
tree, across the stars, and
back to the moon.
“What would life be if we had no courage
to attempt anything?”
~ Vincent van Gogh
Above: Vincent van Gogh, “The Starry Night”, 1889, courtesy of the Museum
of Modern Art
45
ARABESQUE
An arabesque adheres to a Gestalt Psychology principle called the
Law of Continuity which means the eye will follow the path of least
resistance. Just as you easily follow the beaten path in an overgrown
jungle, the eye’s of your viewer will do the same. Being aware of this
will allow you to recognize it and incorporate it into your art. Can
you see the hidden patterns in the comparison below? On the left
you see a jumble of dots, but your mind will automatically find the
path of least resistance (as seen on the right).
Here you can see an arabesque being created by the line of people
going into the distance at the Louvre, Paris.
48
An arabesque can be used to weave together the foreground and
background. Anything from cloud patterns in the sky, a branch,
or lines in the ground. If you can’t find one, you can always have
the model become the arabesque with her curving body, or use the
fabric of her dress to complete the movement.
Can you see below how Bouguereau creates unity from one model to
the next by using an arabesque?
Multiple images are unified below by using an arabesque and
applying the law of continuity.
Top: William-Adolphe Bouguereau, “The Nymphaeum”, 1878, courtesy of The
Haggin Museum
49
Sometimes, while walking in
nature,
you will experience a scene
that makes your heart skip a beat. You get an emotional feeling that
demands you to point it out to a friend, or lift your camera and take a
picture. This is nature revealing her hidden beauty. The anamorphic
illusion below is similar to what is happening as you walk by.
Branches, leaves, rivers, light, and shadow all create a design that is
only revealed at a certain point. Being receptive to this will allow you
to capture it in your art.
In the image below you can see repeating lines, and a beautiful
arabesque hiding in the shadows from left to right. When you find
these lines in nature, you can use them to enhance your design.
In the above image
you can easily see the
triangle, but to find the
arabesque patterns try
blurring your vision.
Now you are able to see
the major arabesques
creating a fluid, and very
beautiful movement to
help with visual unity.
“In these Post-Impressionist days we are apt to forget
that nature is still one of our best artists, and holds
the secret of the whole matter...”
~ Harold Speed
51
COINCIDENCES
Above you see a beautiful copy of Leonardo Da Vinci’s original
drawing with Leda & The Swan (the original was destroyed) and
how he uses coincidences to create unity and movement. Follow the
lines and you will see the edge to edge relationships as they link up
multiple elements, ultimately benefiting his composition.
“If you, an artist, the one who cannot manage figures,
you look like an orator who cannot manage words.”
~ Leonardo da Vinci
Opposite and Above: Leonardo da Vinci, “Leda and the Swan”, 1505, courtesy
of Wilton House
55
Without proper overlapping you can run into errors. You see this in
Mary Cassatt’s painting above, where the vase and the model’s head
seem to be on the same plane. This is called kissing and should be
avoided to escape visual confusion.
Above: Mary Cassatt, “Mother and Child”, 1889, Private Collection
56
Always be aware of how your foreground and background work
together in creating the final image. Overlapping your elements, as
seen in the following illustration, will help you avoid any errors.
In contrast, Giorgio Morandi is one artist who exploits this visual
confusion. He sets out to make every object kiss and coincide with
one another, which is a defining characteristic of his artistic style.
Above: Georgio Morandi, “Natura Morta”, 1954, courtesy of Museo Morandi
57
ELLIPSES
An Ellipse is the way a group of children hold hands and turn in a
circle. They are united as one. Though in art, the best ellipses are the
ones which aren’t obvious. The circular shapes implied in the lights
and shadows of your subject and the background can be made to
provide your design with unity. Objects such as hair, fabric, branches,
arms, or clouds can all be used to incorporate this technique into
your art and move the viewers eyes where you wish.
In the image below you can see the ellipse uniting the waterfall and
the model, which also creates movement across the image.
58
Georges-Pierre Seurat takes full advantage of the unity which the
ellipse offers and hides it elegantly throughout his painting. Follow
the lines around to see them linking up multiple elements.
“They see poetry in what I have done. No. I apply
my methods, and that is all there is to it.”
~ Georges-Pierre Seurat
Above: Georges-Pierre Seurat, “Bathers at Asnieres”, 1884, courtesy of
National Gallery, London
59
ENCLOSURES
Enclosures are based on the
Law of Closure,
another Gestalt
Psychology principle which means that your mind will close gaps
automatically to see the simplest form possible. If you know how
this affects your mind, then you can use it in your art to create unity
between objects. In a design you can use implied geometric shapes
like a cone, triangle, square or hemisphere to achieve this unity.
Bouguereau wants to unite the
group of characters, so he puts
them in a geometric container.
Above: William-Adolphe Bouguereau, “Admiration”, 1897, courtesy of San
Antonio Museum of Art
60
On the left you’ll see a simple
illustration demonstrating how your
mind will see a triangle and not
three individual shapes.
Are you able to find the triangle used in the above image? This
geometric shape not only adds a visual dynamic, but it also creates
an enclosure which unifies the elements within it. Many artists are
concerned solely about the subject, but it’s your commitment to
design to represent the image as a whole.
“Without Design, you may have representation,
but you cannot have Art.”
~ Kenyon Cox
61
RADIATING LINES
These are the spokes stemming from the center of a wheel. If the
elements of your design radiate from a common point while sharing
the same line, they are united by the Law of Continuity.
Can you see how each capsule of the London Eye is united by the
common point? The same theory can be applied to your art.
In this image you can
see Thomas Eakins using
radiating lines to unite
the characters in his
design. Do you see how
each character is posed
to reenforce the unity?
Bottom: Thomas Eakins, “Swimming”, 1885, courtesy of Amon Carter Museum
62
Mary Cassatt is creating radiating lines which help direct your eyes
to the mirror, exactly where she wants you to look. Remember,
the Law of continuity means your eyes will follow the path of
least resistance. Even if the line is broken, you can still easily piece
together the implied destination.
Above: Mary Cassatt, “Mother and Child”, 1905, courtesy of The National
Gallery of Art
63
AERIAL PERSPECTIVE
This can be defined as the perception of depth in the atmosphere.
Ultimately, you reduce the contrast to enhance the third dimension.
It frequently occurs in nature, and you can even reproduce these
effects in your photo editing, lighting, or even on your canvas.
As you can see below in Pieter Bruegel’s underpainting, he creates
depth by modeling the light so it‘s reduced in detail and contrast as
it recedes into the background.
You can especially see aerial perspective on a foggy day, like the
photo opposite, taken one early morning in Venice. The buildings in
the distance fade in detail and contrast, and the bird remains in high
contrast, creating a nice figure-ground relationship.
Some ways you can create aerial perspective are by using a smoke
ball, fog machine, natural lens flare, flour, or water. Basically
anything that can create a sense of atmosphere and add depth by
reducing the amount of contrast and detail within the environment.
This is why capturing someone smoking is so appealing. It’s not
because smoking is cool, it’s because of the aerial perspective it
creates. Below right is a concept with smoke edited into the scene.
Opposite: Pieter Bruegel the Elder, “Christ and the Woman Taken in
Adultery”, 1565, courtesy of Courtauld Gallery, London
65
AERIAL PERSPECTIVE is created as the waves crash
on the cliffs and a salty mist is illuminated by the
radiant sun.
Aerial perspective is being created by
the mist as it catches the sunlight.
BALANCE
If you can slice off a piece of your image without missing it, you
should do so. Filling
your grid will help eliminate negative space
which can inhibit the balance of your design. As you can see in the
photo below (Lake Thun, Switzerland) there’s a lot of excess negative
space in the left and lower regions. If design is learned prior to
taking the photo, you can easily zoom in and recompose to fill the
1.5 rectangle grid without cropping off valuable pixels. Always try to
get it composed correctly in-camera.
Since filling the grid affects the composition, you can snip off the
unwanted areas of negative space and bring more strength back to
the subject (as seen below). Unfortunately pixels have to be sacrificed.
68
In the painting below you’ll see Degas effectively using a triangle of
negative space. If you tried to slice any off horizontally or vertically
you couldn’t. It’s balanced within his frame and grid.
You can see the same use of negative space in this photo near Waikiki.
Top: Edgar Degas, “Ballet Rehearsal”, 1873, courtesy of Fogg Art Museum
69
NEGATIVE SPACE can effectively be used to show
loneliness or isolation, but for the most part be sure
to fill the grid.
Gazing Direction is not only the direction the subject is looking,
but it also affects the left to right balance. In most cases, the area
opposite of the gazing direction becomes unimportant and can
create negative space if not designed properly. Below you can see
dual gazing directions found with the model and mirror.
You can also see it in this self portrait with the landscape facing to
the right and myself gazing to the left.
72
Original by Gwen John.
Showing position in frame.
In this painting by Gwen John
you can see a bit of imbalance
since the model’s gaze is to the
left and she is placed further
left than right. Slicing off the
negative, unimportant space on
the right brings more attention
back to the subject. This isn’t
meant to completely fix the
painting of such a great artist,
but it will show you the shift in
balance. If it weren’t for her nice
arabesque, which leads your
eyes around the chair and table,
Adjusted to remove excess
the design might have failed.
negative space.
Above: Gwen John, “The Convalescent”, 1923, courtesy of The Fitzwilliam Museum
73
Breathing Room is defined as the top to bottom balance as well as
your artistic sense of gravity, horizon line, sky, and breathing. The
edge of your frame is a powerful factor, almost like a wall, ceiling,
or floor. You don’t want to suffocate the subject by pushing them too
close to the edge, so you must incorporate breathing room. Enough
space to allow for a comfortable balance.
In the example below left, by Julia Margaret Cameron, you see
a portrait which has the face very close to the edge of the frame.
Adding more room on the left side gives her more visual room to
breath (as seen below right). In most cases there will be more room
at the top than the bottom, but portraits are the exception. Including
the shoulders is important to avoid the “floating head” appearance.
In the next example (opposite, top left), by Puvis, you can see how he
placed his model higher in the frame which seems to close in on her.
It creates an uncomfortable balance and slight visual tension because
it goes against your sense of the open sky. When it’s adjusted, with
more space on the top than bottom, you can see the vertical balance
and visual tension corrected.
Above: Julia Margaret Cameron, “Virginia Woolf ”, 1902, courtesy of The
Metropolitan Museum of Art
74
In this example, by Whistler, if you divide the frame in half vertically
and horizontally you see the same issue. The model is too far up and
left in the frame (affecting gazing direction and breathing room).
Once you add more room at the top and left you correct the balance.
Top: Puvis de Chavannes, “Mary Magdalene in the Desert”, 1869, courtesy of
Städelscher Museums-Verein
Bottom: James Whistler, “Symphony in White no 1: The White Girl”, 1862,
courtesy of National Gallery of Art
75
RHYTHM
The repetition in an image is like the beating of a drum. The rhythm
of your favorite song. It can speak to the viewer on a subconscious
level. In order to create rhythm you need to use a Gamut which is a
limited number of shapes or diagonals.
“A painting is a song frozen in time” ~ Juliette Aristides
Van Gogh does this in his painting “The Starry Night”, when he
repeats the stars, yet changes the size for variety. He also repeats the
swirls, and the small brush strokes. It’s full of rhythm! Much easier to
do when you are painting or drawing, but it can still be accomplished
in photography, cinematography, sculpting, architecture and many
other forms of art.
You can see it in the trees and clouds overlooking Honolulu, HI.
76
Echoing
shapes in your art is a fun way to incorporate rhythm.
Particularly fun when taking street photos. It was a reoccurring
technique used by Henri Cartier-Bresson. He would locate a sign or
shape in the distance, then echo that shape within his subject.
The same effects are seen in the photo below, captured in The
Metropolitan Museum, NYC. The interesting statue is one thing,
but waiting for the opportunity to echo the pose with a spontaneous
interaction makes it a more complete, and entertaining composition.
You can also see a light figure on a dark background and a dark figure
on a light background which establishes a great FGR.
78
In the image above you can see the pigeon echoing the eagle in the
distance. The one below is captured as the subjects enter the scene
to echo the statues and reflect in the water, enhancing the repetition.
“Your eye must see a composition or an expression
that life itself offers you, and you must know
with intuition when to click the camera.”
~ Henri Cartier-Bresson
79
POSE GAMUT
Every model is limited to the directions her limbs can bend, so why
not use this to your advantage? You can easily incorporate rhythm
within the pose by starting with the direction of one arm, then
repeating it with another arm, or even a leg. When you find the
dominant diagonal of the background scene you can repeat it in the
models pose to better enhance the rhythm of the image.
Below you can see the model posing in a way that repeats the
diagonals and creates a pleasing, yet simple rhythm.
80
In
this
painting
Bouguereau
you
by
can
find the angle of the arm
and follow it across the
canvas to see if you find
any repeating diagonals.
Here you find another
paralleling interval of the
baroque diagonal which
begins to create your
visual rhythm.
You find the angle of
another arm and follow it
across the canvas again.
This time you are able to
find even more repeating
diagonals, which helps
add to your rhythm and
reinforces your necessary
limited gamut.
Above: William-Adolphe Bouguereau, “The Wave”, 1896, Private Collection
81
90 DEGREE ANGLES
Adding strength to your image is important and can easily be
achieved by incorporating a 90 degree angle. Not straight up and
down, but on an angle. Much like the stick holding a box, or the
strong man pulling a truck. The strength seen in the 45 degree angle
when pulling can be easily translated to the 90 degree angle of the
square. You can then take this concept and apply it to your art as seen
in the photo below where her arms create 90 degree angle’s.
You can see a large 90 degree angle in the shape of this tree. Do you
see how strong it looks? Bouguereau takes a lesson from nature and
uses several 90 degree angles within his beautiful composition.
Bottom: William-Adolphe Bouguereau, “The Birth of Venus”, 1879, courtesy
of Musee d’Orsay
83
EDGE FLICKER
Controlling the integrity of the edge is very important to your end
result.
Distractions near the edge will draw far too much attention
away from the subject and dramatically weaken your image. It’s just
as you do in English class when the teacher asks you to simplify
your sentence...removing words to clarify your message. To avoid
edge flicker (EF) you must run your eyes around the edge of the
frame. This will ensure your art is free of distractions, and effectively
clarifying your visual message.
Using dark vignettes is not a great solution to edge flicker because it
will choke the life out of your image. Keep the contrast low near the
edge to ensure minimal distractions.
As you can see in this original painting by Whistler (left) he has
a picture frame clipped off of the right side, and the other picture
frame is very close to the top. These areas draw attention away from
the model, so when there are some corrections (right) you simplify
the composition and bring the attention back to the model. Notice
that the negative space on the left is reduced, the frame on the right
is gone, and the top frame is moved right and brought down to
coincide with her jaw line.
Above: Whistler, “Whistler’s Mother”, 1871, courtesy of Musee d’Orsay
84
This is why they say cutting off limbs in art is a flaw, because there is
nothing more distracting than cropping into a body part. Reducing
the area’s value contrast (below) would help Toulouse Lautrec hide
his distraction and bring more attention back to the subject.
Some very skilled masters would incorporate edge flicker into their
design, as seen below in Vermeer’s painting. He has incorporated
high contrast near the edge which is then combined with an ellipse
to lead your eyes around each element.
Top: Toulouse Lautrec, “In the Salon of the Rue des Moulins”, 1894, courtesy of
Musee Toulouse-Lautrec
Bottom: Vermeer, “The Milkmaid”, 1660, courtesy of Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
85
EINSTEINʼS STRUGGLE
Even Einstein struggled as an artist. His professors thought he was
a goof off, and he couldn’t find a physicist job anywhere. His father
disgrace, and Einstein equally
loser. He even wrote a letter to his family
died thinking his son was a family
thought of himself as a
saying that it may be better if he were never born. Daydreaming at
his mindless patent clerk job is what led to the
famous equation
E=MC2. Einstein was later discovered by Max Plonk, a theoretical
physicist, who published his paper in 1905. This ended up being
one of the most famous publications in science, and Einstein wasn’t
even considered a scientist at the time. After this, he continued to
apply for teaching jobs and found nothing. In 1907 he rewrote his
Theory of Special Relativity, spent 10 years, through war and other
tribulations, refining and understanding it further, then came up
with the General Theory of Relativity. This new theory challenged
his hero Sir Isaac Newton, the founder of modern science, and
the inventor of the law of gravity. After many challenges, Einstein
endured his journey, produced his art relentlessly, and was finally
recognized for his genius. This is proof that you need to stick with
it, challenge yourself and others, continue to learn, and share your
knowledge. Do this, and you will ultimately be recognized for your
grand contributions to the art world.
86
Learning the techniques found in the Canon of Design
will embark you on an exciting journey to understanding
the power of visual art, and clearly communicating the
message you strive to convey within it.
www.canonofdesign.com