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wandathefish
01-30-2002, 06:44 AM
I don't seem to have an eye for composition and I would like to improve my watercolors, so I am pledged to run my ideas by this forum before I spend time painting them. This is a photo of my best bud, Finn. I know it is a simple structure but I had thought of bringing the coverlet closer to him, right up against his front paw to get rid of that empty space between. What other suggestions might help this picture when I go to paint it? Thank you in advance:D
arlene
01-30-2002, 10:19 AM
why put it in at all? just crop it out...the cat is the most important...i cropped it out and lightened the diagonal shadow coming from his head.

http://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/30-Jan-2002/finn.jpg
wandathefish
01-30-2002, 04:40 PM
Oh, Hey Arlene, thanks for the suggestion. Yes, my Finnboy is the part that I am in love with, but I just wondered if the coverlet made the picture more interesting to another viewer and also I wondered if having the cat looking off toward the edge of the painting without having something to stop the viewers eye would be unfortunate. Being somewhat of a novice at painting, these things are questions for me:confused:
henrik
01-30-2002, 05:45 PM
Here is another suggestion. I think the crop ended up to close - you need more negative space. Also, a cat is a pretty common subject (nothing wrong), and you may want to play with something else to make it a bit different than the usual....
wandathefish
01-30-2002, 10:03 PM
Henrik, thank you for your interesting suggestion. I will be sure to post my picture when it is finished so that you can see what compositional elements I have included:)
orchidlover6
01-31-2002, 12:19 PM
i like henrik's suggestion. goes against the norm for a more interesting composition.
henrik
01-31-2002, 02:16 PM
I think the effect of my edits is that you really wonder what the cat is looking at. All that extra space increases the tension; that it is something special up there that we can't see. I.e. it stresses the notion of "up" and works as a compositional element that unifies with the cat looking "up".
cindyn2art
02-04-2002, 06:25 PM
I have learned so much from you guys, Thanks