You can read more about it in my article on Composition in the Arts, but the general idea is to split a drawing into 30% of one type of element and 70% of the other, for a composition that is interesting as well as visually pleasing. To avoid all the elements of your sketch visually melting together the 30/70 rule is the perfect guide. An English country garden, for example, can be so overwhelmingly colourful and bushy that it might even be a bit much on the eye, let alone the time it’d take you to draw it all. Nature views can be quite busy, especially when greenery is involved. And you can try moving elements around in your work to see how it would look, too. Once you've decided on a format, angle and focal point for example, you could use the thumbnail to make sure your idea works as great on paper as it does in your head. Thumbnails tend to be quite small and very rough, usually taking no more than a few seconds to draw. There can be several points of interest in a drawing, but usually only one focal point.Įven if you are using a viewfinder drawing a few quick thumbnails on some scrap paper to finalise the composition is always a good idea. Points of interests take up the supporting roles but are still quite prominent.
DRAGON LANDSCAPE LAKE PATCH
That might be a beautiful sunset sky, a huge, lush tree or a patch of bright flowers. It’s what you want to be the first thing that people notice.
The focal point is the main star of the show, the one element you'll dedicate most time and effort to. This way you’ll have an easier time working out a pleasing composition. Ideally, before you even start drawing, you should decide on the focal point for your work, as well as choose suitable points of interests. Rather than the usual ‘eye-level’, an interesting angle could be from relatively low down, perhaps lying on a blanket, or from high above, such as sitting on a hill or in a ranger's raised hide.Ī very wide angle showing a big part of the landscape can be just as intriguing as a close-up of those mushrooms growing from a lonely tree stump. You could try a vertical view to show only a small part of the scene, or go for square or even super long to spice things up. While most of us will probably instinctively think of a horizontal format for a nice beach or forest scene, in many cases other formats will work equally well. Here's an article by Marion Boddy-Evans to show you how.
DRAGON LANDSCAPE LAKE PORTABLE
Viewfinders are basically a small, portable frames that you can hold up and move around to find a good composition.Īmazon sells plastic ones, but in the spirit of sustainability you can also make your own by cutting out two L-shaped parts from leftover cardboard. You can use a viewfinder to pick a specific part of a view that will work well as a sketch. There's just so much beauty to choose from.
And your viewers will be none the wiser.īecause nature is so vast it can be difficult to decide which part of a view to include in your drawing. You can add a stream to balance your composition, give a hedge a little trim if it's too prominent. You can move branches or entire trees if they're in the way. Unlike other subjects, such as architecture or portraits, in a landscape your audience often cannot tell if you have been faithful to reality or making allowances. Have a look at my post 7 great Exercises to Improve your Landscape Drawing Skills for an exercise that builds up on this.Īs I've mentioned in my article Why Drawing Landscapes is so Popular (and so Good for your Art), one of the best parts of sketching outdoor views is that you can easily edit them.
DRAGON LANDSCAPE LAKE HOW TO
See how I used a lot of adjectives there, like 'calm', 'lush' or 'smooth'? Those are excellent to work out how to best draw those parts and hone in on possible points of interest. There are smooth brown hills in the background and a few fluffy white clouds in the sky". Something like "I see a calm, dark blue lake, framed by a group of lush, deciduous trees. Then describe it in one or two sentences, verbally or on a piece of scrap paper.
You'll have an easier time choosing a specific view and won't get side-tracked so much.īefore you start drawing you should take a moment and have a good look at the scene. That could be "a forest scene with several trees" or "a close-up of plants near the beach". If you often get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of picturesque views, I find it helps to decide on a rough theme before you leave the house.
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