perception versus reality

For a long time I wanted to be an abstract artist. Honestly, I'm not sure why. As a adolescent it seemed cool. Kids are weird guys, and I was no exception. It turns out, however, that I am not a good abstract artist. And, the thing I had to realize is, that's okay. Abstract art and its various artsy cousins aren't better than realism, and they aren't less than either. It's all art and it all has its place.

I do pretty okay with making things look like they are. Part of that is realizing what things actually look like. That probably sounds stupid, so I'll give you some examples.

This is my son Jonah. If he were to do a self portrait based on this picture I took of him, he would color his hair yellow because he is blonde. But is there actually any yellow in his hair? Not so much. So what colors are there? I start by noticing the lightest and darkest areas. The lightest are almost white, but not quite, and the darkest are a very dark brown. For his hair I would probably use 3-5 different colors.

So next look at his face. He has very pink cheeks, with a slightly peachy, light tan complexion. This is where layering color really helps. You can put down a peachy color and go back over with a light, yellowish beige and it will blend to the right color. Using a nice dark brown for some of the darkest shadows would make the contours. Shadows are almost never black -- they are dark brown, purple or blue. Look at the shadows around you and try to see what colors they are.

Lastly for now, remember that nothing is outlined in black (or any other color). Definition of edges comes from contrast in color and light and dark. See where the right side of Jonah's face meets the floor in the background. His cheek is catching a little light and the floor is darker. That's what makes a line.

I've been talking to friends about art and they enjoy hearing some of these thoughts, so here they are for you to enjoy as well. If you knew all this already than stop reading this post and go draw something!!