How to Learn Composition - Draftsmen S2E15

Waiting for Stan

In this section, Marshall is waiting for Stan to arrive and they discuss what they are drinking.

Sipping Coffee

• Marshall is sipping coffee while waiting for Stan.

• They talk about what they are drinking.

Stan Arrives

• The intro starts.

• Stan arrives and apologizes for being late.

• They discuss what Stan had for lunch.

Too Much to Teach Composition

In this section, Marshall decides not to teach composition because there is too much information to cover.

Overfeeding Information

• Marshall looks over his notes on how to study composition but decides not to teach it because there is too much information.

• He doesn't want to overfeed the students with too much information.

Shortest Episode Ever

• This will be the shortest episode ever recorded.

• They say goodbye and end the episode.

How To Learn Composition

In this section, Marshall and Stan discuss how to learn composition and their experiences with it.

Student Roleplay

• Stan plays the role of a student in this episode since he has never taught composition before.

Definition of Composition

-[]( t = 3m13 s )Stan has taken one class on composition and describes it as a compositional templates course.

Composition Templates

• They discuss some of the composition templates they have learned, including the steel yard composition, yin yang, and triangle.

Frazetta's Hero Composition

• Stan mentions Frazetta's hero composition where there is a group of people and at the very top is that hero.

The Value of Composition Templates

In this section, Marshall and Stan discuss the value of composition templates and their use in creating quick compositions.

Usefulness of Composition Templates

• Composition templates can be useful for creating quick compositions.

• However, Stan believes that going beyond using templates is important for deeper learning.

• Harmonic armatures are a type of template that uses pleasing ratios to divide lines within a rectangle. The golden mean is an example of a harmonic armature.

Historical Context

• The ancient Greeks used sticks to find pleasant divisions within rectangles, which led to the development of mathematical ratios for composition.

• The golden mean or golden rectangle is one such ratio that has been passed down through the ages and is commonly taught in composition courses.

Criticisms of Conforming to Templates

• Some people take conforming to templates too far by dividing paintings into too many triangles and swirls.

• Stan believes there is something to using templates but thinks it's important not to rely on them too heavily.

The Value of Harmonic Armatures

In this section, Marshall and Stan discuss the value of harmonic armatures in art and how they can help artists improve their compositions.

Harmonic Armatures

• Many great masters have used harmonic armatures to conform to grids.

• Studying harmonic armatures can heighten an artist's sensitivity to angles and patterns in a composition.

• There is value in studying harmonic armatures, but it may not necessarily make a painting better.

• Norman Rockwell initially used dynamic symmetry in his compositions but eventually abandoned it as he found that it did not necessarily make his paintings better.

Critiquing Harmonic Armatures

• Marshall compares the study of harmonic armatures to astrology, stating that while there may be emotional value in it as an art form, critiquing it as a science falls apart.

• Stan questions whether shifting elements slightly so that they do not fit perfectly into a template would result in a worse painting.

Overall, this section discusses the use of harmonic armatures in art and how they can help artists improve their compositions. While there is value in studying them, it may not necessarily make a painting better.

The Subjectivity of Composition

In this section, the speakers discuss how many great masterpieces and much of nature do not conform to the rules of composition. They also talk about how cherry-picking examples to support an argument is a lousy way to find truth.

Selective Arguing

• Cherry-picking examples that support an argument and ignoring those that don't is a lousy way to find truth.

Embracing Opposite Arguments

• To understand the value of harmonic armatures, golden ratio, and dynamic symmetry in any compositional templates, it's essential to look at arguments that question their validity.

Personal Nature of Composition

• The feeling for composition is highly personal, just like the feeling for proportion. Beware neat theories of composition as it is subjective.

• Robert Beverly Hale's book has three paragraphs on composition where he points out that from drawing alone, one cannot learn composition. It's better to go through finished pieces where people have self-consciously arranged compositions.

Proportions Don't Match Systems

• Even when using several different ways of measuring proportions on a hand, none matched up with actual hand photos because proportions don't match these systems.

• Hogarth's method divides the hand into halves and halves and halves but still has flaws as it doesn't fit everyone's hands perfectly. However, it can get you close enough in most cases.

Harmonic Armatures and Composition

In this section, Marshall discusses his experience with harmonic armatures and how they can be useful in composition. He also emphasizes the importance of not relying solely on templates and instead tapping into emotion and nature as a guide for composing.

The Value of Harmonic Armatures

• Harmonic armatures can help heighten sensitivity to divisions in composition.

• They are valuable for learning where to place things on the picture plane.

• However, placement is only one element of composition, which includes lights and darks, color, edges, contrast, textures, deep space and flat space.

Don't Rely Solely on Templates

• While harmonic armatures can be helpful in training your sensitivity to divisions in composition, do not rely solely on them to bring out your best work.

• The best composers tap into emotion and use nature as their guide rather than conforming to a template or rule.

Studying Composition

• Marshall explains that while beginner's luck may allow you to create good compositions without any knowledge of composition theory, taking your work to the next level requires understanding counterpoint between instruments and juggling many elements at once.

• Composing finished works involves complex juggling acts that require more than just placement on the picture plane.

Learning to See the World in Terms of Lights and Darks

In this section, Marshall discusses how studying composition is essentially learning to see the world in terms of lights and darks. He explains that there are two ways to approach this: seeing everything in black and white or seeing the darks, the lights, and the things in between.

Seeing Everything in Terms of Lights and Darks

• Marshall explains that Howard Pyle's approach to teaching composition is to study masterpieces and reduce them into just a pattern of what people call "Notan", which is a pattern of light areas and dark areas.

• He emphasizes that reducing a composition into five values is complex, but it's important to simplify values.

• Marshall suggests starting with small studies no bigger than a business card or postage stamp size.

• He warns against adding too much detail when doing these studies as it can limit simplification.

Simplification of Values

• Once you can see values, adding a third tone is like being given a million dollars because it allows you to show both the moon and trees.

• The gestalt of a picture should be its value pattern. A painting's initial layout should kill at 100 yards.

• It takes time and work to analyze great masters such as Goya, Sargent, Winslow Homer, Käthe Kollwitz, Frank Brangwyn, Dean Cornwell, Harvey Dunn among others.

This section provides insights on how one can learn to see the world in terms of lights and darks by studying compositions. It also highlights Howard Pyle's approach towards teaching composition students.

Learning Value Structure

In this section, Marshall and Stan discuss the importance of value structure in composition. They also talk about how to learn from different artists.

Importance of Value Structure

• Value structure is fundamental to composition.

• It is important to be aware of value structure even if you are not a good composer.

• One useful resource for those interested in therapy is BetterHelp.

Principles of Composition

• Focal points, contrast, gesture, and storytelling are key words associated with composition.

• If one thing is more important than other things, that's usually a good idea.

• Many artists and storytellers use climactic points in their work.

Learning from Different Artists

• Degas worked in subtle ways which makes it harder to learn from him.

• Doré's work in black and white makes it easier to see the general pattern of his value structure.

• The Russian academy teaches students to consider the composition of even simple portraits.

Composition Techniques for Portraits

In this section, Stan talks about what he learned from people who studied at the Repin academy regarding composition techniques for portraits.

Composition Techniques for Portraits

• Even for simple portraits, it's important to think about the rectangular space and how elements fit within it.

Understanding Facial Features

In this section, the speakers discuss how to draw facial features and pay attention to details such as contrast and shadow.

Drawing Facial Features

• The eyes and nose are typically the focal point of a portrait.

• Pay attention to sharp edges in the nose, such as the nostril and cast shadow coming off it. These should have higher contrast than things towards the back.

• Cast shadows from the jaw onto the neck can be really sharp if there is a direct light source.

• To create a sense of three-dimensionality with facial features, make sure that contrast decreases as you move away from the nose popping forward.

Composing a Face

• Composing is arranging elements in a drawing or painting, including space, form, rendering, and other elements.

• Good composers enjoy composing because it's fun for them. Beginners often struggle with composition because they're too concerned about doing it right instead of having fun with it.

• Composition involves making decisions about every aspect of a drawing or painting, including background, lighting direction, shadow intensity, shape complexity, camera angle etc..

Elements vs Principles

• In studying composition we need to separate elements (ingredients) from principles (what makes it good). For example dominance is one principle where one ingredient dominates over others but there are no rules that say you cannot have equal amounts of ingredients in your composition. Another principle could be texture which might not be important for flavor but adds crunchiness to your dish.

Principles of Composition

In this section, the speaker discusses the principles of dominance and contrast, balance, consonance and echoing rhymes, coincidence, continuity, directional movement and paths that take you to the focal point.

Principles of Dominance and Contrast

• The principle of dominance is about creating a focal point which might be the highest contrast or the brightest color.

• The principle of contrast is about using opposites such as lights and darks, bigs and smalls, sharp edges and soft edges to create composition.

Principle of Balance

• The principle of balance is often misunderstood. It's about using opposites to create balance in composition.

Consonance and Echoing Rhymes

• Consonance is about repeating similar sounds in different words or phrases.

• Echoing rhymes are when one part coincides with another.

Coincidence

• Coincidence is when one part coincides with another.

Continuity

• Continuity refers to the echoing around of things with the carrying through of things.

Directional Movement

• Directional movement refers to paths that take you to the focal point which is the big boom or if you use the journey metaphor.

Metaphor in Composition

In this section, the speaker explains why metaphor is important in composition.

Importance of Metaphor

• Metaphor leads to emotion.

• When you look at a picture, you have an emotional response.

• Metaphor is the most misunderstood thing about composition.

• The emotional response happens not only because of the subject matter but also because of how it's composed.

Symbolism vs Metaphor

• Symbolism is where one thing represents another.

• Metaphor is different from symbolism and can be done brilliantly to create an emotional response in viewers.

Case for Metaphor

• Metaphor is important because it creates an emotional response in viewers.

The Importance of Metaphor in Creative Composition

In this section, Marshall discusses the importance of metaphor in creative composition and how it can be used to bring emotional content into a design.

Using Metaphors in Design

• Treating a design as a waterfall or using metaphors can bring emotional content into the design.

• The definition of "metaphor" is comparing two things to treat one thing as another. This technique is used by great composers, storytellers, sculptors, and artists.

• Comparing two things with different feelings is the blood of creative composition. Students who take this seriously do the best work.

• Taking metaphor seriously means consciously working on making comparisons. Children do it instinctively.

Benefits of Metaphorical Thinking

• The golden section is like a cracker compared to the feast that you can have with metaphorical thinking.

• One exercise for practicing metaphorical thinking is to take favorite paintings and liken them to meals or dishes.

• Practicing metaphorical thinking exercises the part of you that looks at one thing and sees it as another.

Resources for Learning Composition

• Molly Bang's book "Picture This" is recommended for learning about composition. It points your head in the direction of all aspects discussed earlier.

• Steve Shriver has presentations on ornament in architecture that are inspiring about how history evolved. He talks about how much ornament and architecture at one period in history was arranged around auricular shapes.

Conclusion

• Collecting things you love, such as volcanic explosions, lava, the way birds arrange themselves on a wire, the way trees arrange themselves in forest, and the composition of leaves can help with abstract work.

Ingested Metaphors

Marshall discusses the concept of "ingested metaphors" and how paying attention to something can imbue your work with its qualities.

The Power of Ocean Waves

• Paying attention to something can imbue your work with its qualities.

• John Gardner calls this "Ingested Metaphors."

• Marshall gives an example of ingesting the power of ocean waves for use in compositions.

Teaching Composition

• Marshall teaches composition at Fullerton Community College.

• Students who pursue composition for a few years and really work on it can become great composers with very little teaching.

Analyzing Masters and Nature

• To become a great composer, analyze masters, nature, and critique your own work in terms of metaphors.

• Choose your favorite artists and look at their work in terms of what you would liken their stuff to do, then consciously apply that to your own work.

Pursuing Mastery as an Artist

In this section, the hosts discuss the concept of mastery in art and whether or not they feel like masters themselves. They also explore the idea of continuing to grow and improve as an artist even after mastering certain techniques.

Pursuing Mastery

• A listener asks if the hosts still feel like they are growing as artists even after mastering certain techniques.

• The hosts discuss their personal feelings about being considered "masters" in their field.

• Marshall shares a story about his son's changing perception of him as he grew older.

• The hosts talk about how mastery is relative and can depend on who you are comparing yourself to.

Never-ending Learning

• Stan discusses his approach to pursuing mastery and how he always shoots for it but doesn't expect to ever fully achieve it.

• He talks about how each new subject or technique opens up more doors to learning, making it impossible to master everything in one lifetime.

• Marshall shares his goal of mastering teaching and helping students become better than him at a given topic.

• Stan talks about how he has exhausted anatomy but still has so much more to learn in areas like color theory and composition.

• The hosts agree that one of the most exciting things about art is that you can always continue to get better with hard work.

Parenting and Observing Children

In this section, Marshall and Stan discuss their experiences with parenting and observing children. They talk about how children instinctively compose music and dance moves, as well as how they pick up on different musicians at a young age.

Children's Instincts

• Marshall and Stan discuss the dominance of large animals in families.

• They talk about how children instinctively compose music and dance moves.

• Marshall talks about the rawness of a child's lack of inhibition when dancing.

• Stan shares that his son is a good dancer and picks up on different musicians at a young age.

Observing Children

• Marshall talks about observing children blossom over time, such as watching trees grow new leaves.

• He also mentions how his son could pick out certain personalities associated with certain sounds at two years old.

• Stan shares that he misses the presence of a child observing nature.

Future Episodes

• Marshall suggests discussing how to copy masters in future episodes.

• They agree that it would be an interesting topic to cover.

Outro

• The conversation ends with some playful banter between Marshall and Stan.