Part 2 Project 6 Ex 2

Composition - an interior

With still life I'm encouraged, even expected, to change my items around until I'm happy with the composition.   It's a bit different with interiors because fixtures and fittings can't be moved at a whim so i as the artist has to move instead.  This is what this exercise is about - finding a good viewpoint from which to get an interesting drawing taking into account the light and how it falls.

Having looked at the paintings of interiors in the last post I decided to keep it simple so I looked at my previous sketches for ideas.  I liked the one of the small table in the music room.  The table is special because my son made it.

Image from Ex 1

I went back and did four more sketches from different viewpoints.

Image 1 - Looking from the door - seated

In spite of the settee being in the foreground the table is definitely the focus probably because it adds the height to the arrangement.  The curtain on the right doesn't quite balance the settee but the settee can be cropped and that might make a portrait format that works.

Image 1 cropped

I think this works better than my original drawing because it is more balanced.

Image 2 - Standing by the windowsill

This image is drawn looking down on the table with the settee to the left and the curtain to the right.  I don't think it has the same impact as Image 1.

Image 3 - Sitting on the settee - quite close to the table

This is a much closer view of the table with the curtains to the right.  The shadows were very intense on the table and the left hand wall.

Image 4 - Sitting on the floor by the piano

Here I am sitting leaning against the wall beside the piano.  The table is well back and it took me some time to get the settee big enough.  The focus isn't the table, it's the settee, which I don't want.  Will a crop help?  Let's see.

Image 4 - cropped

This loses the idea of distance and places the table as pretty well the only thing in the picture.  I prefer the original which would lend itself to a landscape format with the settee making for a cosy scene.

These really are quick sketches (I'm getting better at quick) and there's work to do on them all.

The changing Autumn light was a big problem and for the next exercise I will take a photo for reference.  For Exercise 3 I think I'm going to work on Image 1 (cropped) because it offers an interesting arrangement that is simple and unfussy.