How to simplify what you see

by Tissa Hewavitarane

I was 12 when my art teacher told me to simplify my paintings. This was the first of an endless number of teachers all saying the same things. You should “Simplify”. As it turned out it was a great advice. The problem was that no one explained how to simplify.

With my own efforts giving thought to every painting I found a method which became useful to my work. It is an approach that will allow you to simplify your painting.

Wait for a sunny day. Then grab you easel and head for a suitable painting spot not too complicated and not simple that it doesn't allow for a challenge.

It will also help, for at least the first attempt if the subject matter is light in value.

White objects are particularly good because they make it easy to see the patterns of light and shade. Because dark surfaces absorb light, they are not as helpful for this exercise.

Position yourself where your view of the subject provides a clear pattern of sunlight surfaces and shaded areas. Now you can begin the process of simplifying. Your painting by seeing shapes not things.

Instead of taking the approach of seeing a collection of individual objects a house, a car, two trees, squint your eyes and see only two shapes. Shape one will be everything that is in the sunlight.

The shape too is made up of everything that is in shadow. You have now simplified numerous objects in two identifiable shapes.

Caution

As you begin to draw, you must proceed with caution, for if you revert to old habits and draw each object rather than two shapes you will have the very essence of your new approach.

Your pencil lines should follow the edge of light and shade. The resulting drawing will be a rather strange looking pattern of abstract shapes that should be generous in size.

Freed from the constraints of painting many objects, you can now execute a more spontaneous expression of your feelings.

Begin with the idea that what is in the light will be left as white paper. You are now faced with but one shape to paint-the shape of shade. Paint the shape as an abstract pattern. Don't allow yourself to be overly influenced by local colour. Begin at one end of the shape and paint to the other. One approach is to first wet the entire area of this shape and drop in colours. Take this opportunity to experiment.

Success

To achieve success in painting, most students need to change their concepts while forsaking old habits.

If you would like to become a better painter, stop thinking about brushes, pigments, paper, how to hold your brush, how to draw a house and start thinking about shape and colour.

Observe the painting I have done ‘how to simplify what you see titled ‘Returning after a catch'.

There is no more thrilling sight than that of big washes of colour being brushed on to a sheet of sparking white paper and allowed to defuse softly together.

The effect is magical. The atmospheric effect of the sky and the calm sea is achieved with weak washes of cobalt blue, light wash of burn sienna with dark shades are applied to the fisherman's body.

The contrast of the dark tones and lightest tones attracts the eye and give clarity and strength to the picture.

Designing with light

The idea of “designing with light” is not offered as the best or only approach. It is an approach which works. Sunlight is powerful. It can make a black roof appear white and white objects look black.

By seeking patterns of light and shade we are freed from the object single light source, sun there is most often a rhythmical connected pattern of both the light and shade.

By Moving slowly around a potential subject and observing the shapes created by the light and shade you can find the pattern that is most interesting. Your relative position in the object and the light source changes not only the pattern but also the effect.

Sunlight hitting you on the back of your head creates a small pieces of shadow on the subject, leaving much of the paper white.

Sun in your face offers a black lit subject making large dark shapes with lighting. Side lighting makes for balanced amounts of light and shade with horizontal cast shadows.

Front lighting produces disconnected spots of dark shade. When read as a whole and placed against a large shape, these spots of dark expresses light and describe objects beautifully.

Side lighting makes alternative shapes of light and dark. This lighting can be a bore without careful consideration of the amounts and size of light and shade. Position yourself where the light out-weighs the shade or vice versa.

The most dramatic and instructive approach to the idea of ‘designing with light’ is to begin by exaggerating contrast of light and shade.

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[Points to remember ]

*Absorbent and reflective surfaces can fool the eyes from seeing light and shade.

*It is instructive to paint only the shape of shade and leave all sunlit surfaces as white paper.

*The value relationship of light and shade can be altered to create desired effects.

*To simplify your paintings, paint the shapes of light and shade.