Shapes in Painting
featuring Matt Smith
One of the key points to a strong design is simplicity. Two- dimensional shapes are the basis of this strength in design. When Matt Smith is teaching, he tries to advise his students to limit it to 4 to 6 shapes. Generally, the shapes are defined by light and shadow, foreground, middle ground, and background. Many artists process information in terms of things like a tree, rock, or cliff rather than seeing it as a shape. Matt looks at things as a value and color within that shape. The key points of design are simplicity, variety, and character. So, shape is key when you are starting off and really distilling it down into the basic components. Too many shapes negatively affect the design. Matt calls things shapes, not a tree or a house. It comes down to thinking of the element in the most basic way (a shape). This can be an area where students get overwhelmed because they are thinking of things and not shapes.
“One of the key points to a strong design is simplicity. ”
If you are looking at a mass of 50 trees, for example, once you start breaking them down into individual things, you lose your design. Yet, if you squint down and look at it as a shadow side of the tree shape vs. a light side of the shape, you might see two shapes as they all mass together. It is really important to do this. You can start here and build up to the detail, rather than the other way around. Otherwise, you might have a completely fractured design.
It is better to maintain the identity of that shape than to put more information inside of that shape. If you narrow the value and color range within that shape, it will maintain its integrity. As soon as you start expanding the color and value relationships within those shapes, it is gone. So, it is best to start with those shapes once you establish the relationship between shape number 1 versus shape 4 or 5, etc. When you feel good about these from a color and value standpoint, then you can start adding those physical details. Be sure to squint as you go. As soon as it starts breaking down too much, you know you’ve gone too far and you can pull back. The process of working it might go back and forth.
“You can start here and build up to the detail, rather than the other way around. Otherwise, you might have a completely fractured design. ”
Matt likes to compare this process to a camera lens; if you go too far, you bring it back. You may just have to work at it several times before you get where you want. This happens when you design as you go. You have the initial plan down and you can adjust it as you go and create that harmony.
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Listen more about shapes in painting on the Paint & Clay Podcast here.