Week 3: Still life - Finer points in composition

This week's session consisted of an in depth study of finer points of composition. All of the sketches below were done in pencil in the same period of time allotted. The first example is a simple arrangement, where the rule of thirds plays a good part in rapidly shifting the eye sight from the main focal point of the central object to the other areas of interest of the bottle and vase. The overlapping of the two objects creates the illusion of depth while the vase is not left out and becomes part of the implied curved line of the image because of the lines of the drapery. The presence of darker and lighter areas would have helped the composition gain depth.

The second picture area still tries to go by the rule of thirds and the composition offers nonetheless more unity than the first example. The objects are overlapping in order to create depth, the focal point quickly shifts from the middle vase to the flowers and follows an implied line down.

The third example is less appealing to the eye since is shows a degree of simmetry. The focal point starts at the flowers, then the areas of interest sought after are in the same vicinity, the implied line seems to go by the pyramidical composition. Some objects overlapping create the illusion of depth while others have touching lines and prove detrimental to the composition.