NEGATIVE DRAWING: Part 2

[Mike Sibley]

The best lesson is seeing how even a serious adjustment like this can be handled with a little thought and planning.

Well, I chose this subject because it contains many of the techniques I use, as well as relying on negative drawing. I didn't expect it to include cutting through a shadow to extend a white butterfly... but it's a bonus - another useful tool to add.

To everyone in general - I'm pulling images from the 16 days and writing the script at present. The plan is to concentrate on negative drawing but to include a many general drawing tips too.

As I'm reducing 48 hours of drawing down to about 10-15 minutes, it's quite likely something will be cut that you might be interested in.

If there's anything in particular you'd like me to include, now is the time to speak up

[Shmush]

These pictures show it will be worth the wait! Looking forward to seeing the end results.
Good luck with that roof.
Mia might not have been in a photogenic mood, but she is obviously a beautiful dog. Concerning training-I have a 3 month old puppy I’m training. The house training is the main challenge right now, complicated by a backyard full of cicadas that causes her to lose all interest in going pottie as she tries to eat every bug she can reach. I have been watching McCann Dog YouTubes (they are Canadian) to help with my training. They have some on leash training, which may or may not be helpful for working with Mia, but it doesn’t cost anything to watch them.

[Shmush]

Hopefully the error and the correction process will be part of the video. it would be helpful for those of us who still make many mistakes.

[Shmush]

I’m still trying to get my mind to think “negatively”to create depth. When you were creating your background, how did you know it would complement and not compete with your foreground since all you had in the foreground was white? Even though you “invented” the details in the background did the original photograph give you the suggestions of what would work? Or is it sometimes a matter of working back and forth between background, mid ground and foreground until it looks right?

[Mike Sibley]

Mia might not have been in a photogenic mood, but she is obviously a beautiful dog. Concerning training- I have been watching McCann Dog YouTubes (they are Canadian) to help with my training.

I've been watching those to. And FENRIR, who I find to be even more helpful. Mia's currently learning "heel"... in between "Leave!", "Get down you big Flummox!!" and other assorted encouragements

[Mike Sibley]

Hopefully the error and the correction process will be part of the video. It would be helpful for those of us who still make many mistakes.

It is! Or, it was... as I've just cut a section out, because the video is now exceeding 30 minutes in length.

The video is Negative Drawing focussed, with a fair bit of drawing advice in the final demonstration.

Then I'll make a second video just on the butterfly drawing, with all the warts and problems. And an explanation of why I'm doing anything, and how. Not a leaf-by-leaf account, but anything of any interest that occurred along the way.

I've just reached Day 16 in the edit and I hope to have it completed this evening. Then the fine-tune edits occur, plus retiming to fit the voice-over that I've yet to record... from the script I've yet to complete It should be ready next week.

[Mike Sibley]

I’m still trying to get my mind to think “negatively” to create depth. When you were creating your background, how did you know it would complement and not compete with your foreground since all you had in the foreground was white?

Well, WHITE is part of the answer. Only the butterfly contains white - very deliberately. As I'm working the background, I'm alongside the midground or foreground elements, so I just have to have a basic idea of how I'm going to treat those. Then I draw the background to suit it. And nothing is carved in stone. I can make changes - lighten, darken, erase - anything at any time.

Even though you “invented” the details in the background, did the original photograph give you the suggestions of what would work? Or is it sometimes a matter of working back and forth between background, mid-ground and foreground until it looks right?

That's a two-part question.
I "invent" to add both depth and interest. The photo contains out-of-focus elements, which I don't favour. That's not how we see. A camera can only focus on one plane at a time. Our eyes refocus as we move them around. So, for us, the background is as sharp as the foreground. That's what I have in mind. Then, to suggest depth, I use "disappearing into the gloom" rather than losing focus.

No. I don't flit between background, midground and foreground. Never! That defeats the system. OK, it's not a rigid system - I can move around if I want to, but I try to not do that. Only if it makes logical sense at the time.

The main reason for not flitting around is that it involves guesswork. Drawing a foreground element that crosses over a midground element that hasn't been drawn yet means you have to guess at the values required for the foreground. Get it wrong, and you have to redraw - and bit by bit the drawing becomes soft and muddy. Preferably, draw once and move on.

The video will explain all that... and more.

[Shmush]

I see what you mean about flitting around, but I was primarily asking if you tweak values as the picture develops. if I understand “I can make changes - lighten, darken, erase - anything at any time“ you are refining the values as the picture develops. (I haven’t figured out how to do quotes with date, name in yellow box)

[Shmush]

I've been watching those to. And FENRIR, who I find to be even more helpful. Mia's currently learning "heel"... in between "Leave!", "Get down you big Flummox!!" and other assorted encouragements

“get down you big Flummox”

If you say FENRIR is even better I will have to check it out. Not up to “heel” yet, but she is good with sit, down and we are working on “leave it” (same as leave???). she is very food oriented, so it is easy to get her to sit (after a lot of jumping around) because she doesn’t get a treat until she does. Just wish we didn’t have these 17 year cicadas around here. it really puts a glitch in training, especially since she is so food oriented.

[Mike Sibley]

(tried a different option for quotes-I still don’t have it right)

At the top of each post, at the right, is a row of icons... the extreme right-hand one (looks like quotation marks) is the one you want. It opens the reply with the post "quoted". Then you can edit the bit between the "quote" tags to suit your purpose.

Or, as I often do, just type

Code: Select all

[quote]

then your text, and then

Code: Select all

[/quote]

to close the quote.