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Thumbnails for Inspiration!
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Message
Posted
I’ve started this thread primarily to look at the advantages of working up small thumbnail sketches prior to painting.
I don’t often need to work out my composition or ideas beforehand, but it can sometimes help if you’re struggling with inspiration.
Working on a small scale can sometimes help - it seems easier to fill in a small oblong than a large canvas or whatever you are painting on.
Perhaps something that I should adopt on a more regular basis!
Any thoughts?
Posted
Alan that’s a very good idea , I usually just go straight to the the size of the painting I want to do , sometimes of course yiu then suddenly realise that the drawing is to big . I can certainly see the benefit of doing this beforehand, lot less rubbing out, leaving out and alerting, once you have the basics it’s then easier to add the rest of the details into the scene , thanks for posting this information , very helpful and useful.
Posted
Yes it’s the common sense thing to do. Despite knowing that, I don’t do it often enough. I would drastically reduce my number of false starts (and binned work) if I followed this simple logic. I helps with most concepts, even more when you are doing something from imagination.
Paul’s right that roughed out sketches in sketchbooks can often serve the same purpose, but doing small thumbnails takes very little time.
I intend to do some thumbnails for an idea I have, when I do I’ll put them on here.
Posted
I've been thinking about doing a large (for me) painting of an old sailor remembering his life...the ships, the storms and his loves. It will be 60 x 50 cm, I already have the frame; it contains a picture I want to change. Recently I had a stab at visualising it, but had no success. Time to have another go. I'm thinking it will be movie poster style, that should allow me to get all the things into it that I want to show. So I've done a few mini roughs, principally to decide the layout. These are scribbles, they take moments to make. I don't normally show them, they may mean more to me than another viewer...who will just see meaningless scribbles.
Done in an old cheap sketchbooks...these roughs are done to the same proportions as the intended painting.
This was the first idea...old sailor dominating middle center, around him a tramp steamer, a sloop, a younger him at the wheel in a storm, people from his past and lovers slotted in.
Not there...too busy...too this...too that. No.
Had another go...tried having him leaning on a sea wall, with his life, his past, behind him. Hmmnn...no.
Another...slightly less busy...but not doing anything for me.
Tried calming it down...not sure about top right...attempting to suggest the tropics and an old girlfriend...still not working. But maybe something along these lines.
So...I haven't arrived at an idea I can use. Wasn't going to show these, but maybe that's the reason to do thumbnails. Had I just gone into the painting on my first idea, it would undoubtedly be another unfinished pic.
When I get a useable idea, I'd do a better drawing with tones etc. Not there yet.
Done in an old cheap sketchbooks...these roughs are done to the same proportions as the intended painting.
This was the first idea...old sailor dominating middle center, around him a tramp steamer, a sloop, a younger him at the wheel in a storm, people from his past and lovers slotted in.
Not there...too busy...too this...too that. No.
Had another go...tried having him leaning on a sea wall, with his life, his past, behind him. Hmmnn...no.
Another...slightly less busy...but not doing anything for me.
Tried calming it down...not sure about top right...attempting to suggest the tropics and an old girlfriend...still not working. But maybe something along these lines.
So...I haven't arrived at an idea I can use. Wasn't going to show these, but maybe that's the reason to do thumbnails. Had I just gone into the painting on my first idea, it would undoubtedly be another unfinished pic.
When I get a useable idea, I'd do a better drawing with tones etc. Not there yet. 