Composition, Design

The thing is that photography and painting/drawing is almost opposite sides of the circle. Photography: Yes, I can compose an image based on "thirds" or "Fibonacci" or "Golden Mean" - but what is there is what goes on the film or the sensor. Signs, hosues, trees, paper flying in the wind... All i can do is position myself so that signs are hidden and trees/poles don;t grow out of heads - that's photo composition. Painting/drawing: What we see is NOT what we get (or have to get). You can chose to leave the signs out, leave the pole out. You don't need to faff about with positions to do this - you chose your best view and then leave out what doesn't fit (according you YOU). The choice of colours and what to keep or leave - that's art composition. The camera picks up what's there, it's a tool of reality-on-sensor. With painting, reality is what YOU decide it is when you paint - colours, shapes, this in, that missed out, etc. I won't say "the camera doesn't lie" - it can be made to lie, for sure, in skilled hands. There's an article in this month's LP that says a bit: "Art isn't about telling the truth ... Accuracy doesn't count. Facts don't matter. It's about using illusion to tell a story" ... "Art has nothing to do with what a place looks like; it's about how a place makes you feel ... To paint a place, you have to get rid of the notion that it has to look like that place" If you think the painting would look better with more trees.... stick 'em in! So what if there's no birds in the sky, bung a few in for interest. And painting from photos? What's the problem? The photo is the rough equivalent of being there - YOU chose what to keep and what to lose from the photo, same as if you were there! ♦♦♦♦♦ The "rules" work, generally. The points on interest, the "flow of the eyes around the picture", the "leave the gate open so the eye can enter the picture", the pathway into the trees, and so on. When you've learnt the rules and can apply them automatically - that's when you realise that the best pictures are made from knowing the rules... and ignoring them. But you have to know them to ignore them! (damn typoos!!)

Syd, with all due respect, I don't really care what other people say, I don't see it that way,

Well I'll be jiggered - it's Polish Syd - thanks for the comment re the cartoon.