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MOST ANNOYING
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Posted
I must agree when I'm planning my more complex pictures, 'what's my focal point' isn't foremost in my mind. I do little layout scribbles to decide what might work best. (On a simple picture...a bowl of fruit, a dog portrait etc...obviously the question doesn't arise...the single object painted IS the focal point.) Here are my thoughts on planning the pic below...the central figure...the woman...is the subject of the painting. So, unconciously I guess, I make her my focal point, so I've placed her centrally, and placed a dark shape behind her to make her more prominent. This works for me, but maybe not for anyone else. If when you look at this pic, your eye goes FIRST to the woman, then my picture 'planning' has worked. If she ISN'T the first thing you look at, does it matter? How could I know, because she IS for me.
Here's a painting by one of my favorite illustrators (Peter De Seve). It's a crowd scene, complex, yet my eye goes immediately to one figure (then explores the rest of the picture). It will be interesting to see whether this happens with you. What do you look at first in this image? (I have no idea if the artist planned it this way.)
Does it matter if you don't pick the same 'focal point' as me? Probably not. The focal point is the 'hook' that grabs your eye and draws you into the painting...if there isn't one I think it does matter. This comes under the 'rules for art' aspect...and these are broken on purpose all the time.
On balance, I think I do like a focal point in a painting, often, when I'm underwhelmed by a painting, it's because it hasn't got one. But nothing is set in stone in art.
Lew.
Here's a painting by one of my favorite illustrators (Peter De Seve). It's a crowd scene, complex, yet my eye goes immediately to one figure (then explores the rest of the picture). It will be interesting to see whether this happens with you. What do you look at first in this image? (I have no idea if the artist planned it this way.)
Does it matter if you don't pick the same 'focal point' as me? Probably not. The focal point is the 'hook' that grabs your eye and draws you into the painting...if there isn't one I think it does matter. This comes under the 'rules for art' aspect...and these are broken on purpose all the time.
On balance, I think I do like a focal point in a painting, often, when I'm underwhelmed by a painting, it's because it hasn't got one. But nothing is set in stone in art.
Lew.
Posted
Thanks Sylvia. Which face did you look at first in Peter De Seve's painting? I don't think there's a right or wrong answer, I'm just interested to see if it was the same as mine. There's one face painted with more contrast than the others, it's slightly brighter. My eye goes straight to that face...so it's the focal point...or main point of interest if you prefer.
Posted
Just had another look at the crowd scene enlarged and it grows on me. However the point of interest - if you accept it is the off-centre lady - is bit too central to the picture to be comfortable. Also there is a slight imbalance to her right - another figure required may be.
Just my thoughts.
Posted
I obviously admire this crowd scene by Peter De Seve, or I wouldn't have used it here. The fact that it's a very busy scene was why I chose it. My eye goes straight to the lady you've mentioned (with a spoon in her mouth), which for me makes it the focal point. There is a second point, as has been mentioned, the lady on the right with the 'long' hair that goes to the top-right of the picture is the one. There's a giraffe coming from the same corner, the hair and giraffe provide two lines directing the eye into the picture. So there are focal points at play, I think they improve the picture, you may think differently. We all see things differently, which is no bad thing.