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Originally Posted by Richard Bingham
Question, what steps do you take compositionally in these "from the hip" sessions? (I really battle with this)
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Richard, you've hit the nail on the head regarding a figurative pose. I spent at least 30 minutes at the very beginning, measuring and plotting the best way to crop this figure without losing the elbow or glove and yet size the head large enough to get some detail in it. It's 22" x 18" and I really wish I had brought along a larger canvas. I'm kicking myself.
I also had to eliminate tangents and awkward points of overlap and intersection - which is hard to do in a crowded group situation, but if I take a step a few inches one way or another it usually solves my problem. Composition is really important to me on paintings like this one, which isn't so much about rendering than it is about 'drama'. Incidentally, I put a big boom spotlight directly over the model's head and I really liked the way the shadows developed.
Thank you for taking the time to comment, Richard.
