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Steven Sweeney · 09-18-2002, 09:06 PM

Thanks, Jennifer . . .

I just lost my first reply here, let's see if I can get this one posted without blasting it off into cyberspace with no guidance system.

I assumed too much by getting into color. If the folks are keen on the sepia look, I guess it's worth a try, probably no harder in most respects than having to invent color. I like to shoot photos in sepia but I've never attempted to get that effect in oils. You'll have to be very attentive to subtle nuances in value within the monochromatic presentation, in order to create the illusion of form.

"Foreshortening" is an effect of perspective. If someone holds his arm out to the side, we see it at its full length, say 35 inches. If he brings the arm forward to point at you, the length that you "see" might be only a few inches, but you have to draw or paint that foreshortened arm in a convincing way so as to create the visual impression of depth, to show that it is in fact a full-length arm extended toward you. Otherwise it can look like just a stubby limb. There are various ways to depict this effect. One way is to be sure you have accurately rendered the negative space around the foreshortened subject. However you proceed, you have to forget that you "know" that, say, the arm is 35 inches long. Draw what you "see".

I'm probably overstating the potential for trouble here. If the gesture is captured well and the perspective in the chair handled accurately, foreshortening in the limbs may not be difficult to manage.

09-18-2002, 09:06 PM	#6
Steven Sweeney Juried Member PT 5+ years Joined: Nov 2001 Location: Stillwater, MN Posts: 1,801	Thanks, Jennifer . . . I just lost my first reply here, let's see if I can get this one posted without blasting it off into cyberspace with no guidance system. I assumed too much by getting into color. If the folks are keen on the sepia look, I guess it's worth a try, probably no harder in most respects than having to invent color. I like to shoot photos in sepia but I've never attempted to get that effect in oils. You'll have to be very attentive to subtle nuances in value within the monochromatic presentation, in order to create the illusion of form. "Foreshortening" is an effect of perspective. If someone holds his arm out to the side, we see it at its full length, say 35 inches. If he brings the arm forward to point at you, the length that you "see" might be only a few inches, but you have to draw or paint that foreshortened arm in a convincing way so as to create the visual impression of depth, to show that it is in fact a full-length arm extended toward you. Otherwise it can look like just a stubby limb. There are various ways to depict this effect. One way is to be sure you have accurately rendered the negative space around the foreshortened subject. However you proceed, you have to forget that you "know" that, say, the arm is 35 inches long. Draw what you "see". I'm probably overstating the potential for trouble here. If the gesture is captured well and the perspective in the chair handled accurately, foreshortening in the limbs may not be difficult to manage. __________________ Steven Sweeney [email protected] "You must be present to win."