Proportions

Van Gogh - Skull

(Please note that the works I show throughout this article were done by men who are known more for their journeys into abstraction rather than intense detail, while still adhering to representative painting. This is to illustrate the greater importance of generally correct proportions rather than strict detail.)

Correct proportions solve many drawing problems. They are the basis of our understanding of what an object is. If I can understand the shape of an object along with how it looks in scale to another object, I'm well on my way to having a proper understanding of what I am seeing. In fact, due to the high proficiency of our brains in learning and cataloging what we see and experience, oftentimes we can calculate what an object is even while it is partially obscured or seen with blurry vision. So, the artist is at an advantage if he or she can express their subject with good proportions.

This is easier said than done, of course, but it should take some of the pressure off of the artist, in that there will be some emphasis taken off of the details. While it is certainly true that a detailed work can be impressive and that the "devil is in the details", so to speak, there is a reason that artists through the ages have taught a general-to-specific approach to their work. More important than the details are correct proportions and relationships. Think of Cezanne or a Monet - they are convincing their audience while only relaying limited information.

Cezanne - La Mont Sainte Victoire

Monet - Waterloo Bridge

In my experience, even the most amateur artist can have a successful drawing, just by representing their subjects with good proportions. The angles can be off (although good proportions will generate good angles; and vice versa), the line quality may be off, the light and shadow may not be rendered very well, or any other variety of problems may plague the work, but good proportions will relay the information needed by the audience to understand what they are looking at.

Proportions are essentially measurements. There are different ways to go about taking these measurements and applying them to your work. I use one of two different methods depending on my subject matter and style. One is the technique I've used most of my life. It involves picking a point and working out from it - for instance, I may be drawing a face and will choose to start with the eye and slowly work out from it, in different directions, measuring intuitively and based upon what I've already marked. This method is not easy and can quickly go awry, being unnoticeable at first, but evident at the end, as shapes are a little wonky or angles are a little off. The reason being that it is more difficult to see the whole, when you are so focused on the parts. If you have a skilled eye, you may not run into this issue. I never had much of a difficulty with it. This is typically a good approach when dealing with copying from a 2D source.

However, as I have received more education, challenged myself by drawing from life, and diversified my styles, I have had to employ the more traditional approach of moving from large shapes to small shapes. The best way to measure proportions in this way, is to work with angles. Seeing relationships between outer edges and inner edges, rhythmic lines, how parts fit with each other, and just attempting to be accurate with shapes are the keys to measuring with this method. It's difficult to explain with words, but is more obvious in action. This method requires drawing lightly, connecting points to other points, and slowly building the subject up by establishing where the planes are and how they relate to one another. This is a fantastic approach to establishing general proportions and initial composition, as it declares immediately what it is that you are drawing.

Hopefully later on I can post a video or step sequence to show exactly what I mean by both of these techniques. In the meantime, try to experiment with both approaches and train yourself to loosen up and communicate the whole, rather than the parts.

"Art, like morality, consists in drawing the line somewhere." G.K. Chesterton

Line

Drawing by Rembrandt

Line is essential to all art. It is the first step in understanding how to represent an object on paper. No matter the subject, no matter the setting or composition, line is crucial to our drawings.

Line is not only drawn explicitly (as we may think of it), but it is also found implicitly, through the coming together of shapes and tones. Where the edges of objects meet space or each other (on the picture plane), line is implied.

As outlined by Andrew Loomis (in "Creative Illustration"), there are 7 primary functions of line.

1. To convey its own intrinsic beauty
2. To divide or limit an area or space
3. To delineate a thought or symbol
4. To define form by edge or contour
5. To catch or direct the eye over a given course
6. To produce a grey or tonal gradation
7. To create design or arrangement

It is important to understand how each of these functions work and how the artist can use them creatively. I will work backwards, starting with number 7.

7. An important part of creation is setting up the composition - the shapes on the plane and how they interact with one another. An artist can approach this function in a completely abstract way or in a way the takes into account true and perceived forms. This function can embody the sketching phase of art-making, when the artist is attempting to blueprint their design. The function can also relate to abstract formal and informal design, in arenas such as architecture or pottery.

6. Think of comic books. Or hatching. If you are familiar with these techniques and styles, you have witnessed grey or tonal gradation through the use of line. It is a way in which the artist can render three-dimensional forms without the use of flat tones and shapes, but only through the use of line and variation of line.

5. This goes in hand with some of the ideas I alluded to in number 7. Good compositional arrangements often rely heavily on how the artist can lead the eye of the audience. Think of the arrow on a street sign or the wanderings of the kid in Family Circus comics. These lines lead the eye. An artist can use line, either blatantly or subtly, to do the same thing. A good exercise is to find a drawing or painting you enjoy and break it down by drawing over it, finding the lines in a rudimentary fashion and seeing how and where the artist is leading your eye.

4. This is kindergarten stuff. When a child draws a house, it is a square with a triangle on top. The sun is a circle. The cloud is a few semi-circles arranged in a pattern. When a form or variation in form (contour) is represented by line, you are seeing this function in action.

3. Numbers and letters. This function is how we often see line used. It becomes a part of our nature and everyday existence to see line used this way. An artist may be able to use this function to their advantage, conjuring up the deep ideas that are hidden within these types of symbols. Think of $, *, #, @, etc. You'll find that these symbols tap into connotations that can be out of our control.

2. This one is tricky in practice. Think of how a backslash divides two numbers or a wall divides two areas. Think of how the horizon divides the ground from the sky or how a box contains its contents, dividing it from the outside world. You can get existential with this one. However, in practice it is worth noting that lines in artwork create tension when used to divide. You can very easily communicate two subjects being at odds by introducing a line. The reason this is tricky is because you can easily do it on accident and sabotage your own expression.

1. Line can be beautiful. The amount of variation you can achieve with line through bends, straights, wides, narrows, angles, curves, etc, is communicative in and of itself. The audience, without knowing why, like your drawing - with the only reason being how you achieved your line. Line quality is immensely important to achieving a visually compelling drawing, if that is the point of the work. As an exercise, try doing a blind contour drawing. Do not look at your drawing as you draw it, but only look at your subject. Really try to feel the weight of the contours, the shapes that are being made. When you are done, you will find that your drawing does not really hold up as a cohesive work, but that the lines you have created are beautiful nonetheless.

I hope to write more on how important line is to creating art, but for now I will leave you with a little encouragement regarding the creative process, from our friend Andrew Loomis. "Even a poor drawing exhibiting inventiveness and some originality is better than a hundred tracings or projections." Know that your work as an artist isn't about being like other people and isn't about copying things, but is about expressing what you find interesting in a way that is genuine to your own convictions.

Who am I?

Not to be existential right out of the gate, but I have to try to answer the question of who I am. Well, as much as I'd like to take a page out of the Navin Johnson book and say "Adam Kenney is a complex personality, as are most of the small breed of modern day renaissance millionaires", the fact is I'm not a millionaire and I don't think I'm that complex. Plus, I more or less want to stay surface-level, at least for now.

So, let's get my education out of the way so that you can feel a little more comfortable listening to me as I ramble about art and things. My undergrad years were made up of directionless wandering at Bellevue Community College until I up and decided to pursue art and get serious. I got my grades up and transferred to Seattle Pacific University, where I earned my BFA in Studio Art. After working for a bit, I decided to pursue my education some more and earned my MFA in Digital Art at DigiPen Institute of Technology. I've taken classes on everything from figure drawing to character design to 3D modeling to animation to oil painting to all kinds of art history, etc. Hopefully I can use some of that learning to inform you throughout this blog.

Now, the more intimate things.

I love Russian novels. Dostoevsky is a huge inspiration to me, as his books are without a doubt the most soul-wrenching works I've read outside of the Bible.

I'm a board gamer. I'm on my way to being that insane person with way too many games on his shelves. Currently my favorite game is Cosmic Encounter and I'm seriously stoked to be getting The Battle of Five Armies (based on the war in The Hobbit) this Thursday.

I don't watch TV (outside of Seahawks and Mariners games), but I love movies. I used to write little movie scenes that never amounted to anything other than sunken dreams and exercises in futility. However, it was fun. I also used to make short films with my friends that revolved around crazy psychiatrists, dancing weirdos, and homeless David Bowie's. My favorite filmmakers are Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese, and Spielberg.

I'm sure you'll learn more about me as I continue to post.

I'll leave you with the challenge of the artist, as articulated by Supertramp:

"Dreamer/ You know you are a dreamer/ well can you put your hands in your head/ Oh no!"

An Introduction of Sorts

You've either stumbled upon this blog or somebody has led you to it. Maybe it was me. Maybe it was God. Not that we're at odds.

In any case, I'm glad you're here. This is a blog about art. It will be covering different aspects of different things at different times in different ways. Maybe some instruction here, a little history there, an abstract notion here, and a launch from left field there.

I'll keep it short. Patience isn't what it used to be. We live in a fast-paced world, where reading constructed paragraphs has taken a backseat to lists of trivia and pictures of kittens doing cute things. Nothing wrong with cute kittens, but I hope that actual articles don't go the way of the dodo, as they are more challenging for our minds and attention spans, and challenge is the path to growth.

I'm not attempting anything profound here. At its core, this blog is a challenge for myself. I hope that by keeping to it, updating it, wrestling with ideas, and conveying thoughts and emotions, I will grow in my organizational and communication skills. This has been on my heart lately and is a deeply felt desire. I also hope to bring some knowledge to whoever is interested.

The first few posts on this blog will have to do with myself and my different endeavors and achievements. From there I hope to start posting helpful articles regarding art. I am currently teaching a drawing course and will be using this blog as a means to communicate the central approaches I'll be relaying to my students. This can be used as a resource for learning and hopefully for inspiration in whatever your goals may be.

The title of this blog is a reference to "Tangled Up In Blue" by Bob Dylan. It's one of my favorite songs. "The only thing I knew how to do/ was to keep on keeping on" strikes a chord with me. Hopefully I can do just that with this blog.