The January 2012 Tutorial Discussion

[Gare]

Here is what I am suggesting, folks. Javier, I cannot criticize your icosahedron—it by itself is terrific.
BUT...do we go to an art gallery and appreciate only one element of a painting? No.

Artists need to practice composition. How do all the elements direct the viewer's eye?

Today's bonus lesson is on how asymmetry is usually better than symmetry in a composition.

Javier, I have taken your latest post and simplified it to show you and others how the three elements in your composition appear.

You have a white background in back. First of all: why? White and light colors make reflections look dull. Your tiles that the icosahedron are resting on are right in the center of the white background. Why? Why should the tiles be centered so perfectly? Then your icasahedron is resting on the tiles, almost in the center of your composition.

By making everything of almost equal size and centered, you take away from the importance of the icosahedron, which should be the star, the hero, of your composition. Look at what I did, and don't laugh because I did it so quickly.

Obviously, the green icosahedron is the star of the composition. The tiles are second in importance and the background is nothing, it's black.



The lesson: let the part of your drawing that's the most important be in front, compose the picture asymmetrically so the vier's eye will go to the star of the drawing and stay there, don't let other elements be too important.

Also, look at the perspective of the tiles in the original images I posted. Look carefully, and use the Mould tool to make a very severe angle.

Don't let your icosahedron fall off the tiles!

I'm attaching a XAR file with the elements. Most of them are bitmaps, sorry!

—Gary