Adventures in Perspective

[Gary S]

Just remember ... the tops of the trees on the south side (the viewed side in this instance) will be the lightest, as they are getting the most light. The color gets just a bit darker as the form of the tree "turns the corner" and begins to "fall away" from the light. Just make sure the "light source" is consistant across each vignette!

I haven't been considering all these little things. I never realized how much I would be learning from this backdrop, and I must tell you I really am enjoying it. The looking at nature, taking photos, studying them, trying out all the mock-ups, discovering how the colors work together, and the hours spent have been rewarding. On the trees that were painted in front of the Walgreens store, I remember intuitively putting some light over dark, but I didn't really think about why that would be. But as with anything, knowing the "why" is what opens all the doors. Your insights are like light bulbs going off in my head.

You're getting it just fine! Your progress is remarkable, especially for someone who claims no artistic talent and has never attemped a painted backdrop before! This backdrop is going to be a bigger success than you are willing to expect that you are capable of producing! I have no such doubts! Keep working ... it gets better with every revelation!

Thanks biL. Up until now, I had always considered art to be an inate characteristic, that some have it and some don't. I hadn't really looked at art as being a subject that one could learn, and since I didn't have it, there wasn't much point in trying. I had even considered hiring an artist to do the backdrop. But reading the old article made it seem at least plausible, so I jumped in. And I tell you, I am darned lucky to have your knowledge and experiences to draw from!

Your remembrances of your time in class, and your discussion about technique have led me to believe that "art" can be learned. I really should have realized this before. Ten years ago I decided to take up mountainbike racing. I was a middle to back of the pack "intermediate class" racer, and I had come to believe that I just wasn't athletic enough to do any better. Now, I was lucky enough to have a good and wise friend in the sport who was an expert class racer. Some philosophical discussions with him convinced me that it wasn't a lack of athletic ability that held me back, it was a lack of desire. He convinced me that if I wanted it, I would do what it took to get it. And that "doing what it took to get it" involved 16 to 20 hours a week on the bike practicing and building up endurance. I had to think, eat, and sleep biking.

Well, I decided that I did want it, and I fell in love with the sport, and after half a year or so of highly motivated effort, I was kicking a$$! A 40 year old guy routinely whipping some 25 year old butt! It was quite amazing and I experienced many epiphanies and revelations along the way. Alas, my perpetually bad knees got the best of me and it was time for a new hobby, and here I am.

So back to the backdrop: With practice and adjustment, it will get easier and better. I'm very much in to this right now, even to the point of laying in bed at night thinking of how I should tackle the next step. Keep all the insights coming!

[You'd be surprized at how many "layers" there are in a visually convincing painting ... or even one of my product marker renderings, for that matter! They don't "just happen" in ten minutes ... they take hours!]

And that insight let's me know that I need to be patient, slowly put on the layers, and have fun knowing that the results will be worth the effort. Thanks biL!