Getting Practical: The Focal Point

A favourite word of mine, especially in the area of art instruction, is practical. It is at the forefront of my workshops and behind every post I write. Of course, I've missed that mark at times but it is the goal. Practical instruction requires transferable content, making it straightforward for students to apply it and practice it in their work. With this in mind, I thought it would be helpful, from time to time, to "practically" apply some of the instruction from topics I have been posting in the foundations 101 series and elsewhere.

The Focal Point
The importance of establishing a focal point for every drawing or painting we do was looked at in "How Our Eyes See": Part I and Part II. Having worked through the information in those exercises let's see how they unfold, practically, using this ink and watercolour sketch of old Vancouver. It was composed using clips from a 1907 movie taken by William Harbeck. 

The three figures on the road are my focal point. Specific steps were taken to achieve this. At the drawing stage, heavier lines, plus more descriptive details, were used on our trio. During the painting stage, Burnt Sienna was added to their faces, hands, and, clothing for emphasis. Positioning them against the light-coloured road, provided them with the strongest dark/light value contrast in the piece. Additionally, some compositional elements were used to direct the viewer to our three friends. On the left, a horse glances towards them. While on the right, a couple of store canopies point down at them.

The drawing itself was done directly, using curve-tipped fountain pens, with no pencil block-in. I kept the linework "open", meaning no area would be hatched or filled in with black ink, as seen above. Take note of the variations in line weight plus the use of broken lines. Dark-gray was mixed from Paynes Gray and Burnt Siena for the dominant colour. This allowed me to cool down the grays for the shadows by adding more of the Paynes Gray or warm it up in the sunlit areas with more Burnt Sienna.  

Of course, there are a variety of ways to create a focal point in a drawing or painting. Each piece requires thought and planning on how to achieve the most effective result. 

Look at the work of various artists, then start observing the elements they use to help create a focal point in their work. Record them for future reference for your own drawings and paintings.