9781789387896
9781789388701
A study of perception and its role in drawing and painting, featuring practical exercises.
Studio Seeing offers a close examination of perception as it is used by an artist in the studio. Michael Torlen shares here the successful process he has developed over decades of teaching and studio practice in a straightforward way that other artists can apply to their own work. Using examples from his own experience and supporting them with a rich illustration program that includes works from historical and contemporary artists, Torlen distills clear, effective principles for painting and drawing that will help artists make great strides in their understanding and ability. Each chapter is rounded out with exercises designed to help artists immediately understand and apply its concepts.
Studio Seeing offers a close examination of perception as it is used by an artist in the studio. Michael Torlen shares here the successful process he has developed over decades of teaching and studio practice in a straightforward way that other artists can apply to their own work. Using examples from his own experience and supporting them with a rich illustration program that includes works from historical and contemporary artists, Torlen distills clear, effective principles for painting and drawing that will help artists make great strides in their understanding and ability. Each chapter is rounded out with exercises designed to help artists immediately understand and apply its concepts.
264 pages | 107 color plates | 6.69 x 9.61 | © 2023
Art: Art--General Studies
Education: Psychology and Learning
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations
Preface
Learning to See
The Brick
The Lineage
Foreword
Julian Kreimer
Introduction
1. The Fear Factor
The Bare Canvas
Into the Void
Course of Action
Fear’s Tyranny
Mistakes and Accidents
Part-to-part
Recap
2. How We See It, How We Don’t
The 3D Cues
Perspective
Binocular Vision
Light and Shadow
Relative Motion
Recap
Exercises – Two or One Eyed
3. The Artist’s Vision
The Monocular Cues
Constancy
2D Visual Cues
Position
Shape-Size
Overlap
Value Contrast
Color Contrast
Hierarchy and Interaction
Recap
Exercises – 2D Cues
4. More About Seeing
Parts and Wholes
The Gestalt Contribution
Think Ahead
Arnheim
Where and What
Figuring the Ground
Object-Directed vs. Ground-Directed Seeing
Past Experience, Purpose, and Action
Recap
Exercises – Parts and Whole
5. Beyond Face or Vase
Head First
Figure-Ground
Not Negative and Positive
Edge-condition
Yes and No
Intentions, Meanings, and Context
Recap
Exercises – F/G
6. Forces in the Field
Inner Necessity
Closure
Coincidence of Edge and Continuity
Locales
Recap
Exercises – Three C’s
7. Line
Positioning Line
Contour
Gesture
Blind-contour
Cross-contour
Recap
Exercises – DYI
8. Value
Positioning Value
Reserving the Light
Adding and Subtracting
On Readymade
Adding Wash and Brush
Elegance or Clumsiness
Recap
Exercises – Plus and Minus
9. Brush, Paint, Process
Shape Paint, Don’t Paint Shapes
Color Studies
5 Values
9 Values
Recap
Exercises – Process Practice
10. Muscles and Marks
The Body Against Itself
Four Variables
Pressure
Tempo
Duration
Direction
Deliberate Practice
Recap
Exercises – PTDD
11. Figuring Where
Plumb, Level, and Square
The Frame
Sighting and Measuring
2D to 2D
Linear Perspective
Aerial Perspective
Sfumato
Recap
Exercises – Devices
12. Unmediated Response
Focal Point
Approximation
The Great Law
Recap
Exercises – Focal Point
13. Fixing
Jumping Parts
Add More of It
Build a Bridge
Reverse the Overlap
Adjust the Scale
Do Something Else
Recap
Exercises – Ground-Directed
14. The End is The Beginning
Limits of Language
Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes
Meaning, Metaphor, Myth
Last Words
Endnotes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
List of Illustrations
Preface
Learning to See
The Brick
The Lineage
Foreword
Julian Kreimer
Introduction
1. The Fear Factor
The Bare Canvas
Into the Void
Course of Action
Fear’s Tyranny
Mistakes and Accidents
Part-to-part
Recap
2. How We See It, How We Don’t
The 3D Cues
Perspective
Binocular Vision
Light and Shadow
Relative Motion
Recap
Exercises – Two or One Eyed
3. The Artist’s Vision
The Monocular Cues
Constancy
2D Visual Cues
Position
Shape-Size
Overlap
Value Contrast
Color Contrast
Hierarchy and Interaction
Recap
Exercises – 2D Cues
4. More About Seeing
Parts and Wholes
The Gestalt Contribution
Think Ahead
Arnheim
Where and What
Figuring the Ground
Object-Directed vs. Ground-Directed Seeing
Past Experience, Purpose, and Action
Recap
Exercises – Parts and Whole
5. Beyond Face or Vase
Head First
Figure-Ground
Not Negative and Positive
Edge-condition
Yes and No
Intentions, Meanings, and Context
Recap
Exercises – F/G
6. Forces in the Field
Inner Necessity
Closure
Coincidence of Edge and Continuity
Locales
Recap
Exercises – Three C’s
7. Line
Positioning Line
Contour
Gesture
Blind-contour
Cross-contour
Recap
Exercises – DYI
8. Value
Positioning Value
Reserving the Light
Adding and Subtracting
On Readymade
Adding Wash and Brush
Elegance or Clumsiness
Recap
Exercises – Plus and Minus
9. Brush, Paint, Process
Shape Paint, Don’t Paint Shapes
Color Studies
5 Values
9 Values
Recap
Exercises – Process Practice
10. Muscles and Marks
The Body Against Itself
Four Variables
Pressure
Tempo
Duration
Direction
Deliberate Practice
Recap
Exercises – PTDD
11. Figuring Where
Plumb, Level, and Square
The Frame
Sighting and Measuring
2D to 2D
Linear Perspective
Aerial Perspective
Sfumato
Recap
Exercises – Devices
12. Unmediated Response
Focal Point
Approximation
The Great Law
Recap
Exercises – Focal Point
13. Fixing
Jumping Parts
Add More of It
Build a Bridge
Reverse the Overlap
Adjust the Scale
Do Something Else
Recap
Exercises – Ground-Directed
14. The End is The Beginning
Limits of Language
Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes
Meaning, Metaphor, Myth
Last Words
Endnotes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author