One of the most anticipated successful of all renderings is an internal frames. As with any established rendering formulas, it contains real risks of overuse, and has the making of a cliche', but these dangers are the only evidence of the fact that it does work. It simply needs a little more care and imagination when it is being applied.
The appeal of frames within frames is partly to do compositions, but a deeper level it relates to perception. Frames within the render have the effect of puling the viewer through; in other words, they are a kind of window.
On a purely graphics level, frames focus the attention of the viewer because they establish a diminishing direction from the outer render.
If the subject is oviously in motion, and its direction is plain, then the natural tendency is to have it entering the frame rather than leaving it.
The most straightforward rendering environment is one single, clear subject filling your view port. Before you fill your view port, with one single image, you should consider if the surroundings are critical to the view, or its design. If you need to fill your frame right up to the border, with a single subject, you might run the risk that the eye may feel uncomfortable concentrating on points falling particularly near the edge of the render. If often needs - or at least benefits from - a little free area around a subject to be able to move without feeling constricted.
The Ames RoomThis room was devised by the artist Adelbert Ames, Jr., to show just how deceptive the geometry of three-dimensional objects can be. We think that we see a rectangular room inhabited by two abnormal people; but the room is not rectangular, and its planes - walls, floor, and ceiling - are not set at right angles to each other. It is actually a six-sided irregular construction with sloped floor, ceiling, and rear wall, inhabited by people of normal size.
Our binocular vision means that we see horizontally. Fatter frames are the most natural image format. In other words, they are the least intrusive and most accommodating to the eye. The naturalness of horizontal vision reinforces the eye's desire to scan from side to side, and a corresponding reluctance to scan up and down. There is an assumption that the bottom of the picture is a base; a level surface on which other things can rest. Most things are longer in one direction than in another, and it is natural to align the main axis of an image with the longer sides of the rectangular frame.
A square format render often suffer from lack of direction. Patters and other formless arrangements fit well into a square frame because the frame has no directional emphasis - very few renders lend themselves well to square compositos.
The question of which aspect ratios are perceived as the most comfortable is a study in its own right, but in principle, there seems to be a tendency towards longer horizontally, but less elongated for vertically composed images. The most common render is the proportions 3:2, but it does depend on the subject you are rendering.
Artist's look at the world in a different way, at least I do, and so should you. We tend to observe every thing we see, make mental notes for reference, and use what we take for guidance on our next project. Although not as good as our minds eye, here are some links to resources I sometimes use for reference, and I would like to share with you. 3D.SK
Taking your own photographs is the easiest way to get references of a subject. They're also essential if it's a subject you're not going to encounter again easily.
Take at least half-a-dozen photographs, none of which need be the perfect. You'll use these together to reconstruct the element in your mind's eye. On any given project I may use hundreds, if not thousands, of reference photos. With today's drive capacity you shouldn't have a problem building up a very robust library of custom reference photos.
Almost everything has more than one value. Depending on the light source, most things have some areas that are very light and others that are quite dark.
If you look closely at a mound of dark earth, you notice that it has several different values. If a fresh layer of snow covered this mound of earth, there would still be lots of values. When you can see a range of different values you can draw your subject in the third dimension.
Squinting to see values and simple shapes
Seeing values is key to drawing in the third dimension. Many artists can visually simplify complex drawing subjects by simply squinting their eyes. Squinting helps you screen out details and see simple values and shapes. When you can see the shapes created by different values, you can draw your subject more accurately.
Wouldn't it be nice if you could simply press a button in the middle of your forehead and magically transform the world from full color to gray values? This ability would certainly make drawing a lot easier. Thankfully, simply squinting your eyes can help you develop this skill.
If your subject has, for example, light-pink and dark-red stripes, seeing two different values in the two colors is easy. You simply draw the dark red as a dark value and the pink as a light value. But, some objects have colors that seem to be the same in value. When this is the case, you simply have to rely on your own discretion to decide which colors should be drawn lighter or darker than others. If your subject has stripes of dark green and dark red, you need to pick one to be a lighter value. Otherwise, you end up drawing a solid tone instead of stripes.
Almost every photo has a situation in which a colored halo (usually purple, green or red) is apparent around certain elements of a scene. This sort of optic anomaly, more commonly known as color fringing, is known as chromatic aberration. We, as photo real computer illustrators, can use this effect to help us fake reality. Chromatic aberration is an optical phenomenon in which the camera lens is unable to focus the different wavelengths of light on the same plane (in this case the image sensor) in order to produce a correct image, resulting in a halo or fringe around objects.
Caution! use sparingly, it is suppose to be very subtle, if done correctly.
"S" composition, the subjects create a shape similar to the letter S. This composition formula reflects gentleness, fluidity, and gracefulness. The curve of pathways, rivers, or lines of trees works well in this composition.
In an "O" composition, the object forms a kind of "O" shape on your screen. The circular movement of the "O" keeps the viewer's eye inside the drawing.
The opening of an "O" composition is a good place to draw your focal points. To find the perfect place for your local points, draw several objects, value masses, and/or lines to form your "O". Then place your focal points within that circle
The dynamic U composition usually has vertical objects of masses on either side of the rendering space with a horizontal line forming the bottom of the U shape.
The area within the U can be either a peaceful place for the viewer's eye to rest or a major contrast to the activity of the U. Either way, the space within the U makes for a good location for your rendering's focal point.
You can create an L composition by placing a vertical mass on one side of you rendering and balancing it with an open area or distance on the other side and a horizontal base at the bottom. This dramatic and solid composition firmly anchors your subject on two sides of the rendering space, thus drawing the attention of the viewer both vertically and horizontally. The open area in this composition can provide a great frame for your focal point, Or you can chose to make your focal point the vertical mass of the L, which the artist has done in the image above.
The term composition, as it relates to rendering, refers to the purposeful arrangement of lines, shapes, value, textures, and sometimes colors within the borders of your rendering spcae. Don't worry if the idea of composing your rendering sounds a little intimidating: I'm happy to help you through it!
Good coposition is one of the most important, if elusive, aspects of making renderings. When composition works, it captivates the viewer's attention and provides clues to the meaning of the rendering. In the next several posts you'll find some simple and effective strategies to help you start making strong compositions.
In every perspective rendering you create, you determine the viewer's eye level by choosing the position of the horizon line. You control whether you want viewers to feel like they're looking at the objects in your rendering from above, below, or straight on. For this reason, always begin a perspective rendering by making sure your horizon line is parallel to the top and bottom of your rendering space.
If you want viewers of your rendering to feel like they are.
Sometimes referred to as your eye-level line, the horizon line is an imaginary line that divides earth from sky. The horizon line is exactly at the level of your eyes as you look straight ahead.
A balanced rendering is typically more aesthetically pleasing and harmonious than an unbalanced one, so before you start to render, take some time to plan your composition and think about where you want to position the visual weight in your render. Visual weight is an imaginary gravity that compels you to look at a particular subject. When a subject is highly compelling, it has a lot of visual weight; when you don't really notice something, it is little visual weight.
The main problem you run into when rendering subjects with a lot of visual weight is making sure they hold the viewer's eye disproportianatly, throwing off the balance in your rendering. For example, people in renderings automatically have a lot of visual weight, so you have to be careful how you render your people so as not to create unbalanced proportions of weight. When balance is absent from the rendering, the human eye tries to resolve the problem, and you certainly don't want your viewers to focus on fixing balanced problems rather than seeing the meaning you intended in your rendering.
To achieve balance, spread out the visual weight so that every part of your rendering attracts the eye. For example, if you notice that you aren't really looking at the top of your rendering, create a reason for the eye to go there. You could put something like an airplane or hot-air balloon in the sky, or you could use other objects in the rendering to create an eye path that gets the eye of the viewer to the sky. Something as simple as a steeple pointing to an empty expanse of the sky can give the sky visual weight. Don't worry if a single object has more visual weight than any other thing as long as you balance it with other objects that are still interesting enough to draw the eye. Whatever you do, keep it simple! Too many objects in a rendering tend to create overcrowding and disharmony.
Imagine that your rendering is a teeter-totter. If your subjects are the same size, you can balance then perfectly by putting them both the same distance from the center point. On the other hand, if your objects aren't the same size, arrange them asymmetrically. For example, you can balance a tiny object with a larger one if you place the smaller one far enough away from the larger one that your eyes naturally flow to both objects.
Without balance, your rendering may end up visually lopsided, so don't skip this element of composition as you plan for your next rendering project.
