Painting plough lines....

....or any lines that start in the foreground and meet at one point in the distance.

like this:

just put your finger on the painting at the point you want the lines to meet...

keeping your finger on the spot helps guide you...

I did this short video

- albeit trying to video around the camera tripod...not easy -

but hope you get the idea...

Drawing straight lines

How many times do you hear people say.... "I would love to draw but I can't even draw a straight line"!

Well here's something - NEITHER CAN I.   The simple solution is USE A RULER.

In other words, what ever means there is available to help you achieve a result, then jolly well use it!

The rules can be broken

Generally most landscape views are in

Landscape format

This painting is, in fact, in

PORTRAIT format

but I reckon it still works

SO WHAT THE HECK

BREAK THE RULES SOMETIMES!

Deciding on the composition....

.....not always easy, 

but there are some simple rules to follow.

The classic

L shape is one starting point, particularly noticeable in landscapes.

here I've overlaid an example....

This L shape can also be reversed,

 but basically it creates a stopping point for the viewer.

Simple but very effective.

Shapes

Worried about how to draw an object or scene.  Go back to basics.  Look for the SHAPE.  Some objects have more than one Shape, so if you can see them, then draw them. Overlapping, or whatever....give it a try.

If you look at the  picture you will start to see these shapes in various other places.


















Once you start to Look For Shapes, you will see them more readily.  Of course, some are obvious:

Although this next photo is a complicated scene, it can be broken down into simple Shapes.

 I bet you look at this picture and start finding those shapes!

If anyone would like to use this photo for a painting then please feel free to use it.