The Art of STILL LIFE - Modeling Forms: Sculpting in Two Dimensions
International Artist|April - May 2020
In building a statue, a sculptor doesn’t keep adding clay to his subject. Actually, he keeps chiseling away at the nonessentials until the truth of his creation is revealed without obstruction — Bruce Lee
TODD M. CASEY
The Art of STILL LIFE - Modeling Forms: Sculpting in Two Dimensions

Representational painting is like a magical performance in which the artist fools the viewer’s perception by creating a threedimensional illusion on a two-dimensional surface. It’s a lot like sculpting. In fact, in the academic tradition sculpture was intertwined with painting and the two were often taught together.

If you don’t think like a sculptor, your paintings may appear flat. When painting, you’ve got to feel as if you’re sculpting—pushing things back in space and pulling them forward into the light until they seem to be coming up off the surface.

In this painting I used the same color—of the same value—on a portion of the ticker tape, a part of the book’s spine and the copper penny. But you’d never guess this just by looking at the painting. The square of color in the image at right reveals that the three apparently very different areas have the same value and hue.

MODELING FORM

Rendering the light and dark values of an observed object in an order that gives the appearance of volume is referred to as modeling form. In modeling form, we are combining all the concepts of light, drawing, value and color to achieve form.

Every color relates to a value. It’s often said that color gets all the attention but value does all the work. Indeed, accurate value structure and accurate drawing are the two most important aspects of a successful painting. If you nail these, you are well on your way to making a good painting. If your value structure works, you can get away with not having the color be super accurate.

This story is from the April - May 2020 edition of International Artist.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the April - May 2020 edition of International Artist.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM INTERNATIONAL ARTISTView All
A Sense of Depth
International Artist

A Sense of Depth

A solid grasp of foreground, mid and background makes Colley Whisson's scenes come to life

time-read
2 mins  |
June/July 2024
Peaceful Places
International Artist

Peaceful Places

Sara Linda Poly creates a sense of atmosphere and depth in her soft, ethereal landscapes

time-read
2 mins  |
June/July 2024
School's in Session
International Artist

School's in Session

A look at some of the many in-person and online art classes and workshops available today

time-read
4 mins  |
June/July 2024
Collaborative Environment
International Artist

Collaborative Environment

In this special edition of Beyond the Palette, we asked Scottsdale Artists' School executive director Trudy Hays a few of our own questions-about the benefits of art school, community and more

time-read
2 mins  |
June/July 2024
Flying COLORS
International Artist

Flying COLORS

Artist David Barclay discusses how to pack painting gear for air travel-managing bulk, weight restrictions and more

time-read
1 min  |
June/July 2024
Keep It REAL
International Artist

Keep It REAL

The Art Renewal Center bolsters the support and reverence of traditional representational art

time-read
3 mins  |
June/July 2024
BUILDING AN ART CAREER ONLINE PART I
International Artist

BUILDING AN ART CAREER ONLINE PART I

In this two-part series, James Gurney presents options for artists who want to improve their internet business strategies

time-read
4 mins  |
June/July 2024
EDWARD FRAUGHTON
International Artist

EDWARD FRAUGHTON

Sculpting the Spirit of the American West

time-read
6 mins  |
June/July 2024
Preserving the Soul of Art
International Artist

Preserving the Soul of Art

Throughout human history, people have used art to express themselves, record their daily activities, capture moments and share their emotions.

time-read
3 mins  |
June/July 2024
Intrigue in the ordinary
International Artist

Intrigue in the ordinary

I've \"'ve never had any formal training always had a strong attraction to the arts and the practice of painting

time-read
1 min  |
August/September 2023