Friday night. I was meeting friends at The Westin Hotel foyer for drinks. I arrived 1/2 hour early and had time to order a glass of bubbly and sketch my surroundings.
My initial sketch was of the ornate champagne chiller, bottles of wine and glasses.
I then decided to place the drinks in context, so I added the people in the background and walls. This now moves it into an urban sketch as I am documenting a time and place. I then added the staff member as a focal point. My friends had arrived so I stopped this sketch (although I did two others while we chatted) .
I wanted to add colour to the page and realised that I had number of options. At home, I took photocopies of my finished sketch and experimented adding colour. I highlighted different areas of the sketch with watercolour pencil, making them points of interest.
Option ONE – adding colour to the people in the background
OPTION TWO – adding colour to the champagne, wine and glasses
OPTION THREE – adding colour to the wait staff
Which do you think is most effective?
The bottles focus your gaze into the midfield
Option 1 is, for me, the more effective, since it helps focusing on the drawing as a whole without neglecting any part (background, champagne, waiter)
Sorry to go against the flow, but I like the blue block of colour in option 3
Option one provides a framework for the champagne, which was your initial reason for sketching the scene. It also unifies and adds rhythm, therefore it is my first choice.
#3 is powerful and makes the wait staff the focal point. It creates such tension that it is difficult to look at the rest of the drawing very long without my eyes being drawn to her again. I really like it, but only if she is what you want to bring attention to.
I like the 3rd one best with color on the server
I’m for option one as the colour draws you al the way into the sketch.
BTW I found your final composition reminds me of the Bar at the Folies Begere (Manet?), although your waitress has her back to us.
I had a funny experience when I saw that painting at the NGA many years ago. An impecably dressed older European woman walked up beside me and said “She is so ugly. She is such a peasant”. At least I was left in no doubt about what she felt. It was probably the oddest experience I’ve ever had in a gallery.
Option 3 does it for me. I view it as a whole with the right eye taking in the waitress, the left eye the further most bottles and then your initial sketch is gathered in to join the waitress. The people in the background remain just that. Love it, Alissa
I favour option 3 too, love the way the server ‘ comes alive’ and it becomes her story.
I prefer option 2 and 3, as I feel that this sketch about the bottles & the waitress. I wonder how it would look if you combined them and only left the background uncoloured.
I like option 3, as the waitress is the focal point. I guess it all depends on the story you are trying to tell us and what is the most important. For me though, option three is the most effective.
Thank you all so very much. There seems to be a slight favour of option three, but I think that it goes to show that it is very subjective. There are subtle difference in where the colour is added. A main outcome is that it does make a difference. Zoya , I am going to try your suggestion of the three colours. !