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40 contributions to Painting for Drawing Dropouts
What is balanced and unbalanced?
And what the hell does “balanced” mean anyway? A balanced image feels stable, not like it’s too heavy on one side or the other. Composition is the way that things are arranged in a harmonious way. BALANCE is a key factor in great composition. The image on the left is balanced but definitely not symmetrical. The image on the right is WAYYYY out of balance. The left side of the image is soooo heavy with detail and the negative space makes the image feel very weak on the right. 💎💎. Negative space is important but it has to feel balanced💎💎. I am so happy this question came up yesterday.
What is balanced and unbalanced?
1 like • 14h
This I see.
1 like • 14h
This reminded me that I learned about using triangles in flower arrangements a long time ago. Not sure if it relates to painting at all.
Check OUT what I did to these images.
We've been working on composition for the reference images that we choose for our paintings. You guys have been voting on different questions that I ask you and the way I present black and white images and small thumbnails. When picking an image to paint, here is how I approach it. 1. Pick something l am passionate about. 2. Make sure it has quality detail. 3. Make sure that it has GREAT composition and color/value range. But if #1 and #2 are met but #3 isn’t amazing? Thankfully, technology is wonderful and I played around with these images (for the last 2 days actually) HA and wanted to share my thoughts. Please ask what ever questions come to mind. I don’t expect you go get all of this yet. If it’s too much - skip it. If you are ready to take it in, go for it. PS - please OPEN these images as SKOOL crops them. I will make a comment with each image about what I did and the reason why.
Check OUT what I did to these images.
0 likes • 14h
@Michelle Cyr Oh I can really see the difference in this one.
0 likes • 14h
@Michelle Cyr I had to cover the original with my hand. Something about the colors in it kept drawing my eye away from the improved version. But i do see, I think, where the middle one would be better to paint.
🇺🇸 Memorial Day here in the US
Before the cookouts, travel, sunshine and family… Today is about remembrance. About those who left home and never came back. Some were brave. Some were scared. Most were probably both. They left behind: Moms and Dads Spouses and kids Friends and foes And unfinished projects. As an artist, I think a lot about memory and preservation. How we try so hard to hold onto the people and moments that mean the most to us. So today, before we move into making new memories today, let’s take a moment to remember the people who gave up their tomorrows so we could have ours 🇺🇸 And if someone in your life served, sacrificed, or never made it home… you are welcome to honor them below:
🇺🇸 Memorial Day here in the US
1 like • 2d
@Michelle Cyr The relationship between them and their new stepdad was tough. Again, not gonna lie. I think it would have worked better if they had been younger. At the time I took a 12 year old boy and a 16 year old girl and that has to be about the worst possible ages imaginable. He had more than one friend ask him if he was insane. Of course, I had people asking me as well. I wish that part could have been better. We survived and they survived. They love me and understand that my relationship with him is different from theirs. So as they got older, they got very careful - not sure how to explain that but they care about me enough to just let it be okay. They are rather special people and I am very blessed.
0 likes • 14h
@Michelle Cyr So my oldest moved to Oregon about a decade ago. She's my wild child, my leap before you look child. She ended up as what you might call a pharmaceutical rep but for cannabis. Good money, not very stable companies. My other three, the look look and look some more before you take one step, lol, were going to move together to east TX. At almost the last minute, they decided to move to Oregon instead to help sister (basically) keep her house that she bought on an upswing so to speak. It has worked for a year. All that to say that so far, youngest is living with siblings but way closer to roommate status than dependent. He has a job and participates fully in household chores. I get reports from second daughter and she is bluntly honest about most everything. One day ONE DAY maybe the younger three will find mates. I stopped holding my breath a long time ago. I have even come to acceptance with being 64 damn years old with four damn grown children and ZERO grand kids. LOL might need to work on that acceptance a bit more, yes? PS Oldest is married for those ten years but to a manchild who has apparently decided to never grow up. Like not at all. Sigh. I will not rule out that the youngest may end up always living with a sibling. I still think that is way way ahead of being in mom's basement. Not that I currently have a basement but you get me. I count it as a HUGE mom win that I can trust them to look out for each other.
Composition Challenge Time! DAY 1
OK class clowns, get your glasses on and let’s evaluate ALL of these submitted images. I shrunk these images down tiny on purpose. I am assuming that you have read #🎨 Lesson 2: Composition about composition. Strong compositions still work even when the details disappear. AKA - shrunk down to itty bitty. Open the image below - DO NOT ENLARGE ON YOUR SCREEN. DO NOT ZOOM IN. 1️⃣ Which image grabs your eye FIRST? 2️⃣ Which image still reads the clearest at this tiny size? 3️⃣ Which image do you think has the strongest potential for a painting? 🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟🫟 These are the images just as you have submitted them. 💎 No adjustments. 💎 No cropping. 💎 No editing. 💎 No contrast adjustments. 💎 No AI resolution enhancement. 💎 No composition changes. Tomorrow, I am going to make adjustments and we are going to do this again. You can vote on more than one image. Please put each vote in a new comment. It will help me keep my sanity. ⭐️ HINT - there is more than one that makes the cut here.
Composition Challenge Time! DAY 1
1 like • 2d
I did these posts backwards. 🙃 1) B4 2) A1 3) I don't feel competent to answer this one.
Composition Challenge Time! Day 2!
TODAY we are GETTING NAKED! I am learning from you ya know. Every comment that you guys make shapes what I say next. I learned that you are judging with your heart a little bit. That is a good thing but I want you to really tune into that analytical mind here for a minute. Not the one that likes flowers or sunsets and the color fuchsia. Tune into the mind that likes ALGEBRA! Hahahahahaha - JK Definitely not algebra. Maybe more like geometry. 🔺 Angles and ♾️ curves and ⭕ circles. Open the image (don’t zoom in) and evaluate the shapes you see in each of these thumbnails. Which one stands out the most to you? Which one translates the best still as an image? Which one feels balanced? Which one still looks like what it’s supposed to be? ⚫️🌚⚪️ These are all things to evaluate an image for it’s best possible composition. Comment your answer(s) below. PS - there are no wrong answers here.
Composition Challenge Time! Day 2!
1 like • 2d
I didn't answer individually (I didn't realize it was meant as separate questions). The two that stood out to me were A1 and 5E. Just pleasing to my eye. A1 stood out as being the most readily discerned as what is the subject of the pic.
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Karen Mack
5
260points to level up
@karen-mack-7973
Possible new business in the germination stage

Active 14h ago
Joined May 1, 2026
Preston GA
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