Finding Your Focus

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If you want a happy ending for your painting, make the focal point the hero.

By Aline Ordman

Because I’m creating a visual drama when I paint, I like to refer to the focal point of my painting as “my hero.” In theater, the hero of the play creates the focus around which the story exists. The supporting characters often get less time in the spotlight so that the emphasis remains on the hero. If the role of the hero were to be changed, the result would be a very different story—even if the circumstances remained the same. Likewise, a landscape may have trees, a brook, a field, mountains and buildings. Choose one for a focal point, and you’ll end up with a certain version of a painted landscape. Choose a different focal point, and your painting will change entirely—even though it’s the same scene.

This article appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of Pastel Journal.

Whether painting from life or from a reference photo, you’ll want to make your focus, or hero, the spotlight of your work. There are various ways to accomplish this. You can crop the image area and use the design to lead you to your hero; you can use contrasting lights and darks to pinpoint your hero; and you can use very light values or intense colors to grab the viewer’s attention. Now let’s take a look at each of these strategies and explore examples for how to put them into practice.

Cropping

There are several cropping tools that can assist you when working on location, but I usually rely on my fingers. I use the pointer and middle fingers of both hands and bring them together to create a square. What I see through that frame helps me decide what will be included in the scene. If you’re working from a reference photo, cropping helps in finding the best design possible. 

One rule of design is to avoid placing your focal point at dead center, which can create a stagnant composition. A more reliable approach is to establish an “S” design, in which the viewer’s eye starts at one corner and follows the elements of interest, creating a flow through the middle to the opposite corner of the painting. 

The placement of the horizon line can also make a big impact. When it’s placed very low or very high, it can create a more dramatic composition.

Contrasting Values

You may be tempted to think that the design of a painting is all about the arrangement of the various elements, but it’s actually designed with values. This is the first thing that stands out in a work of art. When viewing a painting from a distance, the pattern of values is what first draws the eye. As you get closer, you’ll discern the content of the picture and, when you really get up close, might be surprised by the color, brushstrokes or something else unexpected of our hero.

One of the quickest ways to grab a viewer’s attention is to place your darkest darks next to your lightest lights. In doing this, you can keep the emphasis on that part of the painting by losing some of the dark edges to shadow. Creating a shape with an edge draws attention to an object; however, losing part of an object to the dark (or shadow) keeps attention on the area of sharpest contrast. 

Color Intensity

Color intensity, or saturation, can be a difficult concept to understand. While a lightest light against a dark draws attention, an intense color can accomplish the same thing. And any color you choose can, of course, change depending on the tone of paper being used. Although a bright yellow can look extremely intense on a dark background, it can almost disappear on a yellow or very light background—so always do a test first. A quick way to determine intensity is to squint at the color on the paper. If it jumps out at you as a very light value on dark paper, then it’s intense. 

Controlling the design of the values when working in color can be another challenge. One way to keep your darks yet still create the reflected light that may exist is to use an intense color. For example, you could use black with the addition of white to paint a black skirt with a light pattern on it. It might work, but it doesn’t use color to its best advantage. Using an intense blue, on the other hand, will show the light on the skirt but keep the overall value.

At this point, you might be wondering what the supporting players are doing to help the hero. They remain muted. There are many beautiful “grays” that can be used in the pastel medium. There’s a color principle that should be followed, however, if creating your own grays. It states that a gray color must have an element of each primary color. So, if you put down a color that feels too intense and competes with your focal point, dull it down using this principle. If you have a turquoise blue and wish to mute it, for instance, you might pick an orange because the blue has some yellow in it while the orange has both yellow and red. Keeping them close in value will allow for a change in hue yet keep the value the same.

How We See

Understanding the way we see can help keep paintings from becoming spotty. We see in a very small area of sharp focus. Most of what we see is in our peripheral vision, but we refocus continually as we paint because we look at every part of the image as we paint it. To keep your focus correct, you must constantly look at the hero and let your peripheral vision complete your gaze. Try looking at the red barn (the hero) in the cropped photos on page 67, and only allow your peripheral vision to see the background hills. Notice that they don’t appear as dark as they do when you look directly at them. 

Keeping these simple, fundamental guidelines in mind as you plan and execute your compositions will assist you in selecting the best possible focal point for your paintings—and keep your viewers’ interest piqued and on the hero.

This article appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of Pastel Journal.

About the Artist

Aline Ordman is a Master Pastelist with the Pastel Society of America, an Eminent Pastelist with the International Association of Pastel Societies and a Signature Member of the American Impressionist Society and Oil Painters of America. She teaches workshops across the U.S. and Europe.