As I went to get the trusty exacto knife, it suddenly occurred to me: why not use Photoshop to crop it, instead of an actual 3-dimensional implement of destruction? That way, I could crop it one way and observe the result, then go back and start over, as many times as I wanted to. Genius!
The original mess
Version 2: The first thing I did was to cut off the edges a little. I didn't think this was a great improvement.
Version 3: I trimmed it down a bit further. Not bad. But now the upper right corner seems too light and doesn't really go with the rest of the piece.
Version 4: I took off some of the light area on the right side, and I'm starting to like it better. There is still a tension between the gold/rust diagonal and the gold/rust bar at the bottom. My eyes bounce back and forth between them. Hmmm...
Version 5: Here, I eliminated the bar at the bottom completely, making the gold in the center the focal point, and simplifying the composition greatly. No more push-pull; the composition is more static. Has it become boring?
I realize this was all kind of tongue-in-cheek, but in spite of my silliness, there is something to be learned here.
Of course, you may be thinking, "Who cares?", and I wouldn't blame you. But if you have any interest at all, I'd like to know which version you think is best, and why.
And now on a nicer and less brain-taxing note, lovely Laura of Shine the Divine: Creativity as a Spiritual Practice has generously given me a Beautiful Blogger award. Laura is a brilliant writer whose spiritual insights always inspire me. Thank you, Laura!
Because many bloggers don't do the awards thing, I'm just going to say: Please visit the blogs I have listed on my blogroll; they're all wonderful!
Ha . . . lateral thinking eh? An excellent idea. I like no 3 & 5. Does no 5 make it very small? Are you happy with that?
ReplyDeleteWhat a good idea to use the computer to look at possible crops. I am a real fan of cropping! It works.
ReplyDeleteI care : ) I enjoyed seeing your process and thinking, and agree - using photoshop to experiment with your options was genius!! I think my favorite piece is the second to the last - I actually like that anchoring stripe along the bottom, sort of suggesting landscape, which feels like an extension of the map.
ReplyDeleteQuite fun Sharmon - thanks!!
hi Whitney- I'm not too concerned about the size; this was really just an experiment more than a "finished" piece.
ReplyDeleteLeslie- thanks for stopping by. Cropping is an overlooked but useful tool; I often forget that it's possible to leave things out!
Hi Karin- using photoshop seems obvious, so why didn't I think of that before? It was really helpful in this case.
I like 3, but I really like that tension of an almost unbalanced composition, which is not the case for others. I thought this was a great post, I'd like my students to see it, you know because everything they do is always perfect the first time!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Deb, I'd be glad to serve as a lesson for your students anytime! I do know what you mean about students- they think if they've done it once, they're done; why should they edit?!
ReplyDeleteHi Deb, I'd be glad to serve as a lesson for your students anytime! I do know what you mean about students- they think if they've done it once, they're done; why should they edit?!
ReplyDeleteHi Deb, I'd be glad to serve as a lesson for your students anytime! I do know what you mean about students- they think if they've done it once, they're done; why should they edit?!
ReplyDelete