62 Watercolor artist | DECEMBER 2019
Watercolor Essentials
What’s Your (Foca l) Point?
Use one, some or all of these seven options for adding direction
and interest to your paintings.By Tim Saternow
W
hat makes a viewer want
to pause in front of one
painting and take it all in,
yet quickly pass by and dismiss
another? Everyone comes from a
diff erent point of view, and everyone’s
life experience is unique. If looking at
a painting is a journey of insight and
contemplation, how can you, as an
artist, infl uence that journey?
Although you can’t really control
how—or if—someone will under-
stand your painting, there are
techniques available to help you com-
municate and clarify your particular
vision. It’s up to you to lead the
viewer in seeing and understanding
your work. Th ere are many things you
can do to facilitate the opportunity
for discovery. One of these is creating
a strong point of emphasis, or focal
point. Th is singular element not only
draws a viewer’s attention into the
painting, but it can also point to the
painting’s heart and meaning. A
strong, clear focal point can seduce
the eye into looking longer and more
closely—and provide the viewer with
more understanding.
While a focal point can guide the
eye intentionally, leading it to the
area where you want the viewer to
look, there’s a balance between an
obvious focal point and a subtle one,
and the way it leads to better clarity
of your content. Determining a focalI tend to prefer some complexity to my focal
points, mixing things up a bit. With West 23rd
Street & 5th Ave, Rain (Flatiron Building)
(watercolor on paper, 40x26), the lone perfect
circle of the traffi c light immediately draws the
eye, thanks to an Emphasis by Contrast and
Emphasis by Isolation. There’s also an
Emphasis by Placement, with the top edges
of the buildings bringing the eye down and
pointing to the light. The bus shape, rear car
lights and small domed tower act as accents,
with their curved shapes contrasting with all
of the vertical lines.point is a good fi rst step in starting
a painting. With the seven options
described here, you can make virtually
anything in your painting serve as the
center of attention.AN EMPHASIS
BY CONTRAST
Is there an element in your composi-
tion that’s unique and diff erent? If so,
it might serve as a good focal point.
Th e diff erence could be any number
of things: the lightest object or the
darkest or the most complex. If it’s
a scene featuring lots of vertical ele-
ments, the one horizontal element
will draw the eye. Perhaps among
many linear box shapes, the one cur-
vilinear section stands out. It could
be a sign, lettering or a number that
stands alone. Any element that breaks
the pattern of the composition will
gain prominence and draw attention.
Generally, people and fi gures in a
painting serve as the focal point, no
matter their size. Because we identify
with people, our interest tends to
travel to them fi rst. If visible, it’s the
eyes that off er the strongest draw,
because we look at them fi rst.AN EMPHASIS BY COLOR
Color might be the easiest option for
creating a strong focal point. You
really can’t look away from a red sign,
a bright blue umbrella or a yellow treein early autumn. Keep in mind that
diff erent colors draw the eye very
diff erently. Warm colors tend to
advance, while cooler colors recede.
Th is can all change, however, based
on the hue or intensity of the focal
color, or the colors sitting next to the
focal color—especially when they’re
simultaneously contrasting colors.
Just look at any print advertisement
to see the power of color in attracting
the eye. For example, chartreuse—that
particular shade of yellow-green found
on fi re trucks and worn by crossing
guards—is close to the brightest color
of the visible spectrum, and the brain
perceives this color before all others.AN EMPHASIS
BY ISOLATION
Th is is similar to Emphasis by
Contrast, but the idea is to single
out an object so that it will be noticed.