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Variety and Repetition

The subtle differences we see in nature create the variety of life and scenery for us to enjoy. They challenge the artist to make comparisons between these elements and combine them in different ways to create a unified composition for a painting. Even though Mother Nature presents us with the repetition of elements that are similar, the artist gets their satisfaction from creating variety because variety captures our attention and creates the necessary interest.

We can repeat the same ideas in varying textures such as smooth against rough, contrast of values, and a combination of forms by adding another element, for example, such as a caterpillar or a butterfly positioned on a leaf within a floral composition.

Mother Nature provides us with Variety - Colors, Shapes, Textures, etc.

• Patterns that are repeated can add textural interest, but if they are overdone they can lack contrast for interest. Patterns help to unify the composition.
• Repetition that is the same and predictable can be organized, but also can be boring if there is nothing there to contrast or break the repitition. Color change can add interest.
• Repetition is a useful tool for the artist to use, however it must be broken occasionally to create interest.

Creating variety can be as subtle as using different sizes and colors of leaves in the same composition.	Even though the leaf sizes vary, the color green is almost the same on every leaf and lacks interest.

A Variety of shapes and colors can add more Interest

Creating variety when painting flowers... here are some elements to think about.

Do you enjoy dissecting flowers and studying the shape and form, texture, and characteristics of them?  Flowers should look new, sweet, and full of life.  Understanding the shape, texture, form and characteristics of flowers will help the artist become a better floral artist and help you understand how to create interesting variety in a composition. This interest will come through variety.   Let’s look at these basics.

Shape:  Each flower has an overall shape or a combination of shapes.  Let’s look at the rose, the overall shape is a sphere, it has volume, spheres have the crescent dark shape opposite the light source. If the light source is coming from the upper right, the upper right quadrant would be lighter and warmer (sunshine) while the lower left quadrant is cool and darker in value.  The individual petals are cylinder shapes that bend, turn, cup, which is accomplished using values of light and dark. We think of the overall rose shape as a sphere.

Artists can combine different shapes and textures of flowers to create variety in a floral composition. By mixing different leaf shapes and different flower shapes, the artist can avoid boredom and create interest in a 'static composition'. Mother nature creates interest by offering us variety in everything. Even though creating a composition is a personal endevour, there are artistic rules that we can refer to to help guide our creative process. Three of these rules when creating floral compositions are unity, variety and balance.

	Are the shapes of these two Rose flowers different from each other? When we combine different shapes and sizes of flowers, this adds variety to our floral compositions.
	Usually, the overall shape of a rose is observed as a sphere. The addition of the almond shaped Rose leaves, portrayed in different sizes and hues of green will create added variety and provide unity to complete your compositions. Leaves also provide the artist with a way to carry colors.

Mix Flower Shapes and Sizes to create Variety.

Add Variety through Texture:  Dull or Shiny?  So often we see flowers that are painted with shiny white highlights.  This would only be applicable on thick waxy flower petals like tropical flowers.  Let’s refer to the rose again, these petals are thin and absorb the light.  Of course value changes are needed to create form but not so much as a high reflective shine, as this alludes to a plastic looking surface.

Add Variety through Characteristics and Details:  Crisp edges, tears, vein lines, bug bites, blemishes, water drops are ways to add a variety of interest. These are also ways to add interest in the ‘focal area’ making that area more interesting than the rest of the painting.

Add variety through Shape and Position: Select flowers for your floral compositions that offer differing shapes and sizes. If a single type of flower is what you prefer to work with, be sure that it is positioned in a different manner. e.g. display some facing the light source, while others turn away from the light. Some are featured at full view while others offer their profile.

Create variety through mixing the different symbolic meanings of Flowers: Many flowers represent metaphors of human qualities. They have been used through history to represent every emotion, and feeling, such as love, used for giving thanks, Christianity, fertility, sensuality, humility, and conquest.

Variety through Symbolic meaning...
	Variety can be created when flowers that have different petal shapes are combined. The Old Dutch Artists; Rachael Ruych, Jan Davidsz de Heem, Jan Frans van Dael, and Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, to name just a few, would combine many different flowers that were from the different Seasons of the year.
	Through out History, the Rose has symbolized beauty and virtue. No other flower has ever been associated with love the way the rose has. In Christianity, the Rose has symbolized the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ. Add these beautiful and complex flowers to your anchor your compositions.
	The Poppy, Lily, Rose and Iris was a staple in the gardens of historical Convents and Monasteries as they served as medicinal plants. The poppy comes in a variety of colors and can be a popular flower shape for artists to work with, it has a less complex structure than the multi-petal Rose.
	The Dutch Master floral artist, Balthasar van der Ast used the Lily in many of his floral compositions. The Dutch Masters portrayed this flower often and this made the status of the Lily more sophisticated and worldly.
Colors: Add variety to your compositions by using a wide range of colors from cool to warm. Take a look at the color sample below, observe how the hue Red has been expanded to offer a variety of tones and shades of this single color. Imagine doing this with other hues, the possibilities are endless and you will find that your compositions will have depth and variety creating great interest for the viewer.

Variety can be used in traditional stroke work...

Artists who paint Historical Decorative Art have to consider the 'Principles of Design' and many of the 'formal' elements of art in the same manner as the 'Fine Artist' does. Today, many contemporary artists who enjoy creating the historical styles of old, have taken a more sophisticated approach to creating new designs.

Norwegian Telemark Stroke Work

Take a look at this design above, painted by artist Gabriel Hunter, one of the Founders of the Art Apprentice Online. This design is very interesting to look at. It is balanced and fluid in movement. The combination of different types of stroke work as well as over stroking as seen in the close up example below make it that much more enjoyable to look at. Overall, the variety is a major contributor to the success of this stroke design.

Here are some things to consider for creating 'variety' when designing stroke work

• Different sizes of strokes and scrolls.
• Different lengths of strokes and scrolls.
• Vary the size and the curvature of the large 'C' and 'S' curves.
• Use of different values of Hues. (Lights and darks)
• Use of different intensities of Hues. (Brights and dulls)
• Use of different hues. (Vary the color combinations)
• Vary the thickness of the stroke work - thick and thin.
• Use combinations of strokes in varying hues together.
• Use opaque and transparent applications to create interest.

Norwegian Telemark Stroke Work - close up

• Flair of Chippendale by Gaby Hunter - This painting lesson below shows how interest is created through variety. Several different elements and textures are used to develop contrast and visual texture in the composition. Variety is further enhanced with the additions of traditional strokework and the drybrush effects used on the flange of the tray. This is an e-packet and is available for your immediate download as soon as it is purchased.

$9.95

Create variety in a simple landscape setting...

	Mother Nature provides us with an extensive green palette to work from. However creating variety in a predominantly green composition can be difficult. Add punches of color to break the monotony and add interest.
	An artist can take a simple setting such as this water lily pond and turn it into an interesting composition. Mother Nature repeats shape and color over and over, yet one lily is lifted by the wind to break the pattern.
	Out of the greens of nature comes these jewels. The play of light against all the other greens adds variety to this composition. The light intensifies the hue, making it stand out from the rest providing interest and strong contrast for the artist' canvas. Take note of the smaller textures in the background adding to the balance of this photograph.
	Texture and color, temperature and light all come together in this composition. The artist can express creative fun, playing with shadow and detail in a composition as 'green' as this one.

What do we need to consider when creating variety in painting grasses in a Landscape composition?

Repetition and Variety
	Painting Grasses; In this image the grasses which naturally grow upright fill the whole frame. Some grasses in the foreground, bend in the wind offering a little contrast by changing the 'line' of movement, however they can create distraction rather than interest. Why? Because the order is now disordered.
	In this image the water and the sand that is seen through the center and foreground offer more visual interest. They add variety to the composition. Some grasses change direction through out the frame and can create a more pleasing overall composition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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