The Vocabulary of Improvement

If you can describe a problem you can fix it.

Unfortunately, we're often bothered by aspects of our work we don't name.

The name of a problem contains its own solution, so I want to share with you some words you can use to diagnose problems with your art.

TEN.SION  [ten-shuh]
noun
a situation or condition of hostility, suspense, or uneasiness

Whenever 2 or more elements of your piece are too close, or their angles aren't complimentary, we can say there is tension. You'll feel troubled by the relationship between the objects. When you feel tension, rearrange the objects until they are more harmonious.

BUS.Y [biz-ee]
adjective
full of or characterized by activity

Busy work has a lot of stuff in it--so much that you'll have trouble figuring out what's going on. Get rid of unnecessary elements and reorganize your piece if it's too busy. The solution for business is clarity.

WARM [wawrm]
adjective
 suggestive of warmth; inclining toward red or orange rather than toward green or blue.
COOL [kool]
adjective
suggestive of coolness; inclining toward green or blue rather than toward red or orange.

Warm colors and cool colors communicate differently. A painting made with blues and whites feels different than a painting full of reds and yellows. When painting skin, the areas that are the fleshiest and fattest are redder and the areas where the bones are closest to the surface are whiter.

CON.TRAST [kon-trast]
noun
opposition or juxtaposition of different forms, lines, or colors in a work of art to intensify each element's properties and produce a more dynamic expressiveness.

Contrast is big and small, light and dark, square and round, busy and sparse, sharp and fuzzy... If your image seems boring it may lack contrast. Include the darkest darks and the whitest whites. Make some elements large and other small.

TEX.TURE [teks-cher]
noun
the imitation of the tactile quality of represented object.

Many images lack texture. Skin has pores, clothing is made of fibers and metal is shiny. Texture is good. Use it.

Words like these can be used to diagnose and fix issues with your artwork. When something bugs you give it a name. "There is tension here." "There is too much middle grey in this piece. I need more contrast." "This section has too many lines-it's busy."

We'll pick this theme up again.