Composition Evolution
- andria99
- Apr 17, 2023
- 1 min read
Linda Palmer's artistry often begins with a photograph...or two...or three...or four....that she has taken on one of her walks along the river path.
She will choose one with some elements of design she plans to include, and then draws it onto tracing paper. Transfering the drawing onto a surface, Linda is ready to begin the color process.
And so begins the slow drip of change.
Add a boat here... change the curve of the pond... how about changing the light to a sunset glow?
Oh! Get rid of the cottontails, and put in some rocks instead.
Take the boat out, drop a branch down.
Hey! Let's add a second branch on the ground!
Raise the horizon line, and yeah.....change the river into a lake.
One last thing- change the season from late summer to fall by removing all the leaves from the trees, and switching the colors to rusts and oranges.
The result is a beautiful transformation, using concious decisions about color and design.
Linda works intuitively beyond the reproduction of a photo- a skill that requires confidence and continual evaluation.
Her work is fresh, I believe in part because she actively interacts with her art, pushing and pulling until she is satisfied.
Each artist at Beech Tree Studio is unique, and we all learn from each other.
I appreciate Linda's flexibility of letting her artwork bend and stretch throughout the entire process of her drawing.
Linda’s process beautifully captures how art evolves from observation to imagination—transforming reality into a more expressive, intentional vision. The way she uses tracing paper to develop and refine her scenes is both methodical and magical. For artists who rely on tracing as part of their creative workflow, I’d recommend checking out WhiteScreenVip. It’s a bright, fullscreen white screen tool that functions like a digital lightbox—ideal for tracing sketches, layering compositions, or testing layout variations. Whether you’re working from photos or memory, this tool enhances clarity and control, helping you build compositions just like Linda’s evolving riverside masterpieces.
How can I find the drawings that have recently received a DING in class??