The Trumpet

[Chuck Yokota]

Steven,
Many thanks for your critique. I will be working on making those changes that are achievable with this painting.

I have to confess to taking the reference myself, so I have no one to blame for the pose and composition but myself. It seems a recurring problem with composition in my paintings to make things too squared-off, losing dynamism, and blocking rather than inviting. Maybe I'm thinking too much like an engineer. I would greatly appreciate any advice or suggestion of resources on the fundamentals of composition.

[Steven Sweeney]

Maybe I'm thinking too much like an engineer.

I understand. As a one-time engineering student, I still to this date use graph paper whenever I write anything in longhand. Some kind of vestigial yearning for order (and neurotic control), I guess.

I'll follow up on the question about composition, but in the interim, you might consult the "Composition" section of the Forum, in the area called "The Portrait".

[Michele Rushworth]

As a recovering IBM Systems Engineer, in one of my former lives, I understand what you mean, Chuck. I fit into that job like a round peg in a square hole...

Anyway, as to composition: angles and curves create dynamism, straight line horizontals and verticals create stability. In a nutshell, if you want to liven up your paintings you should try and pose people and things in arrangements with bold angles or curves.

[Steven Sweeney]

Apologies for something very confusing in my critique, owing to an omission of a few words. I wrote:

"... there is for example a very marked value difference between the boy