Composition: Depth

What do we mean by depth in an image? How can this be achieved?

Depth is 'the illusion of distance or a 3rd dimension'. This can be achieved through scaling objects relative to their distance away from the viewer (smaller the further away), arranging objects - so some are further away and others closer up, using props - e.g. the shape of a table to show distance of someone sitting at the end of it - and cropping. 

What do we mean by viewpoint? What can it provide you with? 

Viewpoint is the angle at which the artist has arranged the composition of the image. A different viewpoint can make for more interesting and engaging compositions. The most interesting ones often highlight a way in which we would not naturally look or see something in daily life - not eye level. 

Are depth and viewpoint only relevant to image makers who want to make 'realistic' artwork? 

No, consideration of depth and viewpoint are important in all forms of image making because they help us to create well balanced and engaging compositions that are pleasing to the eye!

What is line of sight?

'The direction our eye moves as we look into a picture'.

What does line of sight do for your composition?

'Leads the eye unconsciously to the centre of attention/interest' in the image. 

How does movement relate to line of sight?

By making different lines of sight you can create a sense of movement in the image or cause someones eye to move across the image in particular directions. The movement you create could reflect the tone of the image - a more rhythmic and smooth line of sight could reflect a more calm, sombre image whether an abrupt/jagged and clashing line of slight could reflect an image of conflict. 

How does the hand out recommend that you use line of sight to its full advantage? 

To strengthen and clarify the composition of your images. 

As part of the session we went through a number of images by a range of different illustrators and evaluated/identified the use of line of sight, viewpoint, overlapping and creating a foreground and background in each image. We made sketches and jotted down things we had identified for each one - as shown above. I found this exercise really useful as it helped me to consolidate what we had learnt and also see how professional illustrators themselves had put these tools in practice within their work. Here a couple of examples that I thought were particularly interesting - 

This image shows a good use of scale to create depth - the front sculpture being bigger puts it as a focal point of the image and contrasts with the smaller sculptures which places them further away. 

The lines of the overhead lockers create a line of sight leading to a vanishing point - being the back of the plane. This image shows that the line of sight does not always have to lead to the focal point of the image but can be used to create a sense of depth - as it leads the eye of the viewer further in.