How would you describe the difference between these two images?
Visually, the image on the left might be described as totally delineated or closed whereas the one on the right might be described as partially delineated or open. Look again at the one on the left and try to make your eye move smoothly from the inside to the outside? Now do the same for the one on the right You have just experienced a visual bridge, the power of a lost edge.
Now look at these two images. Do you see a similarity to the diagrams above?
Notice the two areas I have marked. Compare what your eyes do within the A area of both, then in those marked B.
Whether enabling us to cross over a deep ravine, a small stream or twelve lanes of traffic, we depend upon bridges to get from one place to another. In painting, visual bridges are necessary for the eye to stay engaged in a painting. A visual bridge is any method of transition that enables the eye to move smoothly from one area to another.
TIP: Gradation is a visual bridge: it transitions gradually from one opposite element to another. Soft edges are visual bridges--they enable a shape to join into rather than be isolated from its surroundings. Lost edges are visual bridges that merge shapes into a potentially intriguing visual journey.
This week's video lesson is the fourth in which I explore ways to create lost edges. I break this process down, and guide you step by step to help give you tools for using this powerful tool in your painting.
Happy painting,
