This was the most useful lesson I've ever had on Notan and related compositional factors. The way you explained it really made it come together in my mind, and finally it makes sense! Just got your new book, looking forward to studying it and using it. Thanks.
This was life changing thank you. I always knew notan was important, but it always seemed kinda unhelpful when I used it. now I feel like I can use it for composition and learn from it. Thank you so much.
Yes, my take on the notan a little bit different than some other discussions; in partiicular, I don't position it as a value study, but as a shape- and pattern-defining study. Enjoy.
Light bulb moment! I've been trying to understand how this differs from value pattern. You described it as a tool for design and composition and now its function is so much clearer. There is so much conflicting information out there. Thank you!
Exactly. Notan is often misunderstood as a value study, which it is not. Desogn, composition, and pattern all the way! Also check out the video "Going for the Glow," which discusses the notan, as well.
Colour relationships, and the subtle rhythms of warm and cool is a very interesting way of focussing on significance - and it is also the key of tonalities of an image that goes beyond the figurative- abstract understanding of meaning and significance - wonderfull that you talk so clearly and inspiring about these dimensions of an image
Some of us learned composition without ever considering notan. Maybe some people who don't feel notan is useful are already beyond the need to use that tool. Appreciate your talk as I was not understanding why use notan. I learned composition through color photography but can now see when designing compositions for painting where we can make components larger or smaller or shift things around, notan can be really useful when designing and making thumbnail sketches. Thank you.
This video is so helpful, and I show it to my students often. I also use your book! Thank you for explaining concepts so clearly. You are an excellent instructor.
Thank you, kindly, Sarah. Thanks for letting me know and for spreading the word. BTW, in my most recent book, The Landscape Painter's Workbook, that came out in 2022, has a whole chapter devoted to Notan with lots of cool images.
And by the way I love color and the subtle play of rhythms, shape definition just by color and really experience your vibrant paintings as pure joy of the movement of light - 🧡💗🌸
Thank for breaking it down in detail. I have been painitng for a while and taking art classes in college; this well truly help me with having a well polish painting. Thank you once more.
Mitchell, absolutely great presentation and teaching. The stuff I have been looking for for a long time. I have always used notan studies, but you gave me the insight I needed, the basic idea behind it. It really helped me understand the value of using it. Excellent job!!! Thanks
Great discussion on notan and values. I also very much enjoyed your approach of treating the notan as not necessarily a value map but as a compositional one that could serve to map colors of the same or similar values.
This is pretty obvious to anyone who's working with Photoshop. Yes, but. Using this as a medium to learn about masses and shapes in a composition is not obvious at all. I took a notice. Thank you so much!
You shoul make a link to your own art - after having listened to your very interesting and informative talk of Notan I wanted to see more of your paintings
Excuse I continue my comment - very eyeopening when you showed the small monochromatic painting in yellow tones and showed it in grey and white so that it became very clear in shapes and patters but with aery special feeling of vibrational energy - breathing of life
At 5 minutes: No one thinks the second Marc Bohne Notan composition is better because it is 'universal'. What does universal mean in this context, please? Ok, if I understand correctly, the Notan design shows not merely areas of value contrast but other areas of potential contrast like warm/cool color, saturated / neutral color, complementary colors etc. Is that right? ps. Lisa Harris gallery is in Seattle.
Mark Bonne was a student of my husbands. Tom Watson at Columbia College in Columbia Missouri. Mark also studied painting under the great Sid Larson At Columbia College. Sid lived with and worked with Thomas Hart Benton.
@@betowisar This is a good question and this is how I would explain the difference. Chiaroscuro is about light and shadow, as you know. Particularly, strong light and shadow. Notan is different. It’s also uses dark and light, but it's not specifically about shadow. The Notan is more about design and composition, as expressed by the patterns of dark and light. It can be confusing because both chiaroscuro and notan use dark and light, but in chiaroscuro, it’s specifically about the contrast of light and shadow. Whereas in notan, it’s geared toward defining shapes and patterns, regardless of whether they are shadows. This is why I always say that the notan not a value study. Yes, it uses darks and lights, but it uses them more to define shapes and patterns. I don’t believe there’s anything inherent in the definition of chiaroscuro that says that the light and shadow patterns must also form a good design, but that is definitely the case with notan. There is a whole chapter notan in my most recent book, The Landscape Painters Workbook.
Mitch,How would you treat an object in a scene that was being hit by light, but was absorbing the light so much that it read as a dark, would you put it in the light family or the shadow family.
How do you know when a composition is working or not? How to improve it? Do you have any resorces to understand composition? I've only learned all the rules, but I don't quite understand why they work and how to "break" them
That’s a big question. I can direct you to the chapters on composition in my most recent book, The Landscape Painter's Workbook, which you can find on Amazon or other online retailers. Essentially, I see composition falling into three areas: managing the picture window, which is how you place elements within the picture window. Second: variation, which comes in many forms, such as big and small, visual weight, intervals, etc. Variation = differences, and the differences are what make a painting interesting. And third, movement. Think of the rules, as you call them, as awareness builders. You don’t just do them, they make you think about the composition, and when you do that, you can usually tell which solution is better. You can also find several resources on composition on my blog: mitchalbala.com
Thanks for this ..very interesting to see how it applies to the colors as just opposed to value. Who was the first artist you mentioned. Mark... could not hear the last name..thanks
I also have a written blog post about notan -- mitchalbala.com/the-wisdom-of-notan/ which might be easier for you if you would prefer to read and take your time.
