Art and storytelling

Art and Storytelling.

Part I

Blocking in

I don’t see a difference between the written word and the visual. Art is a language and if I can paint a picture that you can see with my brush, I should be able to paint a picture that you can see with my pen.

 Though I love the abstract communication of visual art, I’m enjoying the fun of storytelling.

So, let’s get to the basics.

How does an artist approach writing?

 Both visual art and storytelling have their beginnings in abstract form. To an artist it’s a matter of blocking in shapes and values in a pleasing composition. As the artwork progresses, those shapes and values become more defined, more values and shapes are added until the smallest detail is applied, paying attention to how light hits the form, its edges, perspectives, color harmony and design.

 The same is true with a novel. The abstract is the story idea. Plot and subplots (shapes) are intertwined around the theme (composition) and placed into the story to make a colorful design.

 One thing the artist is capable of doing is seeing the final product while looking at a blank canvas. A writer should be able to do the same thing, to a degree. Granted, their characters like to sometimes run away with the story (and as long as you have some control over them that should add to the twists and turns that surprises both the author and the reader), but the author should be able to decide the whole of the written work the same way as an artist sees their painting.

 Isn’t that what creativity is about? Seeing something from nothing, and carrying it through until it’s finished…although it’s been brought to my attention, man does not create, he can only recreate. Which might be another topic for discussion that falls under the title, ‘there’s nothing new under the sun”!

Part II will be based on Leonardo Di Vinci’s wonderful quote

“Art is learning how to see.”

It applies to both visual art and literature.

You can visit my literary website here.

My art website is here.