For many types of objects such as trees, fruits, flowers, or rocks, there are certain characteristics that collectively define the ‘itness’ of that object and that differentiate it from all other objects of that type. For example, pines and cypress trees are both evergreens. Every pine tree is a different shape and every cypress tree is a different shape, yet someone who knows their trees can immediately tell which is which. This means that before you start painting a subject you need to spend a lot of time studying it (that is if you want to truly capture the essence of your subject).

You can tell by the tall and compact structure that these are Italian cypress trees. You know from their 'itness' that they are not palm trees or oak trees.

In this course unit

Have you ever wondered why some paintings seem to capture the ‘soul’ or feeling of a place, whereas other paintings just seem to be of some generic scene? The reason these paintings capture the essence of a place has a lot to do with analyzing the character of the shapes of a particular category of objects. For example, the character of shapes of a particular species of tree or the character of shapes of a particular geological rock formation.
This is the subject of the ‘itness’ of objects that goes much deeper than just copying the exact shape you see. In this course you will learn how to capture this essence or essential characteristic of a scene or landscape. The concept not only applies to landscape work, but also to still life and figure work.

Understanding this concept takes you far beyond the literal observation of nature that we have covered in units one through five, and can take your art to a completely new level once you have developed some mastery in it. Once you have learned to identify and then represent the itness of your subject, you can become far more creative with your compositions.

In this course you will learn:

• how to apply the principle of 'itness' to observing trees more accurately
• how to see and capture the balance in trees
• how to communicate the bulk of trees
• how to represent delicacy in branch structures
• the critical importance of silhouette to the 'itness' of a particular type of tree
• how to observe the density and color variations in foliage
• how to deal with sky apertures
• the important things to look for in branching structures and trunk curvature that will make your trees more realistic
• how the 'itness' principle applies to painting rocks and buildings

Total number of assignments: 4

Total number of pages: 23