@@gallagrrr There's also an in-depth explanation of the notan process in my recent book, “The Landscape Painters Workbook.” A whole chapter. Check it out at Amazon or at my website.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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 - 🧡💗🌸
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!
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
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
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.
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.
@@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.
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
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.
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
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.
This is the best explanation of the usefulness of Notan studies I have heard. Thank you !
You are most welcome. Also check out the video "Going for the Glow," which discusses the notan, as well.
This was so helpful to me! Thank you so much for making this available.
@@gallagrrr There's also an in-depth explanation of the notan process in my recent book, “The Landscape Painters Workbook.” A whole chapter. Check it out at Amazon or at my website.
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.
"Life changing!" Wow, that's high praise. Well, the notan is like that. It gets down to the bones of the composition. Enjoy!
The Video gives me a deeper understanding and perspective on "Notan and Composition" .
Thank YOU MUCH.
Thank you! Also check out the video "Going for the Glow," which discusses the notan, as well.
Perfect timing - I went to the library yesterday & checked out Mitchell's book Landscape Painting. Excellent teacher - beautiful paintings!
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.
Thanks. Also check out the video "Going for the Glow," which discusses the notan, as well.
I bought your book in France , and I read the Notan chapter first, because teachers told me, to do Notan's vignette first.
Your teachers were right! Always begin with a compositional study. May all your notans be beautiful!
Ah, glad to hear you got the book in France. Was it the French language version? Enjoy.
I'm grateful to watch this. Really insightful
Excellent video on explaining notan and how we can use it to improve composition. Thank you
Extremely helpful video!! I thought I understood notan but you made it so much more understandable.. 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.
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.
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
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.
This is a wonderful explanation. I finally get NOTAN. thanks so much for sharing.
a very enjoyable lesson..from someone with the depth of understanding for the topic. Thank you, Sir !
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.
Very good explained !
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.
Yes, I show my students that section all of time.@@MitchAlbala
Thanks for spreading the word and sharing. Also check out the video "Going for the Glow," which discusses the notan, as well.
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 - 🧡💗🌸
Thanks for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed it :) -MJA
Have to go watch it again for the irreducible generosity of your lesson:}
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.
Wonderfull talk about Notan and truly showing that you are a very sensitive artist when you came up with the example in nes
Great demonstration of the importance of using the underlying notan when designing a painting.
Thanks for posting this. Excellent talk. It was most helpful to get examples clearly shown and explained.
Thank you for your explanation Mitchell!
excellent instruction, I'm self taught so this Notan information will improve my work greatly
This was very helpful, thank you
Very useful and insightful... the best explanation of notan and its usage...thanks
Can you please make more videos - this was so informative!
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!
Excellent lecture.
Thank you. This was very helpful, especially as applied to high key compositions.
Finally gaining some understanding of NotanIzer.thank you
VERY good explanation, thank you. Saved.
Thanks it’s very clear and helpful video
Thankyou very helpful. Really showed the value of using notan. ☺️
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
Great teacher!
That was very well thought out. Thank you : )
Cleared up the confusion for me
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
Wonderful painter. Wish he was closer so I could take lessons :)
Thank you, masterful visionaire:} Excellent lesson, merci beaucoup!
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.
Excellent, thank you!
Yes .Tku. Demo with Monet was a must
I love notan art
great stuff, thanks.
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.
Hi, this is a great explanation. I have a question, which is the difference between chiaroscuro and notan?
@@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.
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
Marc Bohne
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.
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
@@MitchAlbala thank you!
Very helpful. The "white" path was pretty obviously not going to be black in the notan. How do you decide on middle greys?
12:51 was my aha moment
Ah, glad to hear it. I love aha moments.
What are the name of the artist show an example at 4:40?
That artist is Marc Bohne: www.marchbohne.com
you can’t have light with out dark. Graidient value Contrasts
What is notan? Pls tell me
By I'm Indian
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.
Excellent. Thank you.