A montage is somewhat like a collage. On one piece of paper you put together any number of related subjects. However, instead of pasting them onto the paper you will draw them.
A montage is often used to tell a story about the person you are drawing. It includes references to well-known events that happened in the person's life and that were special to him or her.
Here are a few tips on how to go about putting together a montage:
* Subjects – Do not overdo it. The subject surrounded by a few references will do just fine. It is easy to end up with a crowded montage that contains too many subjects and objects. So, be critical of what you put in it and of what you do not put in it.
* Focal Point – Do not forget that the person who is being honored should remain the center of attention. Make sure you do not let the secondary drawings overwhelm the person you who is being honored. A viewer should first and foremost see the honoree.
One way to ensure that your subject remains the focal point is to place him or her right in the center of your drawing. In addition, make sure that you use a smaller scale for the surrounding subject and objects. Another tick is to draw the surrounding object somewhat lighter and also with less detail. Reserve the full detail drawing for the person of interest.
* Values – It is also important that you create an overall unity in terms of values. Often you will use a variety of photographs to construct your montage. These photographs will usually have different intensities and different light source locations.
So, before you start your drawing pay some attention to where you will put your darkest darks and lightest lights so that the final product has a consistent value distribution. If the values are not consistent throughout your drawing you will end up with a funny looking result.
This is particular true if you show inconsistent cast shadows. Just imagine one light source and draw on your experience for how to change the shadows in your photographs so that they all go together in your drawing.
* Sizes – The sizes of the subjects and objects in the different photographs will not be consistent either. So, some will have to be drawn larger than in the photograph and others will have to be drawn smaller.
Here is where the grid technique can be very helpful. By scaling the grid size your can fairly easily scale the subjects and objects as well. If the object is to be smaller on your drawing you can draw a scaled-down grid on drawing paper first as compared to the corresponding grid on your photograph. The same is true in reverse. You can easily increase the size of a subject or object by drawing a scaled-up grid on your drawing paper. This is the old grid trick which was used by many great masters of the past.
A montage can be a precious gift to the person who is being honored. Be forewarned however, that a montage can involved a lot of work. Therefore, make sure you make a careful estimate of the time you will spend so you can charge accordingly if this is part of how you make your living.
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