Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Keeping Your Attention

How do I keep my viewers' attention? The average time span looking at art is 3 seconds. I want people spending at least half a minute admiring my work. But, why would they (you) if I don't give them (you) a reason?

My idea is this: Make art that requires the viewer to find the subject. In other words, hide my subject in a mess of "environment." If someone can't figure out what they are looking at right away, they will need to search/contemplate what is actually shown for, hopefully, longer than 3 seconds.

It is important to me that people enjoy my art. My work is NOT just for me, and I don't think any artist paints, sculpts, draws, or builds PURELY for their own enjoyment; they want to share their work with others. So, therefore I want to make work that I and other people can both appreciate.

Sure...there are topics I like to draw that lots of people don't like to look at, and I will continue to do those types of drawings because I can't help but draw them. I need to get it out of my system. BUT I consider those pieces as "practice" for the real work that is universally enjoyed and accepted. That's the work that truly makes me happy.

Call me a sell-out. Call me whatever you want. But it is human nature to want to please others, so dislike me for being human, not for my reasons for drawing.

4 comments:

  1. I'd spend more than 3 seconds looking at your ink work any day. I really like to see these environments that you come up with.

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  2. Thank you! And I'd like to spend some good time planning some CRAZYYYY backgrounds.......not sure what's cool than the ocean, but I'll brainstorm

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  3. Hola vengo desde mis blog:"LOS CUENTOS DE NATI" y "LOS PREMIOS DE NATI"
    para decirte que todo lo que he podido ver aquí es muy bueno e interesante.
    He decidido quedarme como seguidora para así poder con tranquilidad todo lo bueno que pase por aquí.
    Te felicito por tu blog, por lo que has conseguido y por lo que estoy segura consegiras.
    Hasta npronto, tu ya sabes donde encontrarme, besos Nati.

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  4. I agree with Ben. Your ink work is pretty spectacular.

    I think there are many ways to keep the viewer's attention. I would say that with a complicated background you would need to be careful not to overstimulate and therefore push the viewer away, but you clearly know what you are doing.

    To keep the viewers interested I like to portray emotion. I find that when I succeed people are compelled to look at my work. They are drawn back over and over.

    I also find that composition is nearly everything. Study the Old Masters' compositions, play around with different aspects and find what works for your art.

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