Start Close In
Simplify with cropping
David Whyte’s poem “Start Close In” reminds us that small steps lead to something bigger. The same goes for seeing—sometimes, the best compositions come from looking closer, not wider.
I often find myself wondering what to paint or how to break down a subject. But interpreting "close in" literally, we can find subjects everywhere—right under our noses. All we need are interesting shapes and contrast.
Exercise
This week, all we need is a pen and paper (or a pencil, crayon, felt-tip marker—whatever you have on hand).
Look around your room, street, or wherever you find yourself
Zoom riiiiight into a very small area and draw the shapes—a corner of the couch, the edge of a cup, the top of a window.
Use white, grey (light shading), and black (strong shading) for a value study
Why
Train your eye to see abstractly – By zooming in, you're no longer drawing "a cup" or "a couch"; you're breaking things down into pure shapes, edges, and values.
Improve your composition skills – Focusing on a small section forces you to find interesting arrangements of light and dark, a key skill for strong design.
Strengthen value control – Simplifying an area into just three values (white, grey, black) helps you see and paint value relationships more effectively.
Examples
On the left, small black and white thumbnails of my immediate surroundings. Even the edge of a frame or TV makes a good subject.
On the right, I used hatching for the lamp, a felt tip marker for the tumbler, and a light wash of payne’s grey for the pillow. Have fun with different media.
Draw at least 2 sketches a day. And I bet once you start, you can’t stop!
👉 Upgrade to a paid subscription to watch a video with a demonstraton on how I use this skill for my paintings, and 3 references from other artists.
