I've been practicing drawing faces lately and sometimes I post the results to instagram. This has led me to figuring out that I can make even the faces I don't like look better with some clever cropping!
I drew/painted this face with a water soluble graphite pencil:
And then I started playing with my iPhone and taking photos that cropped out large portions of the face.
I feel like there's a smirk in this one.
Just by getting rid of the lips this one becomes all about the eyes. And those bangs!
This crop is just so much more interesting than the original. By cutting the face off it creates movement in the composition.
Cropping saved this hideous disaster…
…and turned it into something mysterious and malevolent.
This cropping trick works for lots of stuff other than drawings of faces. Three ways that I often use cropping are:
- A busy scrapbook layout can be tamed by cropping it down and matting it onto a plain piece of dark cardstock.
- A too busy bit of painting or art journaling can be softened by painting in some white space — this is essentially cropping it down, just without scissors.
- A total craftastrophe usually goes into my "scrap drawer." I often pull these pieces out and slice them up to use as collage fodder for new art! For whatever reason the sliced up pieces have beauty that the original just doesn't.
What do you think about creative cropping?
—
P.S. Thanks to Jamie for pointing out that a short segment from Scrapbook Soup TV was shown as part of The Soup on E! last night.
I almost always crop my work. I make so many mistakes, I don’t even think about it anymore. I kind of view all my doodles and paper-making as collage fodder. If I have an idea, I just start making the parts instead of the whole thing. For example, if I want to make a face, I’ll make a face, but then make a bunch of eyes, noses, and mouths. Then I can just cut them out and collage over the ones I don’t like. The result is kind of interesting. Of course, if I don’t like the result, I keep it and cut it up again for something else!
I almost always crop my work. I make so many mistakes, I don’t even think about it anymore. I kind of view all my doodles and paper-making as collage fodder. If I have an idea, I just start making the parts instead of the whole thing. For example, if I want to make a face, I’ll make a face, but then make a bunch of eyes, noses, and mouths. Then I can just cut them out and collage over the ones I don’t like. The result is kind of interesting. Of course, if I don’t like the result, I keep it and cut it up again for something else!
I almost always crop my work. I make so many mistakes, I don’t even think about it anymore. I kind of view all my doodles and paper-making as collage fodder. If I have an idea, I just start making the parts instead of the whole thing. For example, if I want to make a face, I’ll make a face, but then make a bunch of eyes, noses, and mouths. Then I can just cut them out and collage over the ones I don’t like. The result is kind of interesting. Of course, if I don’t like the result, I keep it and cut it up again for something else!
I almost always crop my work. I make so many mistakes, I don’t even think about it anymore. I kind of view all my doodles and paper-making as collage fodder. If I have an idea, I just start making the parts instead of the whole thing. For example, if I want to make a face, I’ll make a face, but then make a bunch of eyes, noses, and mouths. Then I can just cut them out and collage over the ones I don’t like. The result is kind of interesting. Of course, if I don’t like the result, I keep it and cut it up again for something else!
I almost always crop my work. I make so many mistakes, I don’t even think about it anymore. I kind of view all my doodles and paper-making as collage fodder. If I have an idea, I just start making the parts instead of the whole thing. For example, if I want to make a face, I’ll make a face, but then make a bunch of eyes, noses, and mouths. Then I can just cut them out and collage over the ones I don’t like. The result is kind of interesting. Of course, if I don’t like the result, I keep it and cut it up again for something else!
I’ve used creative cropping in my photography for years to salvage some shots that weren’t really appealing to me. I never thought about using it in art as well. Brilliant!
I’ve used creative cropping in my photography for years to salvage some shots that weren’t really appealing to me. I never thought about using it in art as well. Brilliant!
I’ve used creative cropping in my photography for years to salvage some shots that weren’t really appealing to me. I never thought about using it in art as well. Brilliant!
I’ve used creative cropping in my photography for years to salvage some shots that weren’t really appealing to me. I never thought about using it in art as well. Brilliant!
I’ve used creative cropping in my photography for years to salvage some shots that weren’t really appealing to me. I never thought about using it in art as well. Brilliant!
Love the progression of your faces 😉
Love the progression of your faces 😉
Love the progression of your faces 😉
Love the progression of your faces 😉
Love the progression of your faces 😉
I find it very interesting especially how it gave you a “better” image to use once you cropped the malevolent one.
I find it very interesting especially how it gave you a “better” image to use once you cropped the malevolent one.
I find it very interesting especially how it gave you a “better” image to use once you cropped the malevolent one.
I find it very interesting especially how it gave you a “better” image to use once you cropped the malevolent one.
I find it very interesting especially how it gave you a “better” image to use once you cropped the malevolent one.
I love the hideous one! She is cool!
That said I took a semester long photography course that took place in a real darkroom. I cannot say how friendly I became with the enlarger which crops enlarges and does all sorts of cool things that you can also do with Photoshop now. I saved some disasters with that thing!
BUT never thought to do it with a layout! Fabulous idea! Thanks for that!
I love the hideous one! She is cool!
That said I took a semester long photography course that took place in a real darkroom. I cannot say how friendly I became with the enlarger which crops enlarges and does all sorts of cool things that you can also do with Photoshop now. I saved some disasters with that thing!
BUT never thought to do it with a layout! Fabulous idea! Thanks for that!
I love the hideous one! She is cool!
That said I took a semester long photography course that took place in a real darkroom. I cannot say how friendly I became with the enlarger which crops enlarges and does all sorts of cool things that you can also do with Photoshop now. I saved some disasters with that thing!
BUT never thought to do it with a layout! Fabulous idea! Thanks for that!
I love the hideous one! She is cool!
That said I took a semester long photography course that took place in a real darkroom. I cannot say how friendly I became with the enlarger which crops enlarges and does all sorts of cool things that you can also do with Photoshop now. I saved some disasters with that thing!
BUT never thought to do it with a layout! Fabulous idea! Thanks for that!
I love the hideous one! She is cool!
That said I took a semester long photography course that took place in a real darkroom. I cannot say how friendly I became with the enlarger which crops enlarges and does all sorts of cool things that you can also do with Photoshop now. I saved some disasters with that thing!
BUT never thought to do it with a layout! Fabulous idea! Thanks for that!
Wow, Julie, I love what you did with the cropping! Yes, I believe cropping is definitely the way to go. I do a lot of that with my collage work, but now I’ll think about painting in some white space too.
Wow, Julie, I love what you did with the cropping! Yes, I believe cropping is definitely the way to go. I do a lot of that with my collage work, but now I’ll think about painting in some white space too.
Wow, Julie, I love what you did with the cropping! Yes, I believe cropping is definitely the way to go. I do a lot of that with my collage work, but now I’ll think about painting in some white space too.
Wow, Julie, I love what you did with the cropping! Yes, I believe cropping is definitely the way to go. I do a lot of that with my collage work, but now I’ll think about painting in some white space too.
Wow, Julie, I love what you did with the cropping! Yes, I believe cropping is definitely the way to go. I do a lot of that with my collage work, but now I’ll think about painting in some white space too.
I just made journal page that was made of best pieces from many, many painted papers. It became merely an art quilt.
I just made journal page that was made of best pieces from many, many painted papers. It became merely an art quilt.
I just made journal page that was made of best pieces from many, many painted papers. It became merely an art quilt.
I just made journal page that was made of best pieces from many, many painted papers. It became merely an art quilt.
I just made journal page that was made of best pieces from many, many painted papers. It became merely an art quilt.
The cropping did make your face more interesting. It amazes me that you can capture all of those tones from one piece just by cropping small areas. Great tip to have. I also like to use cropped craftastrophes in my journal. I feel it adds texture and charater to my pages. Thanks for the tips!
The cropping did make your face more interesting. It amazes me that you can capture all of those tones from one piece just by cropping small areas. Great tip to have. I also like to use cropped craftastrophes in my journal. I feel it adds texture and charater to my pages. Thanks for the tips!
The cropping did make your face more interesting. It amazes me that you can capture all of those tones from one piece just by cropping small areas. Great tip to have. I also like to use cropped craftastrophes in my journal. I feel it adds texture and charater to my pages. Thanks for the tips!
The cropping did make your face more interesting. It amazes me that you can capture all of those tones from one piece just by cropping small areas. Great tip to have. I also like to use cropped craftastrophes in my journal. I feel it adds texture and charater to my pages. Thanks for the tips!
The cropping did make your face more interesting. It amazes me that you can capture all of those tones from one piece just by cropping small areas. Great tip to have. I also like to use cropped craftastrophes in my journal. I feel it adds texture and charater to my pages. Thanks for the tips!
I couldn’t agree more. Selective cropping can certainly ‘save’ a work, as your did. I often crop.
I couldn’t agree more. Selective cropping can certainly ‘save’ a work, as your did. I often crop.
I couldn’t agree more. Selective cropping can certainly ‘save’ a work, as your did. I often crop.
I couldn’t agree more. Selective cropping can certainly ‘save’ a work, as your did. I often crop.
I couldn’t agree more. Selective cropping can certainly ‘save’ a work, as your did. I often crop.
I hadn’t thought so much about cropping in this context but I’ll certainly keep it in mind now! I love how your cropped pieces look!!
I hadn’t thought so much about cropping in this context but I’ll certainly keep it in mind now! I love how your cropped pieces look!!
I hadn’t thought so much about cropping in this context but I’ll certainly keep it in mind now! I love how your cropped pieces look!!
I hadn’t thought so much about cropping in this context but I’ll certainly keep it in mind now! I love how your cropped pieces look!!
I hadn’t thought so much about cropping in this context but I’ll certainly keep it in mind now! I love how your cropped pieces look!!
I do this all the time with photos of vacation and other ones I scrapbook so it makes perfect sense that it would work with art too! Thanks for the insight!
I do this all the time with photos of vacation and other ones I scrapbook so it makes perfect sense that it would work with art too! Thanks for the insight!
I do this all the time with photos of vacation and other ones I scrapbook so it makes perfect sense that it would work with art too! Thanks for the insight!
I do this all the time with photos of vacation and other ones I scrapbook so it makes perfect sense that it would work with art too! Thanks for the insight!
I do this all the time with photos of vacation and other ones I scrapbook so it makes perfect sense that it would work with art too! Thanks for the insight!
Great idea about taking an Instagram of the painting to crop it. Also liked the idea of taking “less than perfect” bits and turning them into scrap paper.
Great idea about taking an Instagram of the painting to crop it. Also liked the idea of taking “less than perfect” bits and turning them into scrap paper.
Great idea about taking an Instagram of the painting to crop it. Also liked the idea of taking “less than perfect” bits and turning them into scrap paper.
Great idea about taking an Instagram of the painting to crop it. Also liked the idea of taking “less than perfect” bits and turning them into scrap paper.
Great idea about taking an Instagram of the painting to crop it. Also liked the idea of taking “less than perfect” bits and turning them into scrap paper.
what an excellent post! i really like how you illustrated what cropping can do. wonderful images! thanks for sharing!
what an excellent post! i really like how you illustrated what cropping can do. wonderful images! thanks for sharing!
what an excellent post! i really like how you illustrated what cropping can do. wonderful images! thanks for sharing!
what an excellent post! i really like how you illustrated what cropping can do. wonderful images! thanks for sharing!
what an excellent post! i really like how you illustrated what cropping can do. wonderful images! thanks for sharing!