1.2 Focus

There should be one focal point in the picture

The focal point is the subject of the picture

In a sentence there is one subject: 'the cat sat on the mat'

The cat is in focus, the mat is not

As things move further away from the focal point they get more blurry or less resolved

Things can be further away by being near the edges and corners

Things can be further away by being in the deep background space

Choose your subject to set the order of the painting

Make sure that you know what is in focus and resolved, what is less important and therefore less detailed and resolved

Plan the space: foreground, mid ground, and background

VIDEO: 3 focus points - focal point, less important, background

Remember that the focal point is the most important - it is what the picture is about!

If you realise that shape to a level of detail, then everything else has to be LESS detailed than that

The further away you go from the focal point (the subject) the less resolved, detailed and intricate things get

The details of the focal point have to be put in after everything else or they won't fit the rest of the picture

Golden rule number 1: Don't get bogged down in details, leave them to the end

Golden rule number 2: Everything has to fit with the overall scheme of the picture so work it all up to the same level and then focus on a smaller area that gets closer to the focal point which you finish off with