{"id":1057,"date":"2014-11-17T09:08:34","date_gmt":"2014-11-16T20:08:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abstractedreality.com\/?p=1057"},"modified":"2023-02-11T13:48:58","modified_gmt":"2023-02-11T00:48:58","slug":"the-art-of-creating-a-triptych","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abstractedreality.com\/the-art-of-creating-a-triptych\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art of Creating a Triptych"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Over<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Over the Shoulder<\/p>\n

\u2018The whole is greater than the sum of its parts\u2019 \u2013 that\u2019s the usual refrain you hear when someone\u2019s describing what makes a good triptych. But what does that actually mean and why make triptychs anyway? It\u2019s challenging enough producing a really good single image let alone dealing with three individual panels! Why? Because creating triptychs will not only help you to expand your ideas about composition and structure, but also encourage a reinterpretation and re-evaluation of your images.<\/p>\n

\u200bIn this article I\u2019ll be revealing the creative process behind my \u2018Over the Shoulder\u2019<\/a> triptych. This is not a technical \u2018how to\u2019 guide about what procedures you should follow in a photo editing programme. I\u2019m far more interested in sharing the \u2018art\u2019 of creating a triptych \u2013 my design concepts and creative process \u2013 how I approach an image (or series of images) and how I experiment with the component parts until they are \u2018complete\u2019 and unified.<\/p>\n

\u200bApproach creating your Triptych with an open mind<\/h3>\n

\u200bOne of the most important pieces of advice I can give is to approach making your triptych with an open and enquiring mind. Just because you\u2019re used to seeing and interpreting an image one way, doesn\u2019t mean there aren\u2019t many other alternatives and viewpoints. I will be the first to admit that being an abstract photographer has certainly helped me a great deal in this regard as I\u2019ve become accustomed to looking for different and unfamiliar ways of presenting an object.<\/p>\n

\"Corrugation<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bThis is the original \u200bimage which \u2018Over the Shoulder\u2019 was made from. I call it \u2018Corrugation\u2019<\/a> and enjoy the curving undulations, complex interplay of diagonal lines and the sense of layering and depth within the image. I do like this photograph as it is, but felt there was still much to explore, and trying a triptych design would open up many compositional possibilities which otherwise wouldn\u2019t have been available to me.<\/p>\n

\u200bWhere to Cut?<\/h3>\n

\u200bSo, where to begin? Firstly, when dealing with a single image, there\u2019s the all important decision of where to cut! There are always options \u2013 the vertical cut, horizontal cut or even a \u2018T\u2019 cut.<\/p>\n

\"Triptych<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bThese examples contain fairly standard cuts at equidistant points in the image. However, none of them really give us a sense of embodying or imparting anything \u2018more\u2019 from being in a triptych format than we couldn\u2019t already experience from the single, original image itself. The triptych layout hasn\u2019t \u2018added\u2019 anything or made a point of difference.<\/p>\n

\u200bThinking outside\/inside of the square<\/h3>\n

In the examples above, each panel is distinct from the other \u2013 in other words, it contains a separate and different part of the original image. But where is it written that each panel in a triptych must contain completely different material? If you\u2019re working with a single image, don\u2019t feel constrained that each of your panels should have no overlapping content. Don\u2019t assume that you can\u2019t have some part of one panel appearing in another. I\u2019m perfectly happy using this technique as long as there\u2019s a strong compositional and structural reason for doing so, and it enhances your triptych.<\/p>\n

This is what I\u2019ve done for \u2018Over the Shoulder\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"Three<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bThe images above show where I\u2019ve cut to make the three triptych panels. In the left panel I\u2019ve taken a horizontal cut, focusing on one of the more interesting sections of the image. But for the middle and right panels you can see I\u2019ve cut at an angle. These two panels overlap to quite a large degree and both, in turn, also share content with their horizontal counterpart.<\/p>\n

\u200bPutting the Triptych together \u2013 knowing what to do with what you\u2019ve got<\/h3>\n

\u200bNow I had three panels ready to be assembled into triptych. And here\u2019s where the real fun began! The dimensions of the panels meant I could choose to have three long panels presented either horizontally or vertically. I chose a vertical orientation as two out of the three panels were from a (diagonally) vertical cut.So this was my starting point.<\/p>\n

\"Triptych<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bIt needed some work! There was no sense of connection or flow between the panels. For a triptych to be successful the way in which three panels interconnect and relate to each other are vitally important and like any single image, need to communicate something to the viewer. The compositional strength and coherence of a triptych is reliant upon the three component elements working in harmony, each reinforcing and expanding upon the other.<\/p>\n

\u200bTime to get Creative \u2013 be open to where your imagination takes you!<\/h3>\n

\u200bHaving decided on the vertical format, there was only one thing left to do \u2013 get creative and start to rotate and flip the panels to see what different patterns and connections I could make. This was the opportunity to discover hidden possibilities and surprising connections. When making a triptych, I\u2019ve found many good ideas spring out of \u2018creative play\u2019 \u2013 just experimenting with no agenda and no preconceptions \u2013 being open to where your imagination takes you.As I progressed, shapes began to take on greater meaning and significance. I was starting to look beyond what was in front of me and visualise potential relationships and interconnections between the curves, lines and colours.I began to see the outline of a person in the left panel \u2013 a head, shoulder and arching back. I then expanded this idea into the adjacent panel \u2013 providing an arm and hip. The final panel suggests another person looking on.You can see below just how much rearranging from the original orientation took place in order to have all three panels of the triptych working in a unified way.<\/p>\n

\"'Over<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bThe final step in the process was to slightly elongate the panels so they would fit the standard aspect ratio of my Fine Art Prints<\/a>. I actually prefer this as the \u2018figures\u2019 in the triptych now have more height and poise.<\/p>\n

\u200bTry a Triptych for yourself<\/h3>\n

I hope this has given you an insight into how I approach creating my triptychs. I love making them<\/a> and find the whole process incredibly rewarding and satisfying. I\u2019m sure you will too.So why not try them for yourself? Just imagine what you can do.<\/p>\n