Avoiding Monotony En Route

Edgar Whitney urged his followers to "avoid monotony en route."  A straight, unbroken line is monotonous, and needs to be broken up.  In this painting of an old dory beached under a tree, the far shore line is broken by the interruption of two sailboat masts.  The bottom of the dory forms another line, but it is broken by buckets and buoys intruding into the shape of the boat. 

Drawing boats is simplified if you think of the figure 8 on its side.  The far side of the boat is more or less a straight line while the curve of the hull occurs on the side nearest you.  Also, watch where the lines intersect and how they slant. 

Overlapping is one of the best ways to achieve atmospheric perspective.  The closer the plain is to you, the darker it becomes.

There is so much to think about when you contemplate a painting.  The real fun begins when you can anticipate the problems before you start to paint!