Download Brush Strokes

Brush Strokes
From Image Grammar
Harry R. Noden
Painting with Participles
• Participles = verbs with ing
• They are used as adjectives.
• They come at the beginnings or endings of sentences,
separated by commas.
• Sentence: The diamond-scaled snakes attacked their prey
(4).
• Participle Example: Hissing, slithering, and coiling, the
diamond-scaled snakes attacked their prey (4).
• Participles can also be in phrases.
• Example: Hissing their red forked tongues and coiling their
cold bodies, the diamond-scaled snakes attacked their prey
(4).
Painting with Absolutes
• Absolute = Noun + Participle
• One or two absolutes in a sentence are good, three might
overload.
• A comma – the telescopic lens – zooms in on the absolute,
giving it emphasis.
• Example: The mountain climber edged along the cliff (Noden
6).
• Absolute: Hands shaking, feet trembling, the mountain
climber edged along the cliff (6).
-The absolute may also come at the end of
the sentence.
• Absolute Phrase: Feet trembling on the snow-covered rocks,
the mountain climber edged along the cliff (6).
• Group starter: The rhapis palm sat in the large, white
container (6). Add one or two absolutes.
Noden’s Suggested
Answer
• The rhapis palm sat in the large,
white container, the branches
stretching into the air, fibrous joints
knuckling the otherwise smooth
surface (6).
Painting with Adjectives
Out of Order
• Used more by authors of fiction
• Not all adjectives have to precede a noun.
• This would work well if you had a string of three adjectives.
Move a couple adjectives after the noun for emphasis.
• Sentence: The large, red-eyed, angry bull charged the
intruder (Noden 9).
• Enhanced: The large bull, red-eyed and angry, charged the
intruder (9).
• Group sentence: The woman smiled upon her newborn greatgrandson with pride(9).
Noden’s Suggested
Answer
• The woman, old and wrinkled, smiled
upon her newborn great-grandson
with pride (9).
Painting with Appositives
• Appositive=a noun that adds a second
image to a preceding noun
• Appositive Phrase=noun with modifiers
• Sentence: The raccoon enjoys eating
turtle eggs (Noden8).
• Appostive: The raccoon, a scavenger,
enjoys eating turtle eggs (8).
• Apppositive Phrase: The raccoon, a
midnight scavenger who roams lake
shorelines in search of food, enjoys eating
turtle eggs (8).
Painting with Action Verbs
• Eliminate being verbs and passive voice.
-Being verbs slow down the action.
-Passive voice weakens images.
• Example Passive Voice: The runaway horse was ridden into
town by an old, white-whiskered rancher (Noden 10).
• Active Voice: The white-whiskered rancher rode the
runaway horse into town.
• Example Being Verb: The gravel road was on the left side of
the barn.
• Removed Being Verb: The gravel road curled around the left
side of the barn (10).
• Group Sentence: The grocery store was robbed by two
armed men (10).