KEYS TO GOOD COMPOSITION
all of which can be rearranged, edited, added to,or ignored all together
Rule of Thirds - Focal Point |
2. Draw your borders and pick a focal spot. Don't pick the dead middle. Using the rule of thirds, you can split the piece into thirds, horizontally and vertically and place the focal point on one of the intersections.
Balance the Elements |
3. Draw your main shapes (figurative or abstracted) but make sure they are varied in shape, scale and the space between them are all different. Also, an odd number of elements is always more pleasing to the human eye than an even - so think 3 - 5 - 7
4. Create balance in the piece - the elements should be scatter throughout the piece with the main focus balanced by lesser elements
5. Lead the eye into the work using diagonals and curves that engage the edge of the piece - Use the power of line effectively!
6. A sense of depth is created by overlapping your pieces and using scale to create the right sense of perspective
7. Avoid symmetry - make sure there is enough "differentness" to create tension
8. Edit out clutter - highlighting the essential - give quiet space in the piece
Edit! Edit! Edit! |
I just want to add that I wrote this post to help me as much as it is to help you! Its much easier to critique a sketch if you have a list of what to look for in front of you. Not to mention taking an hour out of the week looking at well composed photos!!
So What Have you been up to creatively?
7 comments:
I'm currently frustrated. After all the work I did in last year's class I seem to still not be where I want to be with my composition, sigh.
I changed the design of a fmq sketchbook page this morning thanks to your post. It came just in time for me to remind me. Thanks.
So many times I needed a composition checklist I decided to just write one. Good composition is a constant struggle!
Thank you for such a thoughtful post!!!
Thank you for the reminder. As one who relies on intuition and flies by the seat of her pants I wish I would be more of a planner. I will try to follow your tips as I know it will save me a lot of time in the long run making pieces that don't work and I don't realize it until they are almost done. ( sigh)
I can't tell you how many people I have tried to explain the rule of thirds too in my life. It seems so basic. I was a professional photographer long ago. People always want to put the head of people they are photographing right in dead center of the picture. Anyway, your post is spot on. Interesting stuff!
Great post, great checklist. Interesting that you say avoid symmetry, I'm just starting to make art quilts and I was looking at a book, the Art Quilt Workbook, where they have you try out compositions with symmetrically balanced designs amongst other things. I never saw them as lacking tension, will go back over that sketchbook with a more critical eye now! Just made my first art quilt http://bella-janes.blogspot.com/2015/04/my-first-art-quilt.html
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