Composition
A really important and yet often overlooked aspect of art is its composition. It is easy to draw whatever is on your mind without a clear plan for the layout and end up with something that looks neat, but isn’t as strong as it could be.
A good composition will draw the eye to the right spots, keep the viewer engaged with the piece, and enhance the mood or message of the work. With all the parts to consider—the direction of the lines, where different colors or values will go, the angle, the perspective, the setup itself, the size, and the framing—it can be difficult to find a good composition. However, here are some tips and things to consider that can help in planning your next piece.
Thumbnails:
One of the biggest aids is making thumbnail drawings. These are little, undeveloped drawings of your basic idea that allow you to experiment with many different options and combinations without devoting too much time to each one. In each thumbnail you can decide what you like or don’t like and make some adjustments on the next thumbnail until you are happy with the composition. It can also be good for experimenting since you can quickly jot down ideas that may or may not work and realize that one of them actually might fit really well. For this reason it’s a good idea to make more thumbnails than you think you need, even if you find one you’re happy with, because you may end up experimenting and discovering one you like even better!
Thumbnails can be great for figuring out how you want to set up a still life, the viewpoint or angle you want to draw from, how close-up or zoomed out you want to draw something, and even getting a basic idea of how the colors or values will look.
Planning the set-up for a still life using thumbnail sketches
Seeing how different ideas might work for a drawing. The last idea ended up being my favorite! These are pretty developed thumbnails as I wanted to focus on the values in my project—they can be much simpler and quicker.
Experimenting with different angles and points of view once the still life was already set up
Line direction:
Something to think about in planning a piece that may not be obvious is the overall direction that the lines go in. Vertical lines such as those in trees or tall buildings can give a sense of stability, while horizontal lines such as the lines of the waves in an ocean creates a calm, quiet feel in the piece. Diagonal lines, on the other hand, create a sense of motion.
Notice the stillness and stability that these vertical tree lines bring to this piece by Van Gogh, helping to bring a sense of order when all the other plants are in motion and painted with diagonal lines.
Notice how the horizontal lines of the tree line, horizon line, and brushstrokes in the water give the piece an overall quiet feel, while the verticals of the trees helps to anchor them into the water and give a sense of stability.
After making these thumbnails, I specifically chose the top-right one rather than the bottom one because the angle created more of a diagonal line that added to the motion of the candy spilling out.
Placing the focal point:
There are several methods for determining the best place to put a focal point, but one of the most well-known is the rule of thirds, in which the paper is divided into three both vertically and horizontally, and the focal point is placed on one of these intersections.
Notice how the opening of the stocking, which is where I wanted the focal point to be, is on an intersection of the lines.
Another way to emphasize and draw the eye to the focal point is by using leading lines. These can be obvious lines created for this purpose, or more subtle lines that lead the eye.
Notice how in the painting of the tram, the tram tracks, the edge of the sidewalks, and the balcony lines all draw the eye to the men at the front of the tram.
Moving the eye around:
Something to keep in mind when planning a composition is how the viewer’s eye will move around the piece. Where is your eye first drawn? Where does it go from there? Is there anything that leads your eye off the piece? Make sure that you keep drawing the viewer back in, but also give them places where their eyes can move around to keep them interested. This can be accomplished by creating a sort of triangle, either with spots of a similar color that the eye goes back and forth between, or through lines.
Notice the triangle effect these lines and angles create that help the eye to move around the piece without leaving.
Negative space:
When planning a composition, you should pay attention not just to the shapes of the subject, but also to the shapes of the background, or the negative space. Make sure there is enough of it to create a balance and allow the viewer’s eye to rest without feeling overwhelmed by the subject, unless that is the intent. Interesting spaces between objects in a drawing can make it more intriguing—but create enough overlapping that there are connections between the object and it feels coherent.
Though most of the objects overlap, the one tootsie roll that is separate creates some more negative spaces between itself and the rest of the objects. While the big clump of objects could probably use some more separation to break up the clump and add even more negative spaces, the addition of that one tootsie roll up front really does make a difference. Compare it to the drawing before it was added, where everything forms one big blob that isn’t quite as interesting.
Hopefully these tips make planning your next composition more confident and intentional!
Visual Arts Submissions:
Next month’s topic is Experimentation. Submit a piece where you have experimented or tried something new to you—this could be a new medium, a new style, a new technique, or anything else that you wanted to try out and explore.
Submit a piece of your artwork that fits this theme for a chance to have your art featured as the cover photo. A couple more may be chosen to be included within the article. This will be a good way to both share your artwork with the clay community and provide some inspiration to other readers.
Please submit through this Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd-rFWU-nF4TmCC65tqWVBNL-AE9N2FkklsOcnecjBB8XiQwA/viewform?usp=sf_link
The submission deadline is January 25th. Let me know in the comment section if you have any questions, and I’m excited to see your artwork!
Cover Photo:
“I Am Here” by Natalie Mulford
“I think that this piece uses composition with the placement of the magnifying glasses. This helps draw the focus of your eyes to the center of the piece where I am trying to convey my main message: that it is easy to feel lost in a huge city but each and every person is still important and impactful and God sees every one of us.
I do not use the rule of thirds, which might have made this composition stronger and is good to note for future projects. Still, I think that the color, texture, focal points, and different media leads to a pretty good composition.”
Photo Credits:
“Undergrowth with Two Figures” by Vincent van Gogh
Author unless otherwise noted.