Composition The term composition means “putting together,”and can apply to any work of art, from music to writing, that is arranged or put together using conscious thought. In the visual arts, composition is often used interchangeably with various terms such as design, form, visual ordering, or formal structure, depending on the context.

Laura Shechter Composition in Blue & White Oil on Canvas, 2002 Good or bad? Good!!!

Mingming Bowerson Water color Yellow Calla Lily in Glass This piece, Yellow Calla Lily in Glass, has a wonderful curving composition that successfully directs your gaze down the flowers to the base of the glass pitcher... then across the seashells and back up again.

Good or Bad? These are both bad examples of good composition. For example, the composition which was unbalanced from the start, is now exaggerated and more noticable, so a third element needs to be added in the upper left corner..not necessarily another object but color or shape that would shift the weight and attention away from the lower left areas.

Applying the rule of thirds to a drawing means you'll never have a drawing that's split in half, either vertically or horizontally, nor one with the main focus right in the centre like a bull's-eye.

What is the Rule of Thirds? Quite simply, divide a canvas in thirds both horizontally and vertically, and place the focus of the work either one third across or one third up or down the picture, or where the lines intersect (the red circles on the diagram).

What Difference Does the Rule of Thirds Make? Take a look at these two photos of a lion. On the one on the left, your eye is drawn straight into the centre of the image and you tend to ignore the rest of the picture. On the one on the right, where the lion's face is on one of the Rule of Thirds 'hotspots', your eye is drawn the the lion's face, then around the painting following the curve of the body.

Composition Tip 1: Where's the Focal Point? The focal point should draw the viewer's eye to it. Place the focal point (the thing that's the main subject of the painting) on one of the 'intersection spots' from the Rule of Thirds, then check the other elements in the painting, which should lead they eye towards this point. It doesn't have to be an overt 'path', such as a road leading to a house; it can be subtle, such as a color repeated in flowers. (Also, don't try to include too much in one work.) Composition Tip 2: Did You Use a Viewfinder? Isolate the key elements in a scene and check their placement by using a viewfinder. Does my work have good composition…..?

Composition Tip 3: Are the Values Varied? Do a thumbnail sketch of your painting's composition in just three values: white (light), black (dark), and grey (mid-tone). Now check how much of each value its got. Composition Tip 4: How Many Sketches did I do first? Try numerous thumbnails while planning a serious drawing or painting to decide the right composition before you put in all the work of drawing it large and detailed. They don't need to be precise, they just need to give you a general idea of the size of the subject within the frame. Composition Tip 5: How Are the Elements Spaced? It's rare to find neat and orderly arrangements of elements in nature. Varying the space between the elements in your composition, the angles they lie at, and their sizes makes a painting more interesting.

Composition Tip 6: Is There Unity? Do the elements in the painting's composition feel they belong together, or are they separate bits that just happen to be in the same painting? Composition Tip 7: Is There Variety? Don't get stuck in a rut and use the same composition all the time, no matter how successful it is. Vary where you put the horizon line, where you put the focal point, swap between portrait (vertical) and landscape (horizontal) shaped canvases.