MTM Classroom: Composition

**Snuzin Susan** · #1 06-01-2009, 01:51 AM

Welcome to the
“Composition”
MTM (Member-to-member) Classroom

You will find the classroom host list and guidelines here:
MTM Classroom Host List and Guidelines.

Hi all! Time to start a new Classroom Session...and I’m sure it’s on everyone’s favorite subject, ‘Composition!’ I personally really enjoy composition and reading up on it, so I hope I can turn you onto it as well. Composition can be discussed and fought over endlessly, but I hope I can show you some basic techniques, reenforce what you already know, and maybe teach you something new!

First of all I’d like to give you a few good links for basics.
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Articles2/8254/701/ This discusses corners
http://www.wetcanvas.com/ArtSchool/C...gIt/index.html Positive/negative space and balance
http://www.wetcanvas.com/Articles2/135/120/ And my personal favorite. I’ve re-read this article at least ten times. And though it deals with landscapes these basic principles can apply to any painting.

Now I’m not just going shove links down your throats I promise! First of all I’d like to do a brief overview of some very basic composition rules. I’ll try to do a new rule every other day to keep things moving without overloading you all at once.

1)The Rule of Thirds is what I consider the Golden Rule of Composition. If in doubt divide your sketch into thirds both horizontally and vertically. Where the lines lay is a visually pleasing section to lay your center of interest. Where they cross is like the sweet spot. This tends to create more visual tension and interest in your piece. The viewer has to 'think' about why the composition works instead of just placing something dead in the center. Which brings us to our first No-No Rule. Since rules were meant to be broken, artists and photographers are taking practice in this all the time, but I don't suggest it until you are very comfortable with composition. So No-No Rule #1: Nothing Dead Center! Back to Rule of Thirds...Here is an example:

I took this picture taken by our own Patrick Hedges and applied the Rule of Thirds to it roughly. As you can see the point of interest hits pretty nicely on our lines, and the head is very close to the crossing point. Also the motion and angle of the tiger leads the eye very nicely through the picture but never out. Good job Patrick!

Now I’ll use my own photo to show you bad composition as it applies to our Golden Rule. Here is an example:

My subject (my evil dog Rufus) is dead center. Only a bit of him is on the lines, and isn’t even the correct one. There are no visual elements to keep the viewer interested either. Just a bad photo...but it can be corrected since as an artist we have that sort of leeway with our works.

So your first homework assignment is to take my photo Rufus and crop it in a way that fits into the rule of thirds (and any other composition techniques you know) then tell us the reasoning behind your crop.

Also if anyone has an really good or bad examples of composition feel free to post them and just let us know what you feel is good or bad about them. I think with multiple examples it is easier to a grasp on concepts.

Hope all is well with everyone!

-Susan

Kathrin G. · #2 06-01-2009, 05:59 AM

Good Morning teacher

I brought chocolate cookies, donuts and muffins

plus plenty coffee because I am intending of listening in closely to this class. I got no idea at all on any rules of composition, so got lots to learn

Here my attempt at a crop. I would probably place a ball, toy or maybe a food bowl into the lower right area. Just my idea, dont ask me why tho

Flopka · #3 06-01-2009, 08:45 AM

I had to stare at that first photo, though, to figure out exactly what it IS (a tiger). It is an interesting photo, but I wonder if it is a good choice to illustrate composition with.

Maybe that is another, separate subject - sometimes I come across interesting photos in my collection which, although they're pretty cool as photos, wouldn't necessarily make good reference photos for a painting. (although maybe I am being too conventional...)

MadWickedStiner · #4 06-01-2009, 10:36 AM

Here is my composition addition! Please excuse the bad photoshop job!

*dee* · #5 06-01-2009, 10:47 AM

Woot! I'll play!

I put Rufus' eyes at roughly the top-right intersection, his chest at the bottom-right and the cooler at the top-left (which I might consider turning into a rock or maybe a torn-up boot

).

The only painting I've done while consciously taking the "Golden Rule" into consideration is "Beach Beastie". And I'm not sure how well I succeeded in following it.

Sorry about the small size...guess it got resized at some point.

This painting started out as an abstract, and took on a weird life of its own.

**noodle1** · #6 06-01-2009, 10:58 AM

Morning S.Susan,

I'm gonna take a seat next to Kathrin (she brought food..haha) and listen intently. Thank you so very much for doing this. I will be making every effort to take part. As far as cropping Rufus I'd probably be more interested in the face rather then any of the background so I'd crop him closer but like the wood and would leave the cooler probably because of the color and the idea that he's waiting to "get going", think the cooler suggests something other then just sitting at attention, but just me...LOL

Elaine

OkeeKat · #7 06-01-2009, 11:35 AM

Hi Susan, great pics, This is one class I need to realy learn!!

seems we all have similar ideas of cropping.
I did two as I love to do closeups!

Attachment 440497
Attachment 440498

IanArt · #8 06-01-2009, 11:45 AM

Here is my try. I rather like composition too......well....lets just call it a love hate realtionship.

**Snuzin Susan** · #9 06-01-2009, 12:58 PM

Wow! I wasn't expecting so many so soon. This is exciting!

Kathrin-Your crop is very successful. You have his body on one of the vertical lines and his eyes at an intersection. You are right to listen to your gut about placing something in the lower right. This creates balance to the piece. We'll discuss that in a later rule. Nice Job!

Flopka-Yes sometimes good photos don't make good paintings, and vice versa. But we can learn from the composition that applies universally to both!

MadWickedStiner-Nice job. You've placed him nicely on a line and intersection point. Nice job on taking out the cooler, which again is part of another rule later on dealing with too many objects in a scene.

Dee-Nice and simple but works well. Your crop has great balance between the dog and cooler and you've followed the Rule of Thirds well in both your crop and in your painting. Nice! (Torn up boot would befit him better

)

Elaine-I really like your crop. It is intimate, yet fits well. And keeps the attention on the subject, while the wood helps lead our eye to Rufus. Great job!

Kathie-Two crops! Yay! Your first one is conventional, follows the rule, and looks very pleasing to the eye. your second one is a bit different, but does have a bit of tension that makes me think. I might shift him down and and over to the left a little bit because of a later rule referred to as 'kissing' but as far as fitting the Golden rule it works well!

Ian-Glad to have you along because your paintings absolutely demand a good thought to composition with all the flowers and the placement of your birds. Eyes on the horizontal line and his body framed well with the two verticals. I might shave a bit off the bottom because it feels bit top heavy, but it looks nice!

Great job everyone. I'm so glad for the enthusiasm. I think one way to learn is def. from our mistakes, so if you have any old paintings that you think your composition skills took on a mind of their own (and you feel comfortable sharing them of course) Post them and let us know what you could have done differently. I'll go first!

Its not acrylic but it still proves a point. I did this about 4 years ago. Subject is like basically dead center. Nothing of interest on the lines or intersections. And it is very left side heavy, with nothing really on the right to pull the viewers eyes around the painting. Thankfully I've learned from this mistake. To fix this I would crop it like this:

This fixes the major mistakes thankfully!

Keep it up everyone. Next Rule will be on Balance!

-Susan

dances_with_oils · #10 06-01-2009, 01:29 PM

I'll bite too with the following:

Close crop, take out the background, flip the image and posterize it.

*dee* · #11 06-01-2009, 01:33 PM

I've got two that if I had to do over, I'd do differently....

Its smack-dab in the center...if I had off-set the bowl to the right and extended the grapes further to the left...and maybe put some small point of interest on the top-left intersection, it would have been better.

The other...

(Dang, another stupid resized pic...grrr, why did I do that?)

I think a little closer crop, putting her eyes nearer the top-right intersection would have been an improvement.

susme48 · #12 06-01-2009, 03:40 PM

Well...today is not going as it was supposed to...had this crop ready about 3 hrs ago...sigh. I feel like unplugging the phones!! Wonder if you can unplug children?

Gonna skip commenting on all...everyone should get an A!

I pulled up 5 threads this morning at 9 to look at...and it is now 2:15...and I am here on the 3rd one...sigh!!

Here's what I did...have a migraine, so my creativity is not the best.

Let me post this...then I will go to mistakes...

Attachment 440522
First the lines...then without...
Attachment 440521
Sort of a "I'm done with my toys...now it is time to eat!!" Said with attitude?

Kathrin G. · #13 06-01-2009, 04:08 PM

love it Susan

A+++++++

IanArt · #14 06-01-2009, 05:04 PM

Here is an older one of mine. I find that it is a nice piece but the composition is very boring.

Not sure how I would fix it.....I am kind of out of space and with this pose and the tightness of the painting there is not much area for fixing.

Ian

susme48 · #15 06-01-2009, 06:59 PM

Most of my flops, I just sat asideand have never really anylized what went wrong. But here goes....This is my very first painting. I had done some digital art, and read some books....so I had a bit of an idea on having an odd number of 'objects' and using blues to add distance. I had no idea on foliage needing lights, darks, and midtones...or on dividing it up.

Here is the original....

Attachment 440566

Then the digitally altered, maybe fixed one?

Attachment 440565

This one I fought with for months...mainly because the composition forum, said it was never gonna work (it is never a good idea to tell me I cannot do something....

). So this one has before and after photos...and you can tell me if I made it better or not. It is on canvas paper, and weighs more than any of my canvases even those on stretchers and is almost 1/4" thick with paint....

Attachment 440570
This is the first one....
Attachment 440568
This is what I finished with...
Attachment 440569
This one has a touch of digital alteration....not sure if it makes it any better or not....

Be back later!! Gotta go to town for a few!

I see one of mine shrunk too...hmmm. Guess it must be that kind of day at WC.

Salute to our Partners