1. Rules of Composition How to create a good work of art through composition

2. What is Composition?  Composition - the organization, arrangement and combination of objects within the borders of a drawing space.  You want to bring the eyes of the viewer toward your center of interest with a good composition.  Focal Point – A primary center of interest (or focus) in a drawing.

3. No Bullseye  Place your main subject off center.  Having your focal point in the CENTER of your composition creates a bullseye.  To balance the composition, place a lesser important element to fill the void.

5. Rules of Thirds  Place the subject near one of the lines that would divide the image into three equal columns and rows  This keeps the subject from dividing the picture in half.

9. Leading Line  Used to bring the eye deeper into a picture.  Use Straight, curved, parallel, or diagonal lines.

11. Rule of Odds  Images are more visually appealing when there is an odd number of subjects.

12. Placing Elements  Varying the space between the elements in your composition, the angles they lie at, and their sizes makes a painting more interesting.  Elements must either be definitely apart or definitely overlapped. “Just touching” distracts the viewer’s eye from moving around the composition.

14. Overlapping  Overlapping objects, or placing some objects over (or in front of) other, unifies a drawing, enhances depth of field, and creates a good composition.