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Elements of Composition“The artist does not draw what he sees, but
what he must make others see.” -Edgar Degas
Theodore Gericault
Line & Shape
Alfred Leslie
Theodore Gericault
- Organizational lines create a loose skeleton to build a composition.
- Circular and triangular shapes create closed compositional forms, and can lead the eye by design.
Focal points• Organization of shape and line can create focal points to draw the eye.
Carravaggio
Emphasis• Value changes in color (value/intensity) and lighting (dramatic changes) create visual emphasis.
Emphasis can also be created through compositional placement, and compositional isolation.
Odd Nerdrum
Gustav Klimt
Lighting and color emphasis
Alex Ross Sandy Skoglund
Winslow Homer Jan Vermeer
Emphasis by placement
Norman Rockwell
Jasper Johns Dave McKean
Patterns & Grids• Repetition of shape/line/color/value creates visual pattern.
• Grids are the base of organization in all design.
• A grid can be used to create containment, continuity, and unity.
Amnesty International poster
Grid
Pattern
Gustav KlimtThe above image also
works within a grid.
Louise NevelsonChuck Close
Leo & Dianne Dillon
Visual Rhythm• Visual rhythm is similar to musical rhythm. Multiple units (subjects/shapes/colors/values) are presented in a
deliberate pattern
Marcel Duchamp Gary Kelly
Language and image as poetry
Symmetrical balance• Occurs when shapes are mirrored on either side of an axis. These shapes are most often identical.
Ansel Adams
Albert Paley
Asymmetrical balance• Creates equilibrium among visual elements that do not mirror each other. These shapes are
often dissimilar. Depending on the degree of asymmetry, the resulting design may be stable, dynamic (energetic), or chaotic.
Gary Kelly
Asymmetrical balance
Piet Mondrian
Balance and the psychological effects
• Balance and Imbalance can be used to manipulate a viewer.
Tilting the picture plane, distorting shapes, and utilizing symmetrical or
Asymmetrical design can create organization or chaos.
Eric Fischl Dave McKean
Scale & Proportion• Scale and Proportion greatly effect compositional balance and emotional impact. Proportion
refers to the relative size of visual elements within an image. Scale generally refers to the size of a form when compared with our own human size.
Proportion Thomas Cole
Albert Bierstadt
Scale
Claus Oldenburg Frank Lloyd Wright
Compositional Considerations
• Begin with a grid layout, and abstract basic shapes.
• Look at successful artists and how they design their work.
• Focal point as a start in design.
• Variety of large and small shapes.
• Unity of color, lighting, pattern.
• Balance both positive and negative shapes.• Dominant and sub dominant subjects.
• Check visual balance in starting & mid-way through
Be it realism or abstraction… Painting, Architecture, Graphic Design, Photography, or sculpture…These are the building blocks.
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