CompositionUsing the

“Rule of Thirds” to achieve an aesthetically pleasing drawing for the viewer.

Composition

• means “putting together” and can apply to other things than drawing

• organization of the elements of art according to the principles of design

• Use the “Rule of Thirds” to help aide in your composition decisions.

Rule of Thirds: The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both

horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts.

Rule of Thirds

aligning a subject with these points

creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the

subject would

Compositional rule in the visual arts

image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts

by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced

vertical lines

important compositional

elements should be placed along these

lines or their intersections

Rule of Thirds Examples

Rule of Thirds Examples

Consider…

Where am I intentionally placing

my points of interest?

What are the points of interest in this

picture?Breaking the rule can result in some striking

pictures… once you’ve learned it, experiment with

purposely breaking it to see what you

discover.

Keep the rule of thirds in mind as you

compose your artwork later on… cropping

and reframing images so that they fit within

the rules.

Sketchbook Assignment

3. Get a ruler and measure the sides and divide by 3,

drawing lines with a marker to create a 9

square grid.

1. Choose a magazine to find

pictures you might like.

2. Find 3 pictures that the composition

uses the Rule of Thirds successfully.

5. Tape or glue your your images into your

sketchbook.

Sketchbook DUE: Try to finish your Rule of

Thirds Sketchbook assignment by the end

of class today or tomorrow. Due Friday.

4. Repeat this for all 3 images.