COMPOSITION STRATEGIES IN YOUR ARTWORK

Use these questions to help you identify composition issues.

COMPOSITION: (the organisation of objects within a space)

How have the objects been arranged?

What were the decisions behind placing the objects where they are?

Is there a focal point?

Is there anything in the background?

Is the background busy or empty?

Is the background light or dark?

SPACE/DEPTH (how is the illusion of depth created?)

What is in the background, mid ground and foreground?

Is there any negative space?

Has the whole composition been filled?

Does the image have a sense of shallow space or deep space?

Do the objects overlap to create a sense of space?

SCALE AND PROPORTION:

Is there a dominant object or viewpoint

Is there an element that stands out more than other elements?

Are all the areas of the composition given the same treatment (or equal weight?)

LINE:

Are there any leading lines?

Is there a horizon line?

What sort of lines have you used?

Are the lies straight, vertical, horizontal, parallel?

VIEWPOINT:

Have you enlarged foreground objects to make the viewer appear closer?

Are the objects the same size as the view?

Where is the viewer standing or looking?

Is the view above the composition, looking down?

Is the viewer looking straight on at the composition?

SYMBOLISM:

What do the objects or subject matter symbolise?

How does the subject matter work together (what are the relationships)

COMPOSITION METHODS (DEVICES TO SHOW DEPTH AND PERSPECTIVE)

Using cropping and overlapping of objects

Subject matter dominating the space (filling the composition)

Use of negative space (space around objects)

Different viewpoint – frontal, birds eye (looking down from above), side view, tilted

Object receding, getting smaller in size,

Using tone to make objects have form or appear 3D

Aerial perspective (objects/subject matter fading in tone as it goes further into distance)

Lighter tones in foreground darker tones in background (takes viewers eyes to background)

Angle of objects linking foreground, mid-ground and background

Use of warm colours in foreground and cool colours in background