Transcript COMPOSITION DISCUSSION - Smith's Hill High School

What is it?
Why does it matter?
How do I do it well?
COMPOSITION
What is Composition?
Why does Composition
matter?
 Does
it matter where you place objects in
an artwork?
 Notes in a piece of music?
 Words on a page?
What makes an effective
Composition?
Does
it convey the feelings,
ideas, and emotions the artist
wants the viewer to understand?
Does the viewer see what the
artist wants them to see?
Are there things that distract
from the message and meaning
of the artwork?
Artists often
make
multiple
sketches in
order to get
the most
effective
composition
possible.
Good art requires careful
planning.
First thing to think about is
BALANCE
Why is balance important? Is it a good
idea to have balance?
We create balance by manipulating
“visual weight”.
What is “visual weight?
 It
is the ability to “draw the eye”. Something
that is more noticeable has more “visual
weight”. The more we want to look at
something the more “visual weight” it has.
“Mass” can cause visual
weight.
Unusual or bright colors can
cause “visual weight”.
Unusual or isolated shapes
can cause “visual weight” too.
Ask yourself, what do I notice first?
Placement causes “visual
weight”.
 Things
placed
right in the center
attract our eye.
 Anything
that
touches the edge
attract our eye.
Subject matter also creates
“visual weight”. Humans usually
prefer to look at:
 …other
humans!
…
animals next
A GOOD ART
WORK NEEDS A
“FOCAL POINT”!
WHAT’S THAT?
It is the area that “draws the eye” first.
To make sure the viewer sees
what you want them to see,
you can:
 Create
the greatest
contrast at the
focal point.
 Have
less detail or
blur the area around
the focal point.
Artists often use the
“RULE OF THE THIRDS”!
Things that
are placed on
the line of the
“thirds” or the
intersecting
points tend to
be good
places to put
things.
Why not place an object in
the exact center???
That’s what the viewer will focus on first.
Think about your
“EYE PATH”. This
leads your eye on a
journey through and
around an artwork.
Notice how the eye flows from the
focal point to other areas of interest
and stays in the art work.
THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR:

Too much negative space. Fill the picture!
 But
don’t overwhelm the viewer with too
much stuff.
 Don’t
have objects sit on the bottom of
your paper or canvas – it looks very
“Primary School”!
 If
you go off
the page on
one side you
might want to
balance by
going off the
page on the
opposite side.
 Be
aware of inconsistencies in perspective and
scale.
LASTLY: Is there anything
distracting in your composition?