Composition Overview with Jane Davies 1

Transcription

1 Composition Overview with Jane Davies 1 Composition is one of the more elusive aspects of art. What makes a good composition? Each artist answers that question differently and has an individual way of using compositional elements and principles. There really are no rules about composition, which is part of what makes it so difficult to grasp. However, by looking at the overall needs of a composition, and then exploring elements and principles of composition, we can begin to make better choices about how a piece of art can hang together better. Unity and Variety I consider the principles of unity and variety to be fundamental to composition. Balancing these two principles is subjective, and totally up to the artist. Unity A composition that looks right generally looks unified, and all the elements hang together as a whole rather that looking is if they are thrown together haphazardly. However, take the principle of unity too far, and you ve got a very boring piece of art*. That is where variety comes in. Variety Unless you want your art to be very static and possibly boring, you need some variety. You can create variety in almost any aspect of a piece: color, shape, size of elements, values light to dark and so forth. A piece can have a lot of variety, but without some sense of unity, it looks like an accidental jumble of elements*. *A side note: A piece of art may be boring or haphazard on purpose. You may choose how to balance unity and variety, or choose not to balance them. Meaning takes many forms, and I don t mean to prescribe how your composition should look. I only mean to articulate some ways of thinking about composition. One person s boring can be another person s meditative, for example. Secondary Principles of Composition Beyond unity and variety there are many other principles that come into play. A few that I find useful to consider are: Movement and rhythm Balance symmetry and asymmetry Proportion sizes of elements relative to each other and to the substrate Focal area an area that commands more attention than the rest of the piece

2 Composition Overview with Jane Davies 2 So where do you begin? There are so many choices, you have to narrow it down. Here are a few ways to approach composition: 1. Make random marks on the substrate until a composition begins to emerge. This can include drawing, painting, or collage. It helps to narrow down your I began this page in my sketchbook by dripping India ink, and then making related lines in watercolor pencil. materials, colors, or other parameters. Then I 9illed in some of the shapes with acrylic paint to anchor the composition and bring it into focus. This is a sketchbook page, not meant to be a 9inished piece.

3 Composition Overview with Jane Davies 3 2. Play with the main collage elements until they look right. This approach works well if you have specific elements you want to use. You can do this in little thumbnail sketches in your sketchbook as I did here: 3. Choose a piece of your own artwork, scan it, and then create several different close-up cropped images from it. Choose one (or more) as the basis for a new composition. This piece is 9 x9 encaustic on paper. I made several crops in Photoshop before choosing one as inspiration for a painting.

4 Composition Overview with Jane Davies This is the crop I used as inspiration. This piece is acrylic and drawing on paper, 22 x30, in progress. Note that I am not trying to replicate the above image, but rather using it as a point of departure. 4

5 Composition Overview with Jane Davies 5 4. Another approach to composition is to begin with a determined format. These are like compositional clichés that resonate, and are therefore used over and over again. Here are some examples: Grid A grid is characterized by the use of squares and rectangles in more or less vertical and horizontal orientation. Many gridbased compositions contain other shapes, but the placement reflects the checkerboard format. Abstract Landscape Any abstract composition that suggests landscape features can be called an abstract Landscape. As a format, I define it by a prominent horizon line, or at least a feature that reads horizon.

6 Composition Overview with Jane Davies 6 Cruciform The cruciform consists four arms that radiate to the edges of the page on horizontal and vertical axes. This forms four quadrants in the corners. Varying the width of the arms and the sizes and proportions of the quadrants can help make this format interesting. Opposing Forces This format consists of two masses in opposition to one another. In the piece below the upper and lower dark sections seem to be moving towards each other, but not touching.

7 Composition Overview with Jane Davies 7 Medallion This format consists of a central shape or area as the main element. It does not have to be right dead center. Repeating Shape Though in many compositions you will use repetition of shape, this format has the repeating shape as its main focus.

8 Composition Overview with Jane Davies 8 Stripes Stripes or striations can be vertical or horizontal. You can vary the width of the stripes as well as their colors, patterns, values, etc. You can also incorporate some hard edges as well as soft, torn edges. This may be a great place to start! The Composition Check List If your piece is working for you, and looks right, then do not worry about the composition. However, if it is not absolutely SINGING to you and you can t quite put your finger on what s missing, here are a few questions you can ask yourself: 1. Is there a focal area? Does your eye naturally come to rest in one area, or are there several eye-catching areas competing for attention? If there is no focal area, there are several ways to create one. An area will command your attention if it has: High contrasts of color or value Bright color relative to the surrounding area Prominent texture relative to the surrounding area Shapes that are unlike the rest of the piece Characteristics, that contrast in some way with the rest of the piece If several areas are competing for attention, then try covering one or more of them with paint, collage, or paint glazes, and see what that does to the composition. It is hard to cover gorgeous areas of a piece, but sometimes it is necessary in order for the piece to hang together and not be to busy.

9 Composition Overview with Jane Davies 9 2. Are the elements too much the same? If you have repeated elements in order to create rhythm or unity, but still the piece is looking a little static, maybe your elements are too much the same. Try varying color, value, size, or shape, even just slightly. This can make an otherwise boring composition into an interesting and dynamic one. 3. Is there a color hanging out on its own somewhere that doesn t seem to belong? If there is a color that doesn t seem integrated into your composition, repeat the same color somewhere else on the page, in a much smaller amount (or in a much larger amount!). For example, if your focal area features a gorgeous bright red, and the rest of the piece is more muted, try putting just a hint of that bright red in one or two other places. 4. Does your piece look too heavy or static? If your piece does not seem to move your eye anywhere at all, maybe it is too symmetrical. Is your focal area right in the center? Are your main areas of the page divided along a central axis? Are your elements too evenly distributed? Sometimes you need unevenness or asymmetry to bring a composition into balance in a more interesting way. 5. Where does your eye move? Does it seem to stop abruptly at some point? Extending a line, shape, or color all the way to the edge of the page can sometimes create a more satisfying sense of movement. Even the slightest repetition of a color at the edge can achieve this. As I mentioned in the beginning, these are not hard and fast rules about making good compositions. If you create a piece that feels right to you, then it is right. It may not have a focal area, or variation of shapes, or repetition of color, or any of the above characteristics. There is no recipe for good composition, only ways of thinking about it that can help you articulate your own ideas and sensibility. Have fun exploring!