Because i thought my last posts were very short ;) i am making a longer one today.
So here is a little post about some basic rules in composition to sort of summarize all of the things you've been hearing me say for the past two weeks. With some ....very super short ...addons :) I don't claim to know everything and what i know is not mastered yet, hell i feel like a hack most of the time. But either way, here is a breakdown of what i have gathered about composition.
This are basic things to follow. When you start mastering them, you will be able to create more complex compositions and images and you will also be able to break these so called rules. But in order to break them you first need to control the basics. Same goes for anatomy or any subject. If you want to create crazy vehicules you need to understand how existing vehicles are made. If you want to create cool or stylized or awesome creatures and characters, you need to first master human anatomy for example.
So think of these rules ....as suggestions. These technics of composition are just one solution among many. They will help you create a more successful image, faster and easier.
The foundation of composition is, in my opinion, a matter of relationships between the shapes that form your image. And by creating an interesting arrangement of these shapes, you will force the eyes of the viewer to travel around the canvas. Then end goal being this: Manipulate the viewer and control his eye movement !
I like simplifying or breaking down those relationships like this :
-Placement of elements in my image between themselves and the frame
-Shape of elements
-Scale of elements
And then when you get better at painting... add values and color :
-Value of elements
-Color of elements
-Cast shadows of elements
-Edges of elements
The simplest composition template is the rule of thirds.
A-Rule of Thirds:
Some people like being fancy and talk about the golden ratio and golden spirale. I used to as well, but i quickly realized it can be really close to the rule of thirds.
For me, the rule of thirds is not a template to follow exactly but something more approximative.
Look at this musician here. His placement is almost on the third vertical division right. But his shape breaks up, and has some parts that are really far out that third division. See ? So it is not an exact thing to follow but just a guide. His face could be perfectly fitted in the intersection of the two third lines. Horizontal and vertical. But that would mean cutting his right hand by lowering the guy. Same for the tip of the guitar...it could arrive at the intersection on the right side but it falls short. And it still works pretty well. So its not something we as artists have to follow blindly. But just something to help us make our choices quickly and with confidence.
Now look at this temple.
See the golden spiral ? Where it coils up ? It is supposed to be the perfect placement of your focus point.
Until you become better and want to explore more.
The Rule of Thirds functions pretty well, because it makes one element of your image be more important than the rest. This creates contrast and that contrast attracts the eye of the viewer.
Why do we avoid placing our elements in the center or perfectly symmetrical ?
Because it lowers the contrast and the visual interest.
Actually you could divide an image in more than thirds, as long as you create an appealing contrast. But ...the rule of thirds is not everything, eventually you will be able to create solid compositions with values and or color alone.
B-Values in composition:
Try applying the rule of thirds to your value arrangement as well !
I like simplifying my values in three from the start, Darker, Mid Grey and Lighter. And i try to treat them as composition elements and have a rule of third dictate their ratio in my image. One of those values has to dominate the other two.
Look at this painting by the great Justin Sweet.
Can you tell me how the values are organized here ? I would say that the value covering the most space here is a dark value. Then we have mid greys in second position and then in third, the smallest area is covered by the lighter values. One, two three. Rule of thirds applied to values to create a composition.
You can even use this for depth...you can have a background be mainly light values. Then the midground, made of grey values, and then the foreground darker values.
Again as in the placement of your elements, any arrangement of values would work as long as you follow the simple pattern. Making an image interesting and easy to read, with depth and nice contrast.
Conclusion: Guide the eye with your value arrangements. Direct the viewer by creating interesting and well balanced value compositions. Add the most value contrast on your focus point.
C-Color in composition:
Check this kickassery by Cornwell. Holy crap, so simple but it works.
I feel really compeled to check the red scarf on the neck of the cowboy on the left. He is looking straight at the other dude with the tie...the tie is red but less intense...but it makes a connection with the two subjects....this guy on the right is also wearing a green suit.... green and red....color theory anyone ? Observe how his tie and his suit have touches of colors that are a reminder of the surrounding colors of the background : Blue and the sort of ochre Yellow. Check how both heads are aligned with the nice blue structure behind the. Helping you move between them.
Ok so let's continue .... because there is more. Now the guy with the tie is looking at the prisoner, and this is fucking awesome....the prisoner's hat has a really nice and saturated yellow right next to that blue!.....Color theory anyone ?
That is just fucking genius. And i am just checking the colors here. But this image, if turned to black and white, will drive your eyesight all the same. More on that later.
Let's continue on colors here with a Jon Foster image. I love this guy, he uses crazy colors and weird compos.
On this image you mostly have a cold hue all over. Thats your main HUE. Or color if you prefer. But just where you are supposed to look, bam ! Juicy warm hotness all over the focus point. And with color contrast and saturation contrast. The face of the kid is pretty warm and saturated but his hair is not, and his jacket is very saturated as well. Stay with me people ;) now check his sleeves...yellows-oranges and blues...color contrast creates COLOR VIBRATION and attracts your eye....that yellow and that blue or could it be just a nice grey that looks blue next to a warm hue of the yellow ? Holy crap, i 'll avoid that subject because that is for a painting class. But just notice and be aware of that for now. So to resume, cold hues and warm hues guiding your eyes here. Again there is much more to this image than that, but i dont want to lose you even more ;) So i will stop here with this.
Another little example with our digital painting forefather, Craig Mullins.
Very quickly, check were are the most intense, and saturated colors. How about the area with most value contrast ? And shape contrast?
Conclusion: Guide the eye with color contrast. Direct the viewer with contrasting hues and contrasting saturation. Add the most color contrast on your focus point.
D-Strength Lines:
Now lets talk about one of the most important aspects of an image: Strenght Lines !
Or directional lines or implied lines or whatever you want to call them. I think this might be my favorite composition topic.
Lets grab the Cornwell image again. In black and white and see our reading direction.
Now check the placement of elements around tie guy. He is the only character that has a almost fully visible archway, BUT he has a window and on top of the window is a piece sticking out of the roof and on his right, on the roof, a pot.
This is to balance the image and to guide your eye towards these areas so that your eye doesnt get lost with the bare background. The pot is also there to stop you from leaving and forcing you to go back down to the guy and start the loop again.
Cornwell again. I love this guy, i just bought a book of his work thanks to kickstarter.
Super simple image right? Now scroll down and look at the lines i traced on top.
What do you think ? He goes so far with his shapes, that you are trapped and cant go out. Forever in the visual loop he has imposed on you.
But that's not all strenght lines do. They also re-enforce focal points. You have heard me say this a lot: "Look at me !" While i trace a red line in an image right ? Well this is it.
Jon Foster again. I do not know who started this, i suspect it was Phil Hale. Another amazing artist. But yea these weird flying compos with robotic stuff shooting at the main focus was a thing these two did a couple of years back.
Conclusion: Guide the eye with strenght lines. Direct the viewer with the main lines of your image, create interesting visual loops that lead to your main focus point(s).
Almost done guys, just one more tiny chapter. EDGES. This one is one of the most overlooked aspects of painting with the "magic grey" i mentioned when checking a previous image with the kid.
E-Edges:
I think nobody or very few digital artists think about Edges. I am bringing back Justin Sweet here.
I just have 2 questions....where are the sharpest edges? And where can we find the most edge contrast in the picture?
And here ? Are the sharpest edges on the background ? Or where Richard Schmid wants you to look?
Conclusion: Guide the eye with edges. Your focus point should have the most contrast in terms of edges. Usually use the sharpest edges on your focus point...but sometimes you can do the opposite too. Why should there be super sharp edges in a place with low importance in your image right ? So simple yet nobody really pays attention.
So imagine if you mix it all up ? It's up to you. Explore and test, have fun. That is the key to learning and progressing. Treating your personal work as a ....laboratory of sorts. Stop thinking about what are people going to say when i post this ? Is this going to be successful? I need a job ! Haha! Don't sabotage your fun with doubt and fear.
Also all these rules can be broken and bent. Just this week i found at least 5 paintings that break away from all that i ve been telling you ! But they were done by masters.
Ok so now your brains are melted and you want to kill yourselves.
Follow this advice, consistently and rigorously, and you WILL become very good at composition.
1-Read every day one post of this :
http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.ca/search/label/Composition
With focus and intension. Analyse the images, when there are images to be analysed.
2-Read every day one post of this :
http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.ca/search/label/Perspective
With focus and intension. Analyse the images, when there are images to be analysed.
3-Choose one painting of a master painter ( old, traditional media ), that blows you away. And observe it, and analyse each and every aspect that we have in this post. Do this at least once a week.
4-Choose one painting of a modern digital painter ( contemporary, our industry ), that blows you away. And observe it, and analyse each and every aspect that we have in this post. Do this at least once a week.
5-Take photos at least once a week, take a bunch of pictures, think about every aspect of composition that we have reviewed here.
Learning takes forever, and when you finally climb that mountain, you'll just realize there is a bigger one just in front of you.
We will review this in class before the next assignement ;) But in here you have enough regarding composition.
