Composition In Painting

Composition is a very important aspect of the painting process. It's a very conscious construction, sort of a left-brain thing, that allows you to put things together in an effective manner. The term composition literary means - putting together.

In painting, composition stands for the arrangement of the elements and how they relate to each other to create a whole.

Even a lay person can notice a strong or a weak composition. Paintings with strong composition appear appealing, balanced and pleasing. Badly composed paintings look awkward, to say the least.

If you want to say what you want to say with your paintings, you will have to learn how to say it. It's important to learn how to align the various components so that they will produce the best results.

Here is a brief video that will nicely explain the basic principles of composition:



For more details on Ian Roberts's Mastering Composition book click HERE

What's important in composition? Many things: focal point, the number of elements, color, motion, proportion, harmony, repetition, line, balance, fluidity, contrast, and so on. It's important to remember that composition leads the eye of the viewer around the painting.

To learn more about composition and other aspects of painting, take a look at Learn & Master Painting.