Composition Rules
We call them rules but they are more like suggestions. We've seen the popular Rule of Thirds. Other compositional guidelines include:
Leading lines
Symmetry
Framing
Leading Lines Lines in the composition lead the audience's eye through the scene. This is helpful to highlight something specific. It could be the main character in the story you want to tell, a destination people are going to, etc. |  |
 | Symmetry Objects are mirrored across a vertical or horizontal axis. The objects don't have to be the exact same thing. This is helpful to give a scene a feeling of balance. For example, if there is something on the left, there is something of similar size and shape on the right. |
Framing Adds a frame to the scene you are drawing. This is allows you to add depth to the story you are telling. For example, you can add more context and details to the scene you are drawing. Sometimes framing can be used to tell a story within a story. |  |
There are other composition rules or guidelines as well; these ones are a starting point in terms of your composition toolkit.
Exercise: tell a story with one of the other composition guidelines
In the video you learned and practiced with the rule of thirds.
Now, take one of the other composition rules we mentioned above and try to create a story around your subject using one of these composition rules.
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Symmetry
You can also combine these composition rules to have a stronger impact or more control in terms of the story you want to tell.
Exercise: tell a story by combining multiple composition guidelines
Take two or more composition rules and use them together to tell a story. Feel free to take others you find on the internet as well.
If you want, you can take the drawing you made in the previous exercise, and use it as a starting point for your idea of your new drawing.
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Symmetry + Leading Lines
Ultimately, which rule (or rules) you use for your drawing depends on the story you want to tell.
Layering your compositions
To go along with the composition guidelines listed above, we can also layer our compositions. In the video we defined composition as where we put different things in the scene. We can split the area in the scene into different layers:
Foreground closest to the camera or audience
Midground often this is where the action happens, where the focus of the story is, but as always it depends on the story you want to tell
Background furthest from the camera or audience
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Little Red Riding Hood visiting her grandmother
Depending on what you have drawn already, you may have already been including these layers.
Later in your art journey, after lots of practice and learning, you may become familiar and fully comfortable with full 3-dimensional space. You can place and change the view point of the audience in a full 3D scene in your mind at will.
3D view of Little Red Riding Hood scene
However, I admit I do not have this skill yet either. As a beginner, we can approximate this skill with the 3 different layers as if they were props on a movie set. This way, we don't need to worry about imagining every object in full 3D in our heads.
Simplified 3D view of Little Red Riding Hood scene
You can combine the use of these layers with the composition guidelines we mentioned to help tell the story you want to tell.
Breakdown of scene into different layers
Exercise: tell a story by combining composition guidelines with layers
Take one or more composition rules and tell a story, except this time plan out what you want to include in your foreground, midground and background.
Drawing using multiple composition rules
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Breakdown of composition rules used
If you want, you can take the drawing you made in the previous exercise, and use it as inspiration for a starting point for your idea of your new drawing.
Learning from references
Similar to our lesson on basic shapes, we can use references to learn and improve. This time, we can reference artistic photographs, other drawings or paintings, or movie scenes to learn how other artists create their compositions.
But remember to document your references. It's good to give credit where due, and also let future you know where you picked up a reference in case you want to use it again weeks, months or years later.
ThumbnailingBefore we end the lesson on composition, I'd like to leave you with a tip on thumbnails. Here we mean small, simple versions of the scene you are drawing.  Experimenting with "falling in love" By creating small thumbnails first, you can quickly test how different compositions look to see how well they would do in telling the story you want to tell (and how cool your drawing might be). I would recommend fast and loose sketches when you are making thumbnails. I usually only use basic shapes to indicate where different things are in the scene. Typically I spend roughly 1 minute on each one, or less, depending on how quickly I figure out that composition doesn't work for what I am trying to do. However, your speed may vary. |
Understanding composition allows you to extend the fun you are having with basic shapes to full drawings that fill the page, complete paintings, comics, and more.
Here are a few examples of stories told through my 1000 paintings. My paintings do make use of value and colour; these are the lessons that follow after this one.
"Going to work before the dawn."
206. Before the dawn
"A memorable dream I had that spanned days where we lived in the distant future, above the clouds."
215 - 225. 10000 years in the future
Why I like art and made this tutorial series is because: when you learn how to make art you will find that the sky isn't the limit, your imagination is.
226. Beyond the sky
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