Visual composition is an aspect that I find personally can
be easily over looked when producing images, whether they be from life or an
imaginative piece. It’s much easier to go “Hey, that looks alright” then to
analyse and consider every aspect of the image. But this is something that’s
important, as the composition of a piece can make or break certain aspects of
the image, and I personally know is something that I need to actively consider
more thoroughly.
The easiest way to approach this topic would be to break up the subject of composition into its’ key elements, so let’s do that. Firstly let’s approach space, referring to the area around and between objects visualised. This will give off the silhouette of an object, and generally the main focus of a piece depending on the intricacy and interaction of an object with its environment.
Generally, the layout of an image can be subjected to the rule of thirds – This is definitely an aspect I need to consider more, as generally the eye is drawn to the centre of an image which can create a somewhat static and uninteresting image. The idea behind the rule of thirds is that a 3x3 grid is drawn, the intersection of the lines of the grid being where the key visual aspects of an image will be situated. Adjusting the balance and symmetry of an image in this way can create a more dynamic piece.
The easiest way to approach this topic would be to break up the subject of composition into its’ key elements, so let’s do that. Firstly let’s approach space, referring to the area around and between objects visualised. This will give off the silhouette of an object, and generally the main focus of a piece depending on the intricacy and interaction of an object with its environment.
Generally, the layout of an image can be subjected to the rule of thirds – This is definitely an aspect I need to consider more, as generally the eye is drawn to the centre of an image which can create a somewhat static and uninteresting image. The idea behind the rule of thirds is that a 3x3 grid is drawn, the intersection of the lines of the grid being where the key visual aspects of an image will be situated. Adjusting the balance and symmetry of an image in this way can create a more dynamic piece.
The key aim of any image, whether it be a fine art piece or a design, is to simulate a 3D form in a two dimensional medium. This can generally be done through the use of the basic shapes used to create an image – for example cuboids being used to create the angle of the shoulders. With this, the general way to make something appear as though it has that depth is to show at least 3 faces of an object or shape. If not, 3D form can easily be low.
Values are another way in which depth can be created in composition, applying
varying intensity to simulate foreground and background. This is something I
have recently just grasped, however still have trouble with incorporating into my designs due to the observational trickery
of “that’s obviously in dark shadow so let’s make it intense” despite it being
in the far background. It’s all about artistic judgement, and adjusting what we
see to translate in a more effective or visually pleasing way on paper.
Values can also denote materials and textures, adjusting the “specularity” of an object can dictate whether something is shiny or matte, something which can bring life to an image through its application.
An addition element of visual composition is the application of colour. And this will be the last one I touch upon in this post, as this is a super long essay-bearing topic and I’ll save you the eye strain. The use of a large variety of different shades can frankly create a mess, on the verge of cluster-fuck, of visual unappealing proportions. Keeping the hues on a similar scale, but adding a key colour can create a more dynamic and smooth unity within a piece. This can be demonstrated across the years through many fine art masters – for example “Hylas and the Nymphs” by John William Waterhouse, or “Lady Godiva” by John Collier. In addition to this, colours suggest mood, temperatures and can dictate the softness of an image.
Values can also denote materials and textures, adjusting the “specularity” of an object can dictate whether something is shiny or matte, something which can bring life to an image through its application.
An addition element of visual composition is the application of colour. And this will be the last one I touch upon in this post, as this is a super long essay-bearing topic and I’ll save you the eye strain. The use of a large variety of different shades can frankly create a mess, on the verge of cluster-fuck, of visual unappealing proportions. Keeping the hues on a similar scale, but adding a key colour can create a more dynamic and smooth unity within a piece. This can be demonstrated across the years through many fine art masters – for example “Hylas and the Nymphs” by John William Waterhouse, or “Lady Godiva” by John Collier. In addition to this, colours suggest mood, temperatures and can dictate the softness of an image.
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| Hylas and the Nymphs |
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| Lady Godiva |
To sum up what could be an epically long post somewhat cut
short, composition is more complex than one could initially suspect – a lot of
artistic judgement, adjusting and concepting is needed in order to create the most
aesthetically appealing piece – not to mention critically analysing yourself
and your approach. A single misjudgment in colours, values or the composition
could deteriorate an ideas representation. And that would sort of suck.
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