Composing a Landscape

\ is composition?
What

Deciding what you show

and where you will place
things in your image.
Where to place important things
in your composition
 Farther away Fuzzier Lighter

SCALE, PROPORTION DETAILS VALUE

Appear Closer More Detail Darker

Size, Scale & Proportion
 Emphasis
The artist emphasized the
HIGHLIGHTED area with a big
value difference to contrast
with the dark area. Also, lines
were used to draw your eye’s
attention there.

In your composition, the

FOCAL POINT is where your
eye gets drawn to first!

Edward Hopper,
Night Shadows, plate
etching 1921
Focal Point

In your composition, the FOCAL POINT is where your eye gets

drawn to first!
Proportion:
The way one part
relates to a whole-

When drawing a face, it is important to

understand the relationship between the
different parts of the face.
The ‘rule’ of thirds:
• Not really a rule, more of a guideline for composing your work.
• Break up your page into three sections horizontally, three vertically.
• The intersection of the lines is where there ought to be visual ‘action’.
Even non-representational compositions can
use these rules!
Even non-representational
(abstract) compositions
can use these rules!
Rabatment:
• Another method for finding the best placement of a subject within a
picture is to place the “action” within the rabatment of the rectangle.
• This is the perfect square (sides equal to the short side of the
rectangle) found inside any rectangle.
• Rabatment is not a Pokemon, even
though it sounds like one. But if it was,
it would hang out in art museums.
Rabatment:
• Another method for finding the best placement of a subject within a
picture is to place the “action” within the rabatment of the rectangle.
• This is the perfect square (sides equal to the short side of the
rectangle) found inside any rectangle.
• Rabatment is not a Pokemon, even
though it sounds like one.But if it were,
it would hang out in art museums.
 More tips for composition:
• An odd number of objects in an image avoids symmetry and therefore creates more interest.

• Space can be used to suggest the illusion of movement in the viewers mind, for example putting space in front
of a moving object/person.

• Simplification of the subject by good use of light/shade. Lighter areas in a composition draw the eye, as do
lines and color.

• Geometry – triangles are pleasing to the eye, eg; the eyes and mouth in a portrait form a triangle.

• Movement – Good use of the line, space, motion, shapes, tone can keep the eyes moving around the image.

• Your focal point should not be at center of the page, it should lead the viewer all around
your composition.
Paste this
small sheet
onto the
inside of your
journal cover.
Copy the
information
from the
YELLOW journal
entry example
onto page 5 of
journal.
 Landscape
Composition
How do you paint the sun?
 Landscape Composition-

Colors & Techniques to use

Use a minimum of
FIVE watercolor
techniques from
your Journal Entry
on Color- like
‘drop wet-on-wet’,
‘dry-on-dry’,
blotting.. Etc.
Use these colors from
your Color Journal Entry:

1. A complementary color
combination (Mixing 2
opposites together)
2. A color mixed with
white, another with
brown, and one mixed
with black.
Use these colors from
your Color Journal
Entry:

1. Complementary
color combination
(Mixing 2
opposites together)

2. A color mixed
with white,
another with
brown, and one
mixed with black.