Blondheim Art Original Paintings

Lake Prevatt Oaks
12x16 inches
oil on panel

See my paintings HERE

Art Notes Blog HERE


Painters Tip

Composing

This is my favorite method of composing.

I like to paint the basic thirds of the painting and use the four sweet spots to decide where I will place the major elements of the painting, and where the focal point will go if I have one.






The above rule of thirds on the left shows the four sweet spots which would be most advantageous for the focal area of the painting.

You can see in the right side drawing that I have placed the focal area in the bottom left sweet spot.

At this point I would simply add in the elements like trees, homes, or figures to take advantage of these best places in the composition to draw the viewer to them. The lines are painting with a thin wash so they are easy to cover over. This also helps you avoid horizon lines in the middle of your composition.

The right side illustration is just a shortcut in the composition without drawing in all of the lines.


There are other ways to compose a painting. Some instructors form an X through the canvas with two lines, telling students to avoid the crossed lines in the center. I much prefer using the rule of thirds as a tool for good composition.