The ABC’s of Composition Series – Part 1 the Rule of Thirds

Part 1 – the Rule of Thirds

Composition is not for the faint at heart lol. It is the foundation of your painting. It is your plan that helps you to execute what you want to say, what experience you want your viewer to have. I am going to do a series about composition mixed in with my articles. I remember years ago when I decided to get serious about painting, I wanted to learn everything there was to know. (I am still learning) I read a book by Ian Roberts called “Mastering Composition” It changed the way I looked at my paintings, the way I planned my paintings. I was both enthralled and annoyed at the same time lol I was so glad to gain the knowledge but now I had to change a lot of things about the way I painted. It was well worth doing the work. I recommend that you read it.

There are many factors when it comes to composition; below I have listed some of the things to consider.

You should not divide your picture in half by placing lines or objects in the center diagonally, horizontally or vertically. Ex: your horizon line
As a general rule, you should have a center of interest or focal point.
You want to lead the viewers’ eye around all the parts of your painting.
Your subject should not be facing out of the image
You need to make sure your viewer’s eye has areas to rest.
Do not have your items all the same size or equally spaced in your painting.
You need to have a dominance of either cool or warm and light or dark you do not want these to have equal weight.

I could list many more but I think that gives you the idea of how many things there are to consider and of course each one is a topic on its own. Please do not be intimidated by this list. In today’s article, I am going to go over the number one thing that will improve your paintings today.

The Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is simply dividing your image into thirds using 2 horizontal lines and 2 vertical lines, as shown below. You then position the important elements in. In the below diagram you can see the red circles indicating where the surface is divided into thirds. These four points are the prime location to pick for your focal point or area and you would position elements of your painting along those dividing lines.

Place your center of interest in or around the red circles (marking the 1/3 intersections) Keeping your center of interest away from the center

Placing your focal area at one of these points helps create a pleasing design. You can also place a secondary less important focal area on one of the other points to help balance your painting. That is the beauty of having artistic license we get to move things around and place them where we want to.

Do not place anything that will run along the center lines of you painting as this will cut your picture in half.

If this rule is overlooked it can result in amateurish looking art. I could not believe the difference it made when I started using it. The biggest thing I want to stress is DO NOT place your focal point in the center of your painting. Also do not place your horizon lines or anything that will run along a straight path at any of the center lines.

Example of the Rule of Thirds while planning your painting

In painting a bull’s eye is not what you should be aiming for 🙂

You can see where this one is visually more pleasing and interesting.

Here are a couple of my paintings with the grid overlaid on them. Giving you an idea of how I laid them out.

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Welcome! I am Krista, a Canadian artist born and raised on the east coast in beautiful New Brunswick. My paintings come from my love of nature, a place of pure joy. I love painting with thick brushstrokes and color.
I love to share and help others succeed. I want everyone who paints or wants to paint to have a joyful experience. I want them to have the tools and the foundation that they need. I look forward to sharing my knowledge with you, so your journey with art can be a rewarding one!

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10 Comments

Kurtis Ladner on September 15, 2018 at 8:01 pm

Hi Krista– great info well presented (as usual).
Cheers, Kurtis
- Krista Hasson on September 20, 2018 at 3:39 pm
  
  Thank you Kurtis 🙂
Alice M LaMorte on September 5, 2018 at 10:14 pm

I have always painted and taught this way- just because it looked better- I never knew it was a technique! Very interesting and good examples,
- Krista Hasson on September 6, 2018 at 9:42 am
  
  Thank you Alice, sounds like you have great instincts. You are lucky it comes naturally 🙂
Che Toledo on September 5, 2018 at 11:19 am

Thank you for this, Krista. Very useful for aspiring and self taught artists. More power!
- Krista Hasson on September 6, 2018 at 9:41 am
  
  You are very welcome Che 🙂 Have an awesome day!
Diane Powell on September 3, 2018 at 9:29 pm

Thank you so very much. Reinforces what my painting friend shares.
- Krista Hasson on September 5, 2018 at 9:22 am
  
  Diane that is great. It sounds like you are keeping good company 🙂 Have an awesome day!
Val van der Poel on September 3, 2018 at 3:34 pm

Interesting as always Krista – thanks
- Krista Hasson on September 3, 2018 at 7:18 pm
  
  Thank you Val 🙂