All I Know About Composition In Art

My goal for this text was simple: to write the best article about composition in art possible. I tried to gather everything I’ve learned about composition throughout years of learning how to draw (I’m a self-taught artist, no formal art education).

I explained everything as simple as possible, adding examples, exercises, and personal observations to make it super useful. Let me know if I managed to achieve my goal!

And now, without further ado, let’s talk about composition in art.

What is composition in art?

Composition is how we organize visual elements to create meaning and impact. While many artists work intuitively to create strong compositions, understanding core principles will help you make more conscious choices.

Whether you’re working traditionally or digitally, these foundations remain the same. 

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Why Composition Matters

Even the most beautifully rendered elements won’t create a strong piece if they’re poorly arranged. Good composition:

• Guides viewers through your image purposefully
• Creates clear visual hierarchy
• Strengthens your intended message or emotion
• Unifies all elements into a cohesive whole
• Keeps viewers engaged with your work

Your composition choices begin before your first brush stroke or digital mark. They start with questions like:

• What should viewers notice first?
• How should their eyes move through the image?
• What feeling or message am I trying to convey?
• How can I arrange elements to support these goals?

Focal Points: The Heart of Your Composition

Every strong composition needs a clear focal point – the “main character” of your image that captures attention first. But creating effective focal points involves more than just making one element stand out. It’s about making everything in your image work together to highlight the main point.

Think of your focal point as the beginning of a visual story. It’s where viewers start their journey through your image, but not where they end it. Below are 10* ways to create focal points.

*Remember you can mix many techniques when creating a single focal point, for example: isolation + value contrast + shape contrast.

Contrast As Your Main Tool 

Contrast creates emphasis, and you can create it in multiple ways,:

Color Contrast

Color in art consists of 3 properties: hue, saturation, and value. We can use all three to create various types of contrast.

• Temperature contrast: Warm colors naturally pop against cool ones. 
• Saturation contrast: Vibrant colors stand out against muted ones.
• Value contrast: The eye naturally goes to the area of strongest light-dark difference.

Quick value check: Flip your canvas to black and white (traditionally, squint your eyes). Your focal point should still be clearly visible.

Shape Contrast

Shape contrast means using contrasting shapes to make a focal point more eye-catching.

If most of your shapes are curved, a sharp angular shape will naturally stand out. I tried to achieve this kind of focal point in my wintery illustration – I think the round road sign stands out quite nicely. 

Strategic Isolation 

Just like a single tree in a field catches our eye, giving your focal point some “breathing room” makes it more prominent. This doesn’t mean centering it – often, following the rule of thirds while leaving negative space around your focus creates more dynamic compositions – that’s what you can see in Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth.

Movement vs. Stillness

Moving elements stand out against static ones.

The photo of a businessman standing at a crossroads by Matthias Clamer is a great example. The man stands still while everyone around him is walking. Because it’s a long exposure photo, the moving people’s silhouettes are blurred, contrasting with the crisp edges of the man’s figure.

Detail vs. plain

Areas of concentrated detail attract attention, especially when surrounded by simpler areas. 

This principle helps create a clear visual hierarchy. Look at the portrait of Olivia Richardson by John Singer Sargent. Most of the painting is completely black, all the detail is concentrated in the middle of the painting, on Olivia’s face.

*Of course, there are more focal points techniques used in the artwork, for example value contrast.

Guiding lines (convergence)

Lines and implied directions can lead viewers to focal points. This includes both obvious directional elements and implied lines.

In my artwork, I used linear perspective to guide the viewer’s eye towards the focal point – the girl walking in snow. (Although, I must say, I could have done better work to make the character pop out more. Today, I would make the triangle sign lighter – I think it distracts your eye from her – and maybe give her jacket more saturation).

Faces

We’re naturally drawn to people and faces because they show emotions and tell stories.

What’s more, it’s the best way to add story to your artwork. As much as I do love painting landscapes, I must admit each painting gets more interesting when I add human figures to it. They not only add more context to it, but also can help show the scale of other objects in a scene (e.g. buildings).

In the image above, you can see one of the most famous “face” paintings in the world – Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer.

Framing

Framing helps us focus on the important part of the picture and makes it stand out. 

You use other parts of the picture to surround and highlight your main subject.

This could be a doorway, a window, or even a tree branch (just like in the Caspar David Friedrich’s Two Men Contemplating The Moon above). Anything that creates a border around your subject can be a frame.

Lines and Movement: Leading the Eye

Every composition tells a story through how it guides viewer attention. Whether obvious or subtle, lines play a crucial role in this visual journey.

Types of Lines and Their Impact

Obvious Lines

• Physical lines in your image (roads, horizons, edges)
• Structural elements (buildings, poles, tree trunks)
• Natural formations (rivers, mountain ridges)

Implied Lines

• Gaze direction of figures
• Pointing gestures or body language
• Repeated elements that create a visual path
• Gradual color or value transitions

Line direction psychology

Different kinds of lines can make you feel different things.

Horizontal Lines

• Create sense of calm and stability
• Good for landscapes and peaceful scenes
• Can make composition too static if you use them too much

Vertical Lines

• Suggest strength, growth, dignity
• Useful for portraits and architectural scenes
• Create strong sense of scale

Diagonal Lines

• Add dynamic energy and movement
• Create depth through perspective
• Actively guide eye through composition

Curved Lines

• Feel natural and organic
• Create gentle eye movement
• Add grace and flow to composition

Tangents: The Silent Composition Killers

Tangents are one of the most common composition problems, yet many artists don’t recognize them until trained to spot them. 

A tangent occurs when elements in your composition touch or align in ways that create unintended visual relationships.

Why tangents are bad

Tangents create problems because they flatten spatial relationships, create unintended connections, and make edges and boundaries unclear, which makes the viewer confused about what they’re looking at. What’s more, tangents may distract from your intended focal points–you don’t want the artwork you’ve spent so much time on to be broken just because two elements align in a confusing way.

Types of Tangents

• Closed corner: When a shape completely covers any corner of the artwork.
• Halved shape: When a symmetrical shape is cut in half by the edge of the painting.
• Fused edges
  1. Object with frame: When the edge of an object touches the edge of your painting.
  2. Object with object: When the edges of two shapes touch.
• Split apex: Two objects are positioned symmetrically, with one directly behind the other

How to fix tangents?

The answer is simply: move objects. When two objects touch – move one away so that it further (the gap between them becomes obvious) or closer (so that they overlap). When objects align in a strange way (skimmed or stolen edge) then, again, move one of them to break the unintended alignment.

Space and Balance: Creating Harmony

Space isn’t just empty areas in your composition – it’s an active element that shapes how your whole image works. Understanding how to use space effectively helps you create more balanced, engaging compositions.

Positive and Negative Space

Think of positive space as your main elements and negative space as the areas around them. Both are equally important:

• Positive space tells your story
• Negative space gives your elements room to breathe
• The relationship between them creates balance

Types of composition

There are many different types of composition in art, but some of the most common include:

Symmetrical composition,…

It’s created when the two halves of an artwork are mirror images of each other.

• Creates formal, stable feeling
• Works well for portraits and architectural subjects
• Can feel static if not broken slightly → Add small asymmetrical elements to maintain interest

Example: The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci (1495–1498)

…asymmetrical composition,…

This type of composition is created when the two halves of an artwork are not mirror images of each other. It’s more dynamic and engaging. Also, it feels natural and organic. 

Example: The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh (1889)

…rule of thirds,…

Probably the most popular compositional guideline. It’s a simplified version of the golden ratio rule and suggests dividing an artwork into thirds both horizontally and vertically. The points where these lines intersect are considered to be visually interesting points, and placing important elements of the artwork at these points can create better compositions.

It’s my favorite type of composition, and I use it most often in my artworks. 

Example: Pan by asili Kotarbinsky (1884)

…the golden ratio (and why I don’t like it)…

The golden ratio, also known as the divine proportion, is a mathematical ratio of approximately 1:1.618.

It is often represented by the Greek letter phi (φ). This ratio is found throughout nature, art, and architecture, and is believed to be aesthetically pleasing to the human eye

There are many ways to find the golden ratio. One way is to use the Fibonacci sequence, another – using the golden rectangle.

“Example”: The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai (1831)

That’s for the theory. My problem with the golden ratio method is that… it’s totally unusable. Yet, for some reason, nobody is talking about it. 

Maybe there’s something wrong with me, but I find golden ratio too complicated to use when planning out composition.

And yes, you’ll find many examples of reverse engineering on the Internet, when people are showing the golden ratio in many classical masterpieces. Okay… but am I really the only one who thinks this is soo far-fetched?

…and all the other composition types there are.

The above 4 types of composition are just the tip of the iceberg, the 4 most generic categories you’ll find in most articles, videos, and books. 

There are way more types. For example, Edward Alan Payne, a renown Western landscape painter and muralist, names these 12 types of composition in Composition of Outdoor Painting:

• Compound Curve
• Triangle
• Cross
• Radiating Line
• Rectangular
• Suspended Steelyard
• Three Spot
• Group Mass
• Diagonal Line
• Tunnel
• Silhouette
• Pattern

Visual Weight

Elements carry different “weights” in composition:

• Larger elements feel heavier
• Darker values feel heavier
• Warm colors advance and feel heavier
• Complex detail areas feel heavier
• Isolated elements carry more weight

The fulcrum level principle

The fulcrum level principle in art, as described by Andrew Loomis, is a concept that relates to the visual weight and balance within a composition. It says that a composition should be balanced, like a seesaw, with elements of varying visual weight distributed in a way that creates a sense of equilibrium.

For more theory and examples, analyze the above page from Loomis’s book Creative Illustration. For a short theory that’s easy to remember and use, read my summary below. 😝

The two rules to balance composition (that always work) are:

• If two forms are equal, let one overlap the other so as to change the contour. 
• To balance a heavy element in a composition, place a lighter element farther away from the center (the middle point of balance).
  • The heavier the mass, the nearer the middle.
  • The smaller the mass, the nearer the edge.

Breaking Composition Rules

All composition rules can be broken – if you understand why they exist and break them purposefully:

• Rule of thirds? Center placement can create powerful symmetry
• Always have a focal point? Multiple equal elements can create rhythm
• Avoid tangents? Intentional mergings can create interesting effects

The key is intention: Break rules to strengthen your message, not by accident.

Storytelling & Visual Hierarchy

Effective compositions guide the viewer’s eye through various layers of visual interest.

What viewers notice:

• First Glance (0-3 seconds): The main story point, often the focal point.
• Second Look (next few seconds): Supporting elements that enhance the context.
• Extended Viewing: Subtle details and connections, with the background setting the mood, place, and time.

Detail Management

Placing details carefully can help guide how people look at a picture 

• Put the most details in the main focus of the image. This is where you want viewers to look first.
• Gradually reduce detail in secondary areas.
• Use subtle detail to reward closer viewing
• In the background, use only a few, soft details. This prevents distraction from the main focus.

Building Narrative Through Composition

Every powerful image tells a story. Let’s explore how elements of art within composition help tell it, and how they affect the atmoshpere of an image.

Your personal training system

Mastering composition takes time & practice. You didn’t think you could remember and turn all of this theory into practice at one take, did you?

This training system helps you develop compositional thinking through regular, focused exercises. Start with simple exercises and gradually increase complexity. Following the schedule below can also make it easier for you to draw daily, so give it a try.

Progress Tracking

To squeeze these study sessions like a lemon, you can keep a composition journal, and use it to:

• Note what worked/didn’t work
• Save thumbnails for comparison
• Track common mistakes
• Document solutions found

Then, after a month, you can use it to review past month’s studies. It will help you identify patterns in your work, find areas needing focus, and plan next month’s practice.

Advanced Practice

Once comfortable with basics, why not challenge yourself. You can create:

• Complex multi-figure compositions
• Extreme format ratios
• Limited value ranges
• Unconventional viewpoints

Composition in art. Final Tips

Finally, here are 8 tips that will help you during the process of designing the composition for your artwork. 

1. Force yourself to spend more time on initial composition. Don’t rush to details!
2. Return to basics regularly. Never ignore the fundamentals.
3. Use your notes (if you’ve taken them) on problem areas and solutions to not repeat the mistakes you’ve made the last time.
4. Scan your composition specifically for mistakes mentioned above.
5. Thumbnail tests. Make small sketches – they will make it easier to spot mistakes.
6. Distance check. View work from far away.
7. Always flip your canvas! It shows tangents or other mistakes you might have missed.
8. Fresh eyes. Take breaks and return with a new perspective.

And that’s it for composition in art.

xxx
@mleczny_mlecz