How to Draw Basics: Composition

What about an artwork catches your eye? How do you look at works of art? How does an artist make their work engaging or interesting to look at? One of the most important elements of an eye-catching, unique work is thoughtful composition. We all have a sense of what’s visually pleasing, that is aesthetics, but the best artists know how to work beyond their initial impressions and experiment with how their pieces are arranged. How to Draw Basics: Composition is designed to teach your learner about composition and how to do composition sketches for still life drawing. No background knowledge is required!

How to Draw Basics: Composition utilizes an interactive PowerPoint lecture and in-class practice time to teach students the basics of composition through the lens of still life. Our lecture will begin with the two most fundamental decisions an artist has to make when they begin thinking about how to compose their piece: orientation and whether the piece is opened or closed. After our conversation about those two decisions, I will outline various methods of arranging objects and thinking about composition, such as the eight elements of successful composition. Once the lecture is complete, students will have the rest of the time in class to work on four composition sketches. Each composition sketch should be thoughtfully done and unique compared to the others. Students will have the option to use their viewfinders to assist in their compositions. Time permitting, learners may also work on an object study. 

Learners should complete this class with an understanding of basic composition including orientation, opened versus closed, the importance of “3”, and other methods of arranging objects. They should be comfortable with setting up a still life. Students will have also completed four composition sketches.

***I recommend taking my one-time How to Draw Basics classes in the following order: 
#1: Materials and Value
#2: Contours
#3: Light and Value 
#4: Composition