Composition: Concepts of Hierarchy

In our last post we talked about what kind of structures are recommended to use in any given work of art, depending on where we want to lead our viewers in the story that we're relaying. Here I would like to address building art, whether that be from life, from reference, or imagination; as always, these are not rigid rules, as much as they are recommendations to follow.

Concepts

1. When drawing from life or from reference, to help identify local color and broad shapes, start by stepping back and squinting at your subject, to get an idea or the most bare and basic structures and colors.

2. Keep color temperature in mind to further the harmony of your piece (you can always revisit our article on split primaries if you have any questions on warm versus cool hues).

3. The further off into the distance a subject is, the bluer it will have (as in saturation or filter of blue - this has to do with how much of the atmosphere we see it filter).

4. Your backgrounds shouldn't have edges; unless it is the subject of your piece, everything else will be out of focus and therefore hazy, without any clear borders.

5. There are multiple techniques to create texture; use this to your advantage! (We are planning a blog post on the subject of textures as well, so stay tuned!)

6. It is recommended to keep your perspectives and proportions in mind; again this will have a lot to do with what you have in mind for the goal of your piece - exaggeration is allowed!

7. Skies are a great focal and contrast point, having it take up 75% of your piece is absolutely allowed.

8. What defines your piece? Unity, variety, harmony, and patterns aren't only tools we learn about in literature, we can bring them into our at as well. It is suggested not to overwhelm the eye by defining our intent - less is more!

9. Finally, consider balance, contrast, movement, and rhythm to add interest and consistency to your work.

Hierarchy

1. Identify your focal point, and adjust accordingly.

2. Simplify - is it necessary?

3. The rule of odds: odd numbers are much more common in groups than evens.

4. The rule of thirds (we touched on this in our previous composition blog post).

5. Create the feeling of movement in your work, give the eye something to follow.

6. It is recommended not to cut your subject in two, unless there is another line of sight directing away from it.

7. Finally, use triangles, eyes like to naturally follow them.

Happy composing,

Viktoria