The Big Picture … in Words
Micromosaic polymer and silver brooch by Cynthia Toops and Chuck Domitrovich. Do you see the Rule of Thirds in use here? Diagonals? Implied lines? These concepts and more come together to create an intriguing composition with a story.
Has composition creeped into your design time in the studio yet? Have you been stepping back and pondering just how your work is laid out?
If not, you might just be soaking up the composition basics (review the basics through the blog starting here if you are new to the club) waiting for that lightbulb to come on that tells you why and how to choose a compositional layout. Well, I am hoping, this week, I can click that lightbulb on for you!
The classic composition items I’ve introduced so far are just guidelines or starting points for planning the layout of your design elements. I just want you to keep that in mind as this is not a science—it’s art. That means that this is really about you, as the artistic mastermind, choosing how you want your work to look so no hard and fast rules here.
Now, how to choose compositions that you like and that fulfill your intention? Even though there is no formula for this, there are some basic concepts that you can turn to get you started.
One would be to try out a number of the classic composition such as the Golden Ratio, the Rule of Thirds, composing on a diagonal, or in any triangular formation and see if any of those hit home. That would be a visual approach.
I, personally, like to start with words. If you have been with me all year, you may recall that at a couple points I talked about coming up with particular adjectives, concepts, or a story to describe your intention and guide your choices. This works for composition as well.
So, for example, if the words, ideas, or story you are working with include movement, then something with diagonals, including triangular compositions, would be a good place to start. If your intentions involve calm, you might look to composing horizontally, probably rooted on a horizontal line in the Rule of Thirds grid (going evenly through the center can feel stagnant) could help project this. Or, if your intention involves strength, vertical and centered arrangements (verticals look grounded and commanding centered, unlike horizontal) might be just the thing.
Just get to know and understand how different arrangements feel and you can connect them to the words, concepts, or stories you attached to your design ideas.
That’s the first half of my lesson on how to choose and plan compositions. We’ll get into what I think of as the key to cohesiveness in composition planning next week!
Getting Caught Up
Yes. we’ve gotten a bit shorter here this week, for a number of reasons but mostly because I poured all my work energy into a rather intensive MiniMag for the Club members. We not only talked about the above ideas of connecting words, concepts, and stories to composition choices but we also went through a very detailed step-by-step on how I plan a composition that still leaves plenty of room for creative play, followed up by a way to study and learn from the composition of others. No discounts, giveaways, or new products to offer, just a ton of really core composition skills to take in.
Unfortunately, I am no longer in a position to give the full lessons for free as I did all summer but, due to a number of requests, I have decided to put together the weekly MiniMags in monthly collections.
So, if you aren’t ready to commit to a club membership or what to check it out without signing up first, you can get the content, albiet quite a bit later than the club members and without timely access to the specials, discounts, and giveaways, but at least you can get the full lessons and further your design knowledge and creative skills.
Check out the MiniMag collections on the VAB page of the website.
Design Tools Back in Stock
If you missed out on the Gray Scale Finders or the custom ViewCatchers with Grids, I have them back in stock. Find those on the Design Tools page.
Stay Creative, Stay Safe, Stay the Course!
The news has not been wonderful from most corners of the world of late although wonderful glimmers of hope and the desperately wished for “light at the end of the tunnel” are appearing on the horizon for the craziness that has been 2020. We have just a little bit more to get through and I am earnestly praying we all get through this safely!
So, for my American readers, as we head into a big holiday week, please, please, please, do not let your guard down. You are creatives after all! You can come up with a wonderful, safe, socially distanced or remote version of Thanksgiving that will keep you and every loved one you want to see safe and healthy. (Zoom lifted its 40 minute limit for free accounts on Thanksgiving so take advantage of that!) And then, next year … watch out! We’ll go crazy big next year! I’d say I can’t wait, but I can. We can. It will be soooo worth it!
For all the rest of my dear readers around the globe, I am wishing all the best for you and yours. Stay safe, put on some fabulous, expressive, creative mask when you do have to head out and otherwise, put your energy into family and lots of studio time! Good? Good.
Care for yourselves like the precious people you are and I will see you next week with the second half of the lesson on how to plan out wonderful compositions.
