Have you ever visited an art museum and a particular painting just grabbed your attention and drew you in? Something in that painting kept you looking and studying it. One element the artist successfully used in that painting was composition. The artist laid out the shapes and divided the space in the painting in such away that appealed to your senses. Here are some points to consider when developing your composition:

1) The areas of your canvas should be divided into parts of different sizes. For instance, if you are creating a landscape painting, do not put the horizon right in the center of your painting.

2) Do not place all the interesting parts of your composition on the left side of your painting. People read from left to right so they will have no reason to continue viewing the rest of your painting.

3) Avoid placing an interesting or important element of the painting too close to the edge of the canvas.

4) Create an imaginary triangle that pulls all the elements in the painting together, while pairs or groups of 4 will separate them into sections.

5) Try to use the same element in odd numbers. 1, 3, or 5 of the same item will typically have a more finished look. Like 5 girls, or 7 roses, etc.

6) Remember the "Rule of Thirds". If you divide your layout into thirds vertically and horizontally, where those lines meet is generally a good place to put the main focus of your layout.

7) Create contrast in your painting. Avoid elements on the page that are merely similar. If the elements (font, color, size, line thickness, shape, space, etc.) are not the same, then make them VERY different to create a visual contrast.

8) Repeat visual elements of the design throughout the layout. You can repeat color, shape, texture, spatial relationships, sizes, etc.

9) Be aware of the alignment of all of the items on your painting. Every element should have a visual connection with another element on the painting.

These are some great starter tips for layout composition. As you keep these in mind, remember also that there are exceptions to every rule.

10) Follow the rule of thirds. An easy way to compose off-center pictures is to imagine a tick-tack-toe board over your viewfinder. Avoid placing your subject in that center square, and you have followed the rule of thirds. Try to place your subject along one of the imaginary lines that divides your frame.

Watch the horizon. Just as an off-center subject is usually best, so is an off-center—and straight—horizon line. Avoid cutting your picture in half by placing the horizon in the middle of the picture. To accent spaciousness, keep the horizon low in the picture. To suggest closeness, position the horizon high in your picture.

Putting the subject off-center often makes the composition more dynamic and interesting.

Even if your subject fills the frame, the most important part of the subject (for example, the eyes in a portrait) should not be dead center.

If you thumb through magazines and look at professional photos, or even watch the way scenes are framed on TV and in the movies, you'll find that the subject is rarely dead center in the frame. Instead, photographers rely on what is probably the single most important rule in composing pictures: the Rule of Thirds.

The Rule of Thirds divides the frame into a grid that resembles a tic-tac-toe board. The idea is that the four points in the frame where the lines intersect are areas of natural interest. Placing the subject at one of these points usually creates a pleasing image. And sure enough, you'll find that a staggering number of professional photos follow this rule.


FOLLOW THE RULES UNTIL YOU KNOW WHEN TO BREAK THEM

Once you have the rules of composition down pat, experiment and break a rule here or there when you feel the image will work better without it. That’s called individual style, and the creativity that stems from it produces some great images. The point is that you will know when to break a rule of composition once you know what the rules are and how they work.

Certain subjects benefit from a slightly different treatment. For instance, you can align your subject not with one of the four points, but instead lay it along one of the lines. Or your subject might be so large that it takes up a lot of the frame; it doesn't really fit in one of the four spots. When that happens, pick an interesting element and focus on that. If you paint a person or an animal, eyes make a great focal point.