Composition
Sessions on the basics of composition: rhythm, masses and scale, lines of force, the compositional center. Plus breakdowns of Deineka and Vasnetsov, and live streams with feedback.
Lessons in this category come with the Basic plan — $12 a month. Choose a plan
Lessons in “Composition”
subscribers only2:05:06Stream on composition
If you want a better grip on composition, I recommend watching this stream. We draw, we joke around, and we build interesting subjects out of abstract shapes :)
subscribers only1:33:09Open stream. Reworking the week two composition
Every now and then I run streams like this, where we draw together with other artists and share our tricks :)
subscribers only3:01:32Practice for marathon week two
Today we’ll work on the week two assignments, work on abstract compositions, learn to handle warm and cool and color contrasts, learn to do it harmoniously, and we’ll even try to build a realistic composition out of abstract masses.
subscribers only1:24Digital painting. Composition with a flower
The main thing to keep in mind when you’re painting is the composition of masses. You want 60% of one value, 30% of the second and 10% of the third. Pay attention to the layering, too. Once you’ve got the silhouette, don’t stop there: try to let part of the silhouette get eaten away by textures, blurs, noise and smears. Ideally your composition should have one focal point, with everything else pushed back a little. Here the focal point is the flower, and the vase recedes into the background. Attaching the Procreate brush and the reference, and wishing you great studies!
subscribers only1:19:23Feedback. Types of composition
Friends, welcome to the final feedback stream of the marathon! On the stream we go through the typical mistakes participants made — I recommend everyone watch it, because the same mistakes come up again and again, and you can learn from them even if you only bought the basic plan. See you all there!
subscribers only1:41:02Composition marathon. Session 8. Types of composition: the golden ratio and beyond
The last topic in composition pulls together the various popular schemes used in drawing, illustration, and painting. As is tradition, we’ll analyze the work of the old masters and of contemporary artists and understand how to design our own compositions — how to build them starting from a scheme and gradually working up the details.
subscribers only1:14:42Feedback. Emotion in composition
Friends, welcome to the marathon feedback stream! On the stream we go through the typical mistakes students make. I’d recommend watching it whatever tier you’re on — the same mistakes come up again and again, and you can learn from them even if you only bought the basic tier. See you there!
subscribers only1:34:45Composition marathon. Session 7. Emotion in composition
This is probably one of the most important topics for an artist. Understanding how to set the emotion in a composition lets us get our idea across better through the work. Shape, color, value, anatomy, texture, and the way they combine all matter here. In this session we’ll learn how to convey joy or sadness through drawing, and how to give a composition mystery or fury.
subscribers only1:15:01Feedback. The compositional center. Subordinating the objects
Friends, welcome to the marathon feedback stream! On the stream we go through the typical mistakes participants make — I recommend everyone watch it, because the same mistakes keep coming back and you can learn from them even if you only bought the basic tier. See you all there!
subscribers only1:33:28Composition. The focal point. Subordinating objects. Session 6
Right, friends, this week we’re looking at the focal point and how objects are subordinated within a composition. We’ll learn the types of focal point and the tools that bring it out in a work, how to create one and how to subordinate every part of the composition to a single idea. As always, we’ll look at work by various artists and use their examples to improve our composition skills. See you all at the session tonight!
subscribers only1:28:57Feedback. Contrast and nuance. Composition marathon
Friends, welcome to the marathon feedback stream! On the stream we go through the typical mistakes participants made — I recommend everyone watch it, because the same mistakes come up again and again, and you can learn from them even if you only bought the basic plan. See you all there!
subscribers only33:49Lecture on the kinds of drawing. Linear construction drawing
Not long ago I visited an exhibition of Puko’s drawings at the Stieglitz Academy. There were older works from the 1960s and more recent ones from the end of the 20th century. Maestro Puko was one of the founders of the Mukhina school of drawing: minimal value, the emphasis on line, and expressive flow in the model. Everything we love so much. So it’ll be interesting! Enjoy the watch!
subscribers only2:43:20Digital painting. Still life in close value
Here’s a digital painting video lesson focused on close value relationships and soft edges. Our compositions don’t always have to be high-contrast; often what’s needed is a finer, more nuanced sound. That’s where a close value range helps, and that’s what this still life shows. Enjoy!
subscribers only59:55Composition. Contrast and nuance. Session 5
All right, friends, this week we’ll look at composition from the point of view of contrast and nuance. We’ll learn to tell their kinds apart and to use the tools that create contrast and nuance in an image, and we’ll see what they’re for and what they affect. Studying the work of the great artists and our own practice will help us with that. Enjoy the watch!
subscribers only1:32:49Feedback. Static and dynamic. Composition marathon
Friends, welcome to the marathon feedback stream! On the stream we go through the typical mistakes students make. I’d recommend watching it whatever tier you’re on — the same mistakes come up again and again, and you can learn from them even if you only bought the basic tier. See you there!
subscribers only1:29:46Composition. Static and dynamic. Session 4
Week four of the marathon! In this session we’ll look at what static is for and what dynamic is for. We’ll go through how each is achieved, how they affect the way a picture reads, look at some interesting examples and dive into the composition of the old masters and of contemporary artists!
subscribers only1:12:11Week 3 feedback, composition marathon
Friends, welcome to the marathon feedback stream. We’ll go through the typical mistakes participants made — I recommend everyone come, because the same mistakes come up again and again, and you can learn from them even if you only bought the basic plan!
subscribers only1:35:29Composition. Masses, scale, large/medium/small
Week three of the marathon starts now. In the lecture we’ll discuss masses and scale, and how to use them to make a composition interesting. As usual, we’ll look at examples from art history and do some drawing ourselves. Don’t miss it!
subscribers only1:48:54Marathon week two. Feedback: “Structural links, the grid and lines of force”
A phenomenal review of everyone’s week two work! Come and watch!
subscribers only1:38:32Marathon week two. Stream recording: “Structural connections, the compositional grid and lines of force”
Hi, friends! Week two of our marathon is devoted to the topic "Structural connections, the compositional grid and lines of force." Come along — we’ll work out what it is, what it’s for and how it helps an artist, and then we’ll run it all through our hands and get a good amount of drawing done! If you can’t join, don’t worry: I’ll publish the recording of the teaching stream here 🙂✨
subscribers only2:00:28Marathon week 1. Feedback recording
Friends, welcome to the marathon feedback stream. I went through the typical mistakes participants made — I recommend everyone watch it, because the same mistakes come up again and again, and you can learn from them even if you only bought the basic plan.
subscribers only1:56:51Lecture and practice on “Rhythm”. Week one stream recording
Well, we’re off! Whew, week one of the marathon, love it! The recording has a theory block, a practice block and my recommendations for the week one assignments! Enjoy :)
subscribers only1:02:20Composition breakdown of Vasnetsov’s paintings
There’s only a week left before the marathon! So that the time isn’t wasted and you can prepare and steadily sharpen your understanding of composition, rhythm and the structure of a piece, here’s a lecture with a composition breakdown of Viktor Vasnetsov’s paintings.
subscribers only1:08:46Composition through the work of Deineka
An important part of learning composition is analyzing the masters. If you learn to see other artists' compositional decisions, you’ll be able to use them in your own work. Let’s go through Deineka’s paintings together — I was at his exhibition recently — and talk about the composition in them.
About “Composition”
The section grew out of an eight-week marathon on composition and the lectures around it. The topics run in order: rhythm, structural links and the compositional grid, mass and scale, the static and the dynamic, contrast and nuance, the focal point with the subordination of objects, emotion in composition, kinds of composition, and the golden ratio right at the end. Each topic is a lecture with a ninety-minute practical part plus a separate stream where submitted work is reviewed. On top of that sit two compositional analyses of paintings: the work of Deineka and the work of Vasnetsov, about an hour each.
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After these classes people stop filling the sheet from the top left corner. The work begins with laying out the large shapes: where the mass is, where the pause is, where the movement goes, and the objects land inside those shapes afterwards. Composition in a drawing becomes a decision taken before the first line, not an explanation invented for a finished piece. One very simple habit sticks as well: turn the sheet upside down and look at whether it holds together as an abstract arrangement of shapes.
What falls apart most often is subordination. The piece ends up with several equal heroes of the same size and the same activity, the eye darts about and finds nowhere to settle, and the artist adds contrast to all of them at once. The second common case: the focal point is held with one light shape, while the masses and the direction of the lines lead the eye into the opposite corner. The class on the focal point covers what else brings it out besides value, and the feedback recordings show that the participants repeat the same mistakes from week to week. That is why the reviews get watched by people who submitted nothing.
It is worth starting with the lecture on rhythm from week one, the other topics rest on it. Then week two on structural links and the compositional grid. If you want to see the rules of composition on finished paintings straight away, open the Deineka analysis: the diagonals and the movement read there without explanation. The short lecture on linear construction drawing is in this section for a reason, it explains how construction differs from tracing an outline, and that is the very same conversation at the level of a single object.
The golden ratio is not passed off as a recipe here. It is covered in the last class on a par with the other schemes, and no grid will act on a piece whose masses are not organized. The section is not about illustration or about storytelling across a sequence of frames: composition in art is discussed on easel work, a drawing or a painted study. There are no assignments with individual review either, the review runs in the flow of the stream.
FAQ
Do I need to be able to draw in order to start with composition?
Almost all the marathon assignments are done with shapes and lines, without finishing. Your level of drawing matters less here than in any other section: composition is tested on an abstract layout. That is why many people take this section first.
Is this academic composition or applied composition?
What is covered is the academic foundation: rhythm, masses, lines of force, contrast and nuance, subordination. The examples, though, are taken both from the classics and from modern painting. Applied topics like laying out a cover or storyboarding are not in the section.
Can I watch the classes out of order?
The first three topics are better taken in order, they build on each other: rhythm, then structural links, then mass and scale. The rest stand on their own and read separately. The analyses of the masters' work can be watched at any point.
Are there assignments and feedback?
Every marathon topic had an assignment, and the wording is preserved in the recordings, so you can work through them from the archive. The participant reviews are saved as separate streams as well. The section does not include individual review of your work from the archived classes.
What does a subscription unlock?
The Basic plan gives access to the archive of classes and assignments, including the whole composition marathon. The Club plan adds mini-courses, reference packs and a place in the current marathon with live streams.
Composition — how Azat draws it
Works by Azat Nurgaleev on the subject of this category: not an illustration to a lesson, but what the lessons lead to.
Lilies under the apple tree 
Night in the forest 
The glowing orb 
The jump and the cat 
The red team 
Jazz club