26 lessons · page 2

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

subscribers only21:27

Composition of a portrait

Hi! Sharing an unusual lesson with you — this is a video from one of my sessions on the Drawing Pro course. In the session I talked about the composition of a portrait and showed it all on the example of various portraits. Enjoy ✨

Composition

subscribers only22:03

Composition in the figure

Hi, friends! I’ve decided to open it up to everyone for three days, so that those who aren’t subscribed, or are subscribed at a different tier, can get to know my blog a little better and maybe stick around longer :) So a special hello to everyone new! In this video lesson I talk about the rules of composition as they apply to the figure. How do you lay the work out on the page so it looks convincing and pulls the viewer in? How do you make the silhouette expressive enough to land a wow effect? What is a counter-silhouette and why does composition need it? How do you learn to steer the viewer’s eye? This is where the script calls for evil laughter — look at us, we’re going to control people! Enough questions — hit that magic play button and watch the lesson! You can even take short notes, so the knowledge really settles in the back of your mind and surfaces at the key moments while you draw. Thanks for watching and for the support!

Composition

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.