Oil Painting Essentials

Spontaneous. That is normally what we associate with the creative process of making art. The opposite is actually true for many of us. As artists, we wrestle with the picture in our minds eye and try to pin it to the canvas as best we can. What inspires us, needs to be expressed as fast as art can possibly happen. We run the danger of not having the right tools to pin down that fleeting inspirational moment. One of those tools is called composition. In specific: the Rule of Thirds.

THE RULE OF THIRDS

The rule of thirds has been around as far back as the late 18th Century and is still in use today. As a student of art, photography and graphic design, I have come across the Rule of Thirds in all of these disciplines over the years. I have also found it to be the most useful design guideline, that is both easily understood and even more easily incorporated in art. It is most useful as an aid to place elements in art at natural places on the canvas. The human eye seems to find elements that fall on the cross-hair points of the rule, to be naturally pleasing. So, establishing focal areas is really easy. When you think about this, it aids in making your paintings naturally interesting. When using the Rule of Thirds as the basis of your design strategy, you will, in time, be able to expand your design abilities to include many other interesting variations to this rule.

In short, by placing your objects within close proximity of the intersections of the grid, you engage the viewer in a naturally pleasing way. You, as the artist, create more interest and energy in your work. Rather than just centering the elements of your image on the canvas, make use of the grid and follow the examples below. The rule will enable you to manage the dynamics of the composition and more clearly convey your intent. That is to make beautiful art that engages the viewer.

Discover how to recognise the use of this simple tool to improve your art and raise it to the next level. In my humble opinion, the Rule of Thirds is the single most used tool in composition.

HOW TO CONSTRUCT THE GRID AND APPLY THE RULE