The #1 Composition Rule You Cannot Break

Above all we want viewers to stay with our painting. To be engaged by it. It may seem obvious but I see a lot of paintings where the painter has given us a clear path out of their painting. And once the viewer is gone....well that's it really. They are gone.

[shojodraws]

It's really interesting how this composition rule can be used and applied for other mediums. Comics, for example, understand this rule and actively break it, using it to their advantage, guiding the reader along through the panels.

[seanomahony]

If I never see another TouTube video that starts with someone yelling at me "HEY GUYS WELCOME TO MY VIDEO!" then continues to harangue me for what seems forever, it will be too soon. They get switched off immediately. This video is the complete opposite, Mr Roberts gets his message across quietly and measuredly; Bravo, I wish there more like you.

[bobparsonsartist]

Design, for some reason, is seen by the majority, as secondary to detail. My heirarchy is: Emotion, Design and Detail. And theres’s a finer line between between the first two as they serve one another. This was an excellent lesson. Thank you!

[masonparker]

In eight minutes I gained more useful knowledge than in my two years as an art major at UMass Amherst.

[traviskeller]

This should be titled, the #1 Composition Rule That Is Hard to Break Effectively. The two works that he shows are in a book, so they create a movement that suggests the viewer to turn the page. Which keeps the viewer engaged with the book. Translating that in to a gallery show may be helpful if you want the works to be telling some kind of story. If it is a singular piece it would be more difficult, but if you break that you can also potentially bring the viewer back in other ways. It is more difficult to walk past a large work that does this, so it may not be as successful in digital format.

[tuilorraine]

But i preferred the ones where the composition sent you out of the frame. I liked how it suggested something bigger. I once wrote a children’s book called “What’s Around the Corner?” that was created to make the reader curious about what might be on the next page. It forced the artist to compose pictures leading the eye to the right out of frame. Worked well and sold well and was even translated.

[NathanTarantlawriter]

As a person with no artistic background getting my own animated work going, I find videos like this to be really informative and helpful since I find I have to create a ton of background artwork to go with my animations. Something I never thought much about until I had to do it. I'm crap at it but I like to think I can get better over time.

[andrewblake]

This guy is excellent. I have watched a few other videos on composition but I an is the first person who really speaks to me about art in a way I can really understand and get with.

[maridaterri]

I am thrilled to have found these quietly masterful lessons.

[rebeccakahrs]

Mr. Robert’s….I have followed your teachings for years…..you are no doubt the best at conveying your teachings so well. Some people are good teachers but not great artist…..some are great artist but not good teachers……you are both! Thank you for taking the time out of your studio to share and teach us.

[outlawscar]

Great video. I had no idea saturation and contrast could guide a viewer so much. Thank you so much for all your hard work.

[johnd]

I've been showing my students the importance of Figure/Ground as "Number One Rule", but I like your more sophisticated explanation; especially the potential movement off the picture plane. There's always more to learn, Thanks.

[dntskdnttll]

Interesting. In many of the examples that you gave, my eye was drawn in the opposite direction that you indicated. In the picture book, my eye went back to the men, or to the trees and the horizon line. Even in your modified, darkened version of the picture of the house with the fence, the contrasting paleness of the other fences, not just their distance from us as viewers, made them more interesting to me. In the still life with fruit, I noticed the cutting board on the left. In all cases it was a draw to wish to examine what might be happening further away from the viewer, out of our reach. I would say that this is a good analysis, but that not all eyes will take these scenes in the same way.

[ElizabethPoet]

This borders on poetry: so subtle and observant. Thank you.

[ElyresortBlogspot]

I instantly think back to my work. Some of it naturally holds the viewer, others drag them right off the canvas. This was a great vid.

[palavraembrasa]

Instinctively I take my art work to the mirror to see it from a distance. I thought I was crazy, now I know I am not!!! Thank you!!! Great video!!!

[jmanobe]

This was, honestly, one of the first rules I was taught as an art major, and the one which has stuck with me. I always appreciate a reminder, so thank you!

[BrendaAmerind]

Just started my masters in illustration and this has been great supplemental material! I can see that those paintings that break your rule are doing so with purpose, since the intent is to lead the reader into turning the page, vs a single painting whose purpose is to interest the viewer for as long as possible.
I still struggle with composition so I'm very excited to have discovered your videos. ^^ Thank you so much for uploading them for free.

[agbeyenumadison]

I hate how whatever spot of the painting I was looking in he immediately drew red circle around, and that's when I realized how absolutely correct he was

[agneszirini]

You are so right !! I teach the same to my students !! First catch the eye of the viewer and then keep it in !!!