The document discusses several techniques for creating effective compositions in visual art: 1) Focal points draw the viewer's eye to the most important part of the piece through color, contrast, or structure. 2) The rule of thirds positions subjects near the intersections of an imaginary three-by-three grid to create more tension than centering. 3) The rule of odds suggests framing the main subject with an even number of surrounding objects to create a feeling of ease.

1. Focal Points
Rule of Thirds
The Golden Ratio and the Golden Spiral
Rule of Odds
Rule of Space
Simplification
Limiting Focus
Geometry and Symmetry
Other Techniques

3. The focal point is the center of a piece of art. By center I don’t literally the
mean center spatially but rather the most important part or parts of a piece.
For example, if one were making an image of a bird sitting on a tree, the bird
would probably be the focal point.
Why is the focal point important? Without a focal point, a spectator will lose
interest quickly because he or she does not know where to look and what part
is the most interesting.
Focal points are very important in order to make one’s art powerful and
interesting and to keep the viewer intrigued longer.

4. This fresco is called “The Last Supper” and was
created by Leonardo da Vinci from 1495-1497.
Where did you look at first? Chances are you looked at Christ first. Why is
this? This is because Leonardo da Vinci is arguably one of the greatest masters
at creating clear focus.
There are three things that make a focal point what it is:
Color, Contrast, and Structure.

5. Complimentary colors are colors located directly
across from each other on the color wheel.
Examples:
Red vs Green, Blue vs Orange, and Yellow vs Violet.
Look at the complimentary colors in these compositions.
The human eye will naturally be attracted to complementary colors. We can
easily identify where the focal point of these compositions are because the
focal point is the opposite color as the background. This makes a
compositions “aesthetically pleasing”.

6. Contrast is one of the biggest draws of the human eye. By using it properly, it is
the most effective way to create a focal point.
Look at the contrasted parts of these
black and white compositions
Brighter colors will draw the human’s
eye faster than darker colors.
However, there are exceptions where
everything is bright and the only dark
spot is the focal point but the latter is
more uncommon.
Be careful not to use too much
contrast in your image or else the rest of
the image will receive no attention. Also,
you do not always have to make the
focal point bright but as Leonardo did,
you can make the area around the focal
point bright.

7. A more subtle way of drawing the
eye to a point is the use of
structure.
Take a look at the compositions:
If you look carefully you will
notice that almost everything
smoothly flows towards the
focal points.
By drawing lines towards a
focal point, one can effectively
move a spectator’s eye.
Architecture and people are not
the only things that can point to a
focal point. Almost anything can
from a river in the background to
a abstract 3d spike ball going out
from the focal point.

8. 1.What are the three ways to create a
Focal Point within a composition?
2.What is one example of complementary
colors?
3.Do brighter colors or darker colors
attract the human eye more to a specific
area of a composition?
4.Give one example of how you would draw
a viewer’s attention to the focal point
using structure.

9. The Rule of Thirds is a guideline commonly followed by visual artists. The
objective is to stop the subject(s) and areas of interest (such as the horizon)
from bisecting the image, by placing them near one of the lines that would
divide the image into three equal columns and rows, ideally near the
intersection of those lines.
Note how the
horizon falls close
to the bottom
grid line, and how
the dark areas
are in the left
third, the
overexposed in
the right third.

10. The rule of thirds is a compositional
rule of thumb such as painting and
photography and design. The rule states
that an image should be imagined as
divided into nine equal parts by two
equally-spaced horizontal lines and two
equally-spaced vertical lines, and that
important compositional elements
should be placed along these lines or
their intersections. Proponents of the
technique claim that aligning a subject
with these points creates more tension,
energy and interest in the composition
than simply centering the subject
would.
The Rule of Thirds helps to produce balanced
images and keeps the subject away from the
very edges of the frame.

11. Applying the rule of thirds to a
painting means you'll never
have a composition that's split
in half, either vertically or
horizontally, nor one with the
main focus right in the center
like a bull's-eye.
Most current equipment has
this feature in order to enhance
the quality of your
compositions.

12. Take a look at these two photos of a lion. On the one on the
left, your eye is drawn straight into the center of the image
and you tend to ignore the rest of the picture.
On the one on the right, where the lion's face is on one of the
Rule of Thirds 'hotspots', your eye is drawn the lion's face,
then around the painting following the curve of the body.

13. 1.What is the general objective for the use of The
Rule of Thirds?
2. If you were to photograph a landscape, where
would you make sure the horizon line fall in that
composition?
3.Which of the following examples best
demonstrates the Rule of Thirds?
A B C

14. The "rule of odds" states that by framing the object of interest in an
composition with an even number of surrounding objects, it
becomes more comforting to the eye, thus creates a feeling of ease
and pleasure. It is based on the assumption that humans tend to
find visual images that reflect their own preferences/wishes in life
more pleasing and attractive.
An image of a person surrounded/framed by two other persons, for
instance, where the person in the center is the object of interest in
that image/artwork, is more likely to be perceived as friendly and
comforting by the viewer, than an image of a single person with no
significant surroundings.

15. The Rule of Space applies to
artwork (photography, advertising,
illustration) picturing object(s): - to
which the artist wants to apply the
illusion of movement, or - which is
supposed to create a contextual
bubble in the viewer's mind.
This can be achieved by e.g. leaving
white space in the direction the
eyes of a portrayed person are
looking at. Another example would
be when picturing a runner, adding
whitespace in front of him rather
than behind him to indicate
movement.

16. Images with clutter can distract
from the main elements within
the picture and make it difficult
to identify the subject. By
decreasing the extraneous
content, the viewer is more
likely to focus on the primary
objects. Clutter can also be
reduced through the use of
lighting, as the brighter areas
of the image tend to draw the
eye, as do lines, squares and
color. In painting, the artist
may use less detailed and
defined brushwork towards the
edges of the picture.

17. The blurred background focuses the
eye on the subject of the composition.

19. There should be a center of interest or focus in the work, to prevent it becoming a
pattern in itself;
The direction followed by the viewer's eye should lead the viewer's gaze around all
elements in the work before leading out of the picture;
The subject should not be facing out of the image;
A moving subject should have space in front;
Exact bisections of the picture space should be avoided;
Small, high contrast, elements have as much impact as larger, duller elements;
The prominent subject should be off-centre, unless a symmetrical or formal
composition is desired, and can be balanced by smaller satellite elements
the horizon line should not divide the art work in two equal parts but be positioned to
emphasize either the sky or ground; showing more sky if painting is of clouds, sun
rise/set, and more ground if a landscape