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Why is Composing a Painting so Difficult? These Tips Might Make it Easier!

Why are there so many rules when it comes to composition? Why does it seem so hard to make a strong design when painting?

Composing paintings can be tricky. So many opinions, books, articles, and videos about composition can be confusing and frustrating. Is that just how it has to be?

Is the struggle simply part of being a painter? Maybe. But is it possible we complicate things without needing to?

Over a half dozen books in my art library have the word Composition in the title, and dozens more that talk extensively about it. Sure, there is some agreement among artists, but there is also an awful lot of disagreement about what a ‘good’ composition is.

Over a half dozen books in my art library have the word Composition in the title, and dozens more that talk extensively about it. Sure, there is some agreement among artists, but there is also an awful lot of disagreement about what a ‘good’ composition is.

There has to be a simpler way to design a strong composition.

Let me share with you some of my thoughts about how I compose paintings. It might help you gain more confidence and discard some of the complicated formulas proposed by some.

What is composition or design in painting?

It’s everything. Every element in our paintings affects composition: lines, textures, contrasts of light and shadow, hard and soft edges, strong vs. muted colors—the list is endless.

There are as many ways to compose a painting as there are artists. Much of it has little to do with ‘right and wrong’ and more to do with the artists’ personalities.

So, what goes through my head when I compose my paintings? I’ll use one of the two reference images from our Members’ critique ‘Paint Together’ this month to demonstrate. They are both rivers near my home.

White River Winter & Snowy Sycamores with small dam creating cascading water effects

The first thing I do is decide what the painting is about.

You might think, “That’s kind of obvious, isn’t it? It’s a river scene”.

Yep, that’s true. But is the river strongly or mildly the subject?

White River Winter & Snowy Sycamores cropped half and half between the sky and the river to confuse the composition.

What if the photo were divided equally between the river and the sky?

It’s still a river scene, right?

We see images like this all the time. That’s when we have to make some important decisions.

Which will be dominant – the sky or the river? There isn’t a right or wrong, but it is critical for us to make a choice.

Why? Can’t both be dominant?

Yes, and our painting might be amazing. However, the viewers will likely feel they are watching a tennis match, being pulled back and forth from the sky to the river until they tire of looking.

Having a dominant theme can help calm and engage the viewer.

The theme doesn’t have to be a specific subject. It might be color, texture, contrast, movement, or a puppy looking adorable in a Christmas hat. The primary goal is to keep the viewer engaged so that they want to return to our painting over and over for years to come.

Once I determine the intent of my painting, I look for other elements that might distract the viewer and weaken the impact.

White River Winter & Snowy Sycamores with small dam creating cascading water effects

Looking again at the image, a couple of things stand out quickly:

1. The small dam doesn’t seem to contribute much and creates a barrier, keeping the viewer from moving easily back in the painting.

White River Winter & Snowy Sycamores with red circle over the dam.

2. The goalpost tree on the right demands too much attention because of its unusual growth of limbs. I don’t want the viewer to be forced to keep looking at those goalposts, which will likely keep them from moving smoothly around the painting.

It doesn’t make the painting more interesting and distracts from the rest of the image.

White River Winter & Snowy Sycamores with red circle over the goalpost tree.

3. The sky on the right forms a bowl shape that traps the viewer.

Why does it trap the viewer?

Because the line of the trees doesn’t point into the painting, it creates a circle that leads the viewer around and around with no tangible escape.

White River Winter & Snowy Sycamores with red circle over the bowl shaped sky in the top right corner.

So, I removed many of the distractions, including a good portion of the rock sitting in the river. The rock drew my eye too strongly.

And I cropped the painting, removing the tops of the trees and the long empty field at the right.

White River Winter & Snowy Sycamores cropped half and half between the sky and the river to confuse the composition.

To me, reducing the height of the treetops and the sky helps put more emphasis on the river without losing the story/narrative.

There might be more things, like the straight branch in the top left corner. But hopefully, that gave you a good glimpse into my approach.

Did you notice that I didn’t worry about the Golden Mean, Steeple Design, or any formula? I decided what I wanted the primary emphasis to be, and then I looked for anything that might detract from that message or distract the viewer.

Once I begin painting, other things will stand out, or I will do something with texture, contrast, or color that might guide me in a different direction. I leave myself open to serendipity.

Painting by Degas of Ballerinas with lines superimposed to suggest ideas about the composition.

When you saw the Winter River image, did you think of similar things, or did you think of a completely different direction?

There isn’t a right or wrong. That’s one of the amazing blessings of art. We aren’t limited by one ‘correct’ idea or approach.

Let me know what you would do differently or if you disagree with my decisions. Do you like the image as it is? What changes would you make to the design to make it your own?

Happy painting!