26 Artists Magazine May 2020
Build LESSON
In his classic book The Art of Color and
Design, Maitland E. Graves says that
all good designs are built on seven
basic principles: balance, movement,
pattern, emphasis, contrast, rhythm
and unity. When you’re composing
a picture, these principles can act as
a checklist to help you make sure your
composition is as rich and engaging
as it can be. Let’s look a little more
closely at each.PRINCIPLE 1: BALANCE
Every well thought-out composition
should feel balanced. There are three
ways to classify balance: symmetry,
asymmetry and radial symmetry.
Symmetry means that if you were
to draw a line down the center of an
object, you would see that the left and
right sides are exactly equal—mirror
images of each other. A very symmet-
rical composition is one in which the
balance is equal if divided by a center
line. There’s no dominant side, and
the composition is rather static. If
both sides are the same, the picture
tends to be uninteresting, and the
viewer may get bored.COMPOSITION
The Seven Principles
of Design
For still lifes that grab and hold a viewer’s gaze, follow these precepts.
by Todd M. CaseyI avoided making The Great
Escape (2015; oil on canvas,
48x36) too symmetric by placing
diff erently shaped and sized
objects on both sides of the boat.
PRIVATE COLLECTION