Paying attention to your composition in watercolor painting is a key to transforming your art from good to great.

Watercolor, in particular, demands intentionality in your composition because of the nature of the medium. Multiple washes of pigment allow overlapping shapes to create a composition that is both subtle and intricate. 

In this video, you will gain an understanding of the basic rules of composition and how you can use them to create eye-catching watercolor paintings. I share with you the way that I approach composition, the different techniques I use to bring my artwork alive, and the way I assess my own composition. 

What is composition in art?

Composition is a term that can be applied to all sorts of art forms - music, writing, sculptures. In every case, it has something to do with the way the piece is arranged, organized, or put together. 

In painting, composition mostly has to do with the way that an artist arranges the elements of a painting - and the way that these elements relate to one another. With good composition, a watercolor artist can emphasize a message, convey a mood, elicit a feeling, and engage the viewer. 

Artists who want to grow and learn assess the composition of admired paintings and learn composition theory. They think about popular composition throughout history. They study the rule-followers, the rule-breakers, and apply what they learn to their own practice. 

There are whole books written on composition in painting, and certainly always more to learn. So, today I am going to share with you the composition concepts I keep at the top of my mind throughout my watercolor process. 

My Top Watercolor Composition Tips

Here are three powerful tools that will make your paintings more engaging and captivating: 

1. Simplify the edges of your painting.

Elements that attract attention in paintings are contrast, saturation and edge. You want to apply these in the most important key areas of your painting. They can go a long way to creating focal points in your scene.

In contrast, you’ll want to downplay these things on the perimeter of your painting. In doing this, you’re directing your viewer's attention. You're telling them: This - over here - is the story of the painting. This is the part that you want to look at. 

I can't tell you how many times I've painted a scene where I'm pulled out of it because I’ve created a strong area of contrast or included hard edges at the perimeter of the painting.

When I am most successful, I have created an impression in these areas instead of loading them up on details. 

2. Create visual tunnels in your scene. 

Creating a tunnel or frame gives your viewer something to look through into a natural area of interest of your painting. It’s a visual guide that can captivate a viewer.  

This can be done in an obvious way, where you might have something on the edge of the painting to frame the scene - like a tree. This provides the viewer with something to look past and through, into the scene.

But you can also accomplish this in a more subtle way. If you simply darken the tops of your painting along with the foreground, you can capture the viewer's attention inside the scene, on the elements you want to emphasize. 

For example, in this picture, if you look at a sky, it's a darker, richer blue at the top. There's less strength as you move down near the horizon line. This creates a natural vignette around the top of our painting. Notice, also, that I darken up the foreground to help lead us into the scene.

3. Create a path around your painting.

Creating a visual path not only into your scene, but around the scene can transform a good painting into an engaging, interactive experience for the viewer.  

First, let's think about the rule of thirds. Using this rule will automatically help clarify things for you. 

First, place two vertical lines within your painting, dividing your composition into thirds. And then you want to split your painting into three equal sections horizontally by placing two horizontal lines over our scene. 

You can even lightly draw these lines on your paper. Where these lines intersect is where you want to put the most interest in your scene. 

Next, you want to think about creating a path - creating visual leads - to guide our eye around these thirds of the painting. When I look at the painting I referenced earlier, for example, my eye naturally goes right up the mast of this boat and in a circle around the scene.

I've created this visual guide around the scene using the rule of thirds. Keeping the visual interest moving around in a circular motion is a particularly powerful way to keep the viewer engaged in our painting. If you can master this, you are going to create paintings that are visually captivating, hold your viewer's attention, and convey your intended messages.

Examples of good composition in a painting

Have you ever found yourself stuck on a painting and your eyes are just moving around the scene in a loop? Maybe you find it hard to look away from this painting. This is a great indication that the painting has a balanced and engaging composition.

You don’t have to think too much about this. If a painting captures your attention, if you’re intrigued by it and find your eyes moving from focal point to focal point, this is a sign that the artist has something to teach you about composition. 

Here are some of my favorite artists who are masters at achieving balanced and engaging composition:  

Season’s Over - Andy Evansen

Angles of Ellicott city - Frank Eber

Spindlestone Farm - Richard Schmid

Common problems with composition of watercolor painting

Sometimes it’s easier to assess what is wrong with a composition when we’re trying to improve. And while there are always exceptions to the rules here are some common composition issues you may find in your paintings:

• A focal point is located on the edge of your painting
• Directing your viewer’s attention in the “wrong” direction (keep their eyes moving from focal point to focal point)
• Lines that lead your viewer out of the scene
• Too much detail and texture (remember, when you emphasize everything, you emphasize nothing)
• Collection of shapes (your goal should be one large, connected shape)

If you take a look at some of your paintings and see examples of some of these “problems,” don’t worry. This is progress. This is how we learn. I still make some of these mistakes. Often, I paint subjects more than once, working to achieve the right composition. This is all normal and a part of the journey toward progress and improvement. 

Questions to ask about your painting’s composition

I want you to get a few of your paintings and lay them out. I find that this exercise is best done when you have some space between you and your painting. Maybe choose some artwork from a couple months ago that you can look at a little more objectively than your most recent watercolor painting. 

Now consider some of these questions:

• What is the first thing that you notice in your scene? Where does your eye go next?
• Are your eyes moving around the scene or being led right out of the painting? 
• What are the focal points of the painting? Do they complement each other or work against each other?
• Have you included elements that create a tunnel or frame?
• What areas have you included rich details? Which areas are less detailed and more impressionistic? Do these choices highlight/complement the messages I am trying to convey in the painting?

When you look at something with fresh eyes and ask some of these questions about your own work, you can start to assess whether you are capturing your viewer’s attention and inviting them to get lost in your painting.

What can I do now to improve my watercolor composition?

Of course, composition is something we can continuously study and improve upon. There are many strategies and techniques to experiment with, but try not to be overwhelmed. Consider one thing at a time. 

Creating beautiful watercolor paintings requires intentionality and an understanding of the basics of composition: simplifying the edges of your painting, creating visual tunnels, and creating a path around your painting. By implementing these practices, you can create a composition that captures attention, emphasizes your key elements, and communicates the messages of your painting. 

With a little practice and intentionality, you will bring your watercolor artwork to life.

Related Videos:

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