How to Create a Focal Point in Art

Have you ever finished a watercolor and just sensed that you missed the mark somewhere? 

When this happens to me, it is often because there’s a lack of focus in the painting. My eyes don’t know where to go because the elements of the scene are competing. They don’t complement each other well. To avoid this - and to achieve a sense of order in your painting - you have to create a clear focal point. 

Keep reading to learn five effective strategies for creating definitive areas of focus in your watercolor paintings. 

Establishing Your Focus in a Painting

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What is a Focal Point in Watercolor Painting?

Let’s start with a simple question - what is a focal point? 

A focal point is the main idea or an area of interest in your painting. If you’re painting a street scene with buildings, cars, and people walking the sidewalks, you don’t want to give equal attention to all aspects of the scene. If you render each section with the same amount of detail and applying the same level of contrast, you will end up with an overworked, unfocused painting. 

Instead, from the beginning of the painting process, you want to determine where you’re leading your viewer’s eye. What is the point of interest in your painting? This is your focal point. And it will guide your decisions along the way. 

Look at a few of my paintings. Without scrolling ahead, what do you think the area of focus is in each?

As you look at each scene, your eyes move around the painting, but likely land on one spot over and over again. There might even be directional lines that aid you in this movement.

If the artist has done their job well, this is the focal point.

Later in the blog, I detail the qualities that effectively create a focal point in your painting, but before we get there, what do you notice about these points of interest (circled below)? 

• What about these areas attract your attention? 
• What qualities do they have that stand out to you?  
• How are they complemented by other components of the painting?
• What do you notice about contrast, value, and saturation in these areas (compared to the rest of the painting)?
• Are there other areas of interest in the painting that provide balance to this focal point? 

How Many Areas of Interest Should You Have in a Watercolor?

The answer to this question isn’t completely straight-forward, but let me put it this way. You should have one focal area that stands out above the rest; however you can create other, less articulated areas of interest in your painting. Ideally, these other areas provide balance to your main area of focus and help to guide your viewer’s eye around your scene.

For example, in the painting below, there are a couple areas with attention-grabbing qualities beside the main area of focus. Notice how the placement of these complements the focal point and brings some balance to the scene?

Strategies to Create Strong Focal Points

So now that we understand what a focal point is, let’s cover some strategies you can use to create these areas of interest in your watercolor paintings. 

While this is not an exhaustive list, here are 6 methods you can use to set apart a specific area of your painting:

1. Include Lines of Convergence in Your Painting. Prominent lines direct your viewer. For instance, look back at the painting above. The road narrows and converges with many other elements of my painting at the focal point. In a way, they “point” to my area of interest. This is a highly effective compositional strategy when creating your focal point.  
2. Use a Full Range of Value to Draw Attention to the Area. We want a full range of value in our painting as a whole, but this is especially true of the focal area. Let the lightest lights and the darkest details bump up against each other to attract interest.   
3. Use Contrast at the Focal Point. Contrast can refer to value (as discussed in the previous point), but this is only one type of contrast. You can also create contrast with shape, 
4. Use the “Golden Ratio” to Place the Focal Point. It can be helpful to think about the golden ratio when you determine where in your scene you want your focal area. The golden ratio is based on the rule of thirds. This is the idea that, if you were to separate your painting into thirds both vertically and horizontally, the intersections of those lines are the best places for an area of emphasis. 
5. Sharpen the Focus in Your Area of Interest. If every part of your painting is fully articulated, rendered with the same level of detail, then nothing will stand out. When you blur certain elements in your painting it will complement the detail you provide your focal point. This is an indication to your viewer about what’s important in your scene. 

Why Do You Need a Focal Point in Watercolor Painting?

Focal points - or areas of interest - in your watercolors bring focus, order, and meaning to your paintings.  

When you have a good idea what your painting is “about,” and you use these strategies to feature a specific area in your painting, your viewer will share your sense of meaning and satisfaction. 

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