Greetings Artisan!

Figuring out composition is hard...

When you consider all the options, all the ideas, all the different theories about what makes an image work...it's easy to get lost.

For a long time, I thought good composition meant complexity.

I was convinced that to create really impactful illustrations, I needed to show off.

Looking back at my journey, I realize I was making things harder than they needed to be. I was also sleeping on something really powerful: the effectiveness of simple, direct, centralized composition.

A Simpler Approach

Now there are lots of ways to just keep it simple. But when you are wanting to create a lot of impact and power and to grab attention, it's often the simpler more direct compositions that work better anyway.

A few weeks ago I started a series of YouTube videos on the topic of using simple formal centralised style composition.

You can check out the first one here:

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This is where you just place your subject in the middle of the frame, often keeping things symmetrical.

These straightforward compositions give you freedom to focus on other aspects of illustration that are often what we need to learn in the beginning.

Things like:

• Refining your hierarchy of detail (the one-two-three read)
• Value relationships
• Edge control
• Shape design
• Character design

Early on this lets you focus your energy where it counts.

It took me a long time to really understand how effective this could be.

But it probably took me even longer to realise how good these simple ideas were for professional work too.

Often they work really well for the most important images we can create!

The Cover!

When I started out covers were one of those holy grail tasks... the stuff only the best artists get to do!

I have created a number of covers over the years. But recently on Star Atlas CORE I had to do something new.

We had 3 covers per issue.

That's 3 covers per month I was having to make (in addition to the actual pages inside).

I am often teaching and talking about having a Simple Reliable Process. For me it certainly feels like I'm a broken record on this.

But that's because I apply all the stuff I teach. I use it every day...

And never more than on Star Atlas CORE covers.

I once had to do 3 Covers in a single day to meet a deadline. This is only possible because I was using simple composition and I had a reliable process that I knew back to front.

So, in the next video I went over my journey and the different lessons I learnt about how to compose covers illustrations.

You can check it out here:

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Seeing This in Practice

I recently tested this approach by revisiting a character from my fantasy comic Ara.

For the new illustration, I placed her in a simple, centralized composition with rocks framing either side:

This Started in Procreate and finished in Photoshop with final color and texture. You can check out the full process walkthrough in this video:

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Using a simple image plan like this allows me to make a relatively polished image from what is essentially a single standing character

Keep it Simple!

What I've noticed teaching composition (and pretty much all art!) over the years is that there's this tension between learning the fundamentals and trying to create impressive, complicated images. It's natural to want to push yourself, but sometimes that can actually slow down your progress.

Most of the time attempting to creating something really epic in the beginning will actually end in abandonment! My hard drive is littered with failed large illustrations from my earlier days...

I eventually did learn to create big complex illustrations. But I also learnt that simple is often better...

If you're feeling stuck with composition, try this basic approach:

1. Put your subject in the middle of the frame
2. Add simple framing elements on either side
3. Focus on creating a clear light/dark pattern
4. Use color contrast to separate your subject from the background
5. Create depth through basic overlapping elements

This is normally what I am thinking of when I make covers or other simple illustrations.

Developing Your Process

Through the Line and Color Academy, I help artists develop reliable processes for illustration. Having a clear workflow from thumbnail to finished piece makes a huge difference - not just in the quality of your results, but in how enjoyable the creation process is.

When you have a solid process, you know what step comes next. You can relax into each phase of the work without the anxiety of figuring everything out at once. That's especially important when you're learning.

Simple compositions fit well into this approach because they give you a strong foundation to build on while you develop other skills.

I'd love to hear what you think about this idea. Does this change how you think about composition?

Cheers!
Tim

If you haven't lately - Check out the Line and Color Academy. Join over 450 students who have taken the course to improve their art ritual and build a reliable process.

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