The Art of Composition Ken Gilliland（Ken Gilliland组成的艺术）.pdf

The Art of Composition ©2002 by Ken Gilliland It is said with all things that a good, strong foundation is key to success. Houses built on weak foundations succumb to the elements, taking a test without proper study usually supports the base of the grading curves and relationships based on deceptions eventually fail. The same is true with art. No matter how great the skills or how advanced the tools without that solid foundation, the composition, the work will fail to achieve it’s desired goal; to captivate the viewer. Let’s not shy away from the truth, as artists, we hope too that the viewers will notice our work and enjoy it, but for them to walk away and remember to it, ah, that is bliss. Hopefully, in this chapter, we will turn poor and ordinary compositions into good ones and good ones into great ones… So what makes a good composition? To answer that, first let’s look at what makes a bad one. While hitting the bull’s eye might be great for a marksman, it’s lousy shot for an artist. Your center of focus on the composition is always better off-center and targeting the thirds marks are best. Known in art history class as “The Golden Means”, “The Rule of Three” or “Magic Thirds”, this technique dates back to the “old masters” of the Renaissance. What the theory basically says is that the main elements in the composition should be placed one third from the top, bottom or sides of the work. A composition created with this rule will be always more pleasing to the eye. Sounds too easy??? Let’s explore an example. Figure 1 “Surfboard Hercules” (figure 1) is a good example of a complex composition that uses “magic thirds” effectively. Notice how the main character “the Surfer” is positioned on the left third mark. To further lock his position and solidify the composition his arms are crossed on the upper third. To balance the composit