TUTORIAL // creating a strong composition
Added 2022-07-08 09:38:41 +0000 UTCAt long last, here it is: a tutorial about composition! This is something I avoided for a long time because I felt like it was such an overwhelmingly broad topic. Itโs one of those things that also touches on light, shape, color, pose, and so on. But now that Iโve already managed to make 25 (!!) previous tutorials, I felt like it was time to make this one since itโs supported by enough other resources!
This video covers:
- Composition in my own art - my main influences and how I apply that to my own work
- My priorities when building a composition
- Specific principles and techniques that I fall back on (like the rule of thirds)
- Common mistakes that artists make
- A demo of my process for building a composition
The brushes I used were:
- The MaCaLabs HB pencil brush to sketch and create linework
- The hard round brush from my own set to paint some details
Some other tutorials that might be useful to check out after this one are:
- Using your creative spark to generate ideas: this one talks about how you can channel your ideas into quick thumbnail sketches that you can revisit later to finalize.
- Creating interesting and flowy shapes: this one talks about the role of shapes in leading the eye around the image.
By the way, the subtitled version is coming up in a minute! And if you have any trouble watching this video, please check out this post, which has a list of external links to all of the tutorials which you can view on vimeo.
Comments
hey emma! for this one, I did the demo during the video! I do edit it to make it smoother, but I really came up with it live while I was recording. But of course it's normal to take a lot of time to evaluate your composition! it's the foundation of you work, so it's ok to take all of the time you need :)
Loish
2025-04-28 11:36:31 +0000 UTCThis is so helpful! Thank you Loish. I wonder if your composition drawing demo in this video just happened real time or you tried that before videotaping and speeded up the thinking process when videotaping ? The thinking process looks so smooth and quick, which is amazing. I usually need to take much more time to evaluate and adjust my composition. ๐
Emma
2025-04-26 00:57:32 +0000 UTCIโm so glad you found it helpful!
Loish
2024-01-09 08:44:52 +0000 UTCI'm going to be utilizing all of this. The Mucha stuff really opened my eyes ๐
Art Mancy ๐ฎ
2024-01-08 18:28:16 +0000 UTCI'm so happy to hear that! thanks so much for joining!
Loish
2022-11-17 09:29:35 +0000 UTCI'm so happy I've joined this community and I can't express how this video alone is so beneficial in understanding how utilizing different tools and methods can really aid in making your work all the more eye catching and engaging to your viewer! It makes me so excited to get back into creating work, this makes me feel so inspired to test how I can apply all the tips shared here. Thank you so much for sharing this Loish.
Jessica Darling
2022-11-16 18:28:39 +0000 UTCthank you so much :)
Loish
2022-07-18 09:48:25 +0000 UTCI really love your tutorials so, so much! You have a thinking and explaining process so unique! Never found someone with your capability to deliver their messages so clearly โค๏ธ Thanks for another great one, and that dryad is simply beautiful๐
Antea Curcuruto
2022-07-16 07:55:47 +0000 UTCthanks so much rodrigo! I hope you'll find it helpful in your process!
Loish
2022-07-13 09:13:51 +0000 UTCthanks so much rach!
Loish
2022-07-13 09:13:32 +0000 UTChey kevin! so happy to hear that you enjoyed the tutorial! the sketching process is a pretty accurate portrayal of my construction process, but in case you haven't seen it yet, i also have a tutorial on this specific topic! you can find it here - https://www.patreon.com/posts/tutorial-video-38377684
Loish
2022-07-13 09:11:19 +0000 UTCthanks so much! i've discovered over time that it's easier for me to make the tutorials a bit longer, since otherwise i get really stressed out at the idea of cramming too much information into too short of a time ^^;
Loish
2022-07-13 09:08:58 +0000 UTCthanks so much sam!
Loish
2022-07-13 09:07:50 +0000 UTChope you find it helpful kat!
Loish
2022-07-13 09:06:51 +0000 UTCOh my gosh this tutorial is so timely! My last painting, though its nicely rendered, feels SO flat and the composition is super boring. So composition is one of the big things I want to improve on for the next one. Thank you so much for this, its super helpful!
Kat Craig
2022-07-11 21:59:45 +0000 UTCI've never seen composition explained quite like this. Complexity broken down to its basic building blocks. Your thought process is brilliant.
Sam Reeves
2022-07-10 21:27:25 +0000 UTCI can't believe the tutorial was 40 minutes long it flew by so fast! I really enjoyed it and learned so much. Thank you for another amazing tutorial!
Rye Mi
2022-07-10 06:51:38 +0000 UTCI love your tutorials you've a great way of explaining your process , always gets me motivated to draw. Quick question off topic for this tutorial but in your earlier videos you showed your sketching process was that always your level of construction or were there other steps like originally putting in squares , rectangles , contours , things that just you stop needing over time? I'm finding it difficult atm to decide my level of construction
Kevin Casey
2022-07-09 09:49:58 +0000 UTCThank you! I really needed this one
Lynn Zammit Russell
2022-07-09 05:51:47 +0000 UTCYet another tutorial that absolutely knocks it out of the park! ๐
Rachel Bronson
2022-07-08 16:13:55 +0000 UTCThat was a great Tutorial, Loish. Nice Work!
Jean Claude de La Ronde
2022-07-08 15:44:23 +0000 UTCThis tutorial is so helpful! Thank you for taking the time to show your approach on how to think about the composition on the earlier stages of the creative process, itโs definitely something I have to practice more. โค๏ธ
Rodrigo Falco
2022-07-08 13:48:48 +0000 UTCThank you so much, this has been something I've struggled with as I've worked towards creating more complex pieces!
Emily G
2022-07-08 09:56:50 +0000 UTC
