Understanding Composition

$60.00

3 students attended this class

3.00 hours

3 - 30 participants

3.00 hours online

3 - 30 participants

Robert Chang

I have been a professional artist since 1991, and have worked in various industries (comic books, illustration, film, animation, video games) and used various mediums (traditional drawing/painting to digital 2D and 3D). I have done freelance work as well as spent time in various studios as art director and concept artist for animation and video games. Besides doing art, I'm also a musician and have written songs for pop-stars and composed music for film and games. I'm very passionate about writing and storytelling too and have written graphic novels, screenplays, novels, and articles for magazines. I'm also a photographer and shoot portraits, real estate, food, products, and fashion. When not pursuing creative endeavors, I teach all the things I do professionally (art, photography, music, writing, game development). Website: https://www.ethereality.info Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/robertchang Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lunatiquerob/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/LunatiqueRob Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobLunatiqueChang/

For many artists, effective composition is something that eludes them, and no matter how they rearrange the various elements in their artwork, the image still feels stiff and awkward. This class will teach you the critical knowledge you need to be more confident in how of you use composition in your artworks, photographs, videos, and designs.

The lessons in this class will cover various aspects of composition such as how to divide up the canvas for better balance, choosing focal areas, usage of contrasts and variations, selective detail, overlapping, framing, repetition, diagonals, negative space, leading the eye, spatial depth, and manipulation of the horizon. Students will also learn to create emotional intimacy and establish desired psychic distance between the viewer and the subjects, as well as how to increase visual drama by using uncommon camera angles.

Students will also learn how to avoid creating accidental distractions and awkward tangents that will detract from the effectiveness of their work.

Prerequisites: Any skill and experience level welcome, whether you can only draw stick figures, or can already draw and paint at a decent level.

Materials Required: Digital or analog tools, as long as you can draw and paint with them. But keep in mind that digital tools have the advantages of undos, layers, quick and easy access to any color, vast range of drawing tools, transform tools, quick editing of contrast, values, and colors, etc., and those advantages often translates into more confidence to experiment and try different approaches, because you know you can easily backtrack or make changes. The concepts taught in the class can be applied to both analog and digital, but when doing the demonstrations, I will be using digital tools (usually Photoshop or Procreate), as I prefer the convenience, flexibility, and power.

Available Schedules

Robert Chang