ramonn90
Learn My Composition Formula (Dynamic Composition) Make It Viral!
Published: May 30th 2023, 4:00:04 pm
Hey everyone!
Two weeks ago, I asked you in a Discord poll which aspect of composition you wanted me to address here on Patreon. There was a tie between "Depth and Perspective" and "Dynamic Composition". This time, let's dive into the basics of "Dynamic Composition" applied to character design. This is a first step before exploring more complex combinations of two or more characters or elements with depth and perspective.
What's the problem?
Composition is like the structure of a book. Imagine if the structure is a mess, people would not be able to read the story. In art, it's the same; messy compositions would not allow the viewer to understand what you want to convey. So, how do we learn this?
When you see a complex composition, it might seem intimidating to accomplish or learn since it seems like "too much". But to be fair, what you're seeing is the final result of a carefully thought-out process that started with a simple idea and developed its surroundings visually after hours, days, or months of work. What you need to learn is this "thought process" by choosing a simple point from where to start and growing this idea visually from that point.
Composition Points of Interest:
In my latest pieces of art, I tend to distribute the viewer's attention to at least 3 points of interest. I'll list 5 of them here for you to try next time. It's important to notice that there is no sequential order of points. Sometimes, I start to explore in search of inspiration in any of these points, and once I find something I like, I try to bring some of the rest of the points to the composition.
1. Animal: Choosing animals is a way to bootstrap my creativity. I go for cute, nice little creatures or just an interesting picture, and I start to explore references to cover other points like the ones I'll mention next. I'm currently choosing animals as a point of start, but it can be anything—a plant, a tool, a person, often a real picture. If you feel comfortable, you can even mix two. More than two can be challenging, so I recommend you master one and then go crazy.
2. Expression: I always try to draw the face of the character reacting to its surroundings. Even if it's just a combination of eyebrows and eyes, this will make the character feel relatable and real.
3. Action: In the case of characters, I love to make them always doing something—working, eating, touching, anything with their hands or body in general. You can make just an expressive face, but by playing with hands, you can tell way more.
4. Fashion: Dress the character like it actually exists. People love to see how you are translating tools from real life into a different perspective—it's curious to them. So, apply this rule to the character's identity by exploring outfits that fit them. One tip is to push the silhouette of the character with big shapes, not just adjusted outfits. Mix casual, ordinary clothing with unconventional objects or concepts. This is always interesting to look at, and even more so if it's wearable.
5. Surrealism: I often play with the concept of dreams and imagination. The goal is to exaggerate something ordinary, a relatable theme mixed with a totally different subject but also ordinary, like a feeling mixed with a phone. The possibilities are endless, so try to focus on a message that people can understand.
What I'm doing lately is choosing animals (birds this month), but in the past, I've chosen mostly relatable moments like memes or casual situations in which I can push some visual explorations. I made a Pinterest board to share pictures I found interesting in some way. This is subjective, there are no rules as long as it's interesting to you.
This is a very simple approach in which you checklist every point to ensure an interesting ride for your viewers across your pieces. Please feel free to explore with me and share the results. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress.
Tomorrow, I'll be sharing the process video and PSD file of these portraits along with process tips for those in the "Mastering Maestro" tier and above. Upgrade your tier if this tickles your fancy.
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Enjoy your week and thanks for your continued support!"