If you’re creating a complex illustration then you’ll have to actually design your image. Creating sketches of your art beforehand will help you to work out how you want your final vector illustration to look. Planning how the final illustration will look saves you time and makes it much easier to achieve the end result that you want. Using a real pencil or pen and paper is still in my opinion the best way to compose any artwork. I keep a sketchbook handy for just this kind of thing.

I’m working at a desk right now and if I were to take a photo of it from above I would see that I have things laid out in a certain way for certain reasons. Everything is in a particular place because its location makes using that particular thing more convenient and helps me to work with my keyboard and monitor without interference. You can look at composing your illustrations in a similar manner. Organizing the elements of your artwork can be compared to organizing your workspace because in both instances you’re trying to put things where they make the most sense.

There are certain rules of composition that can be incorporated into your work as an illustrator and designer.

Shape or Format

Decide what shape or format you want your final composition to be in. Do you want your illustration to be a square, rectangle, circle or some other shape? Do you want it to be much taller that it is wide? The shape will help to determine how your final illustration will be composed.

Golden Ratio

Excerpt from Wikipedia

The golden ratio is also called the golden section or golden mean. Other names include extreme and mean ratio, medial section, divine proportion, divine section, golden proportion, golden cut, golden number, and mean of Phidias.
In mathematics and the arts, two quantities are in the golden ratio if the ratio of the sum of the quantities to the larger quantity is equal to the ratio of the larger quantity to the smaller one. Expressed algebraically:

where the Greek letter phi ( ) represents the golden ratio. Its value is:

Many 20th century artists and architects have proportioned their works to approximate the golden ratio—especially in the form of the golden rectangle, in which the ratio of the longer side to the shorter is the golden ratio—believing this proportion to be aesthetically pleasing.

So what does all this have to do with you? It is another tool that you can use to compose your artwork.

If you want to create your own Golden Rectangle there is a tutorial here.

The rectangle on the left here shows the Golden Rectangle and the repeating pattern that is created using the golden ratio. The green dot in the rectangle on the right is the “sweet spot” where you can place a focal point in your art.

Another variation of how you might use the Golden Rectangle to help compose your illustrations is seen below. The rectangle on the right was created by copying the original rectangle and then pasting a new copy and flipping it upside down. A grid is created from this and the green dots represent where you can place your objects of interest.

The Rules of Thirds

The rule of thirds is a variation of the grid from the Golden Rectangle and is also used to help you place your main subject or objects of interest. If a the rectangle shape is divided into three section both horizontally and vertically using lines. The four points of this grid where the lines intersect is where you would place your focal point.

Using these grids is not something that you must do, but something that may work for you sometimes. You will see this rule applied in some peoples art and photography, so look out for it and you’ll get a better feel for how it can be used. What I find interesting is how the "sweet spots" are in different places for these different indicators. What I couldn't find is any information as to why you would use one over the other.

Repetition

Repeating certain elements of your artwork can bring unity to the overall design. For instance, a round shape in one section can be repeated in another area to marry the two sections. Also, horizontal and vertical lines or shapes are great to unify a piece.

Depth

Composition is about balance and coming up with the absolute best way of viewing the elements in the illustration. If you were creating a landscape you would want to include elements that give it dimension. For example you could have a large tree in the foreground on the left, have a hill with smaller trees at a farther distance on the right, and finally in the center have the distant mountain peaks and the blue sky with its rolling clouds. By using things placed at different distances you move the viewer’s eye around your image. The main subject might be the distant mountains but the other parts are what make it interesting and give it depth.

Emphasis

Another way of moving the viewer’s eye around your art is to use elements within the piece to point to different areas. Just as if you were using actual arrows you can take the eye from place to place within you illustration or even have the other elements all point to the main subject if that is what you choose to do.

Another way to move the eye is with color. The bolder the color the more it will pull the eye towards it. So use that to your advantage.

Contrast works in much the same way. It can be used to either enhance or diminish the emphasis of a certain object or element.

Focus can be used in photography to highlight the main subject. It is hard to replicate this technique with sharp vector art but you could do something similar by having a more abstract background with a more realistic subject in front of it.

Your goal here is the harmony of all of these things. When your shapes, colors, contrast and placement come together you’ll have the design you’ve been striving for.

Change the angles that you use to view the subjects in your art. There might be ten images of the very same object already available at a specific agency, but there may be none where it is viewed from slightly above, below, or from the side. Extreme angles may however become too distracting.

Why do you want to illustrate a particular thing? This is a very important question that you need to ask yourself. What is it that makes you want to illustrate that certain thing? Is it one particular thing within it or is it the combination of the elements. Once you have figured out for yourself what you really want your illustration to be about you can arrange the other elements within to enhance the main subject.

Observe

Pay attention to how other artists and designers compose their designs. You can learn a lot by just looking at different media. Why someone is a good designer is not always something that can be easily defined. At the same time it is easy for most people to tell a good design from a bad one even though they may not know why.

Define what type of illustration you are working on.

Is your work a dynamic asymmetrically balanced unified piece of art. Let’s define these terms and you will be able to decide for yourself.

Rhythm

This refers to the feel of artwork. Is it dynamic or is it controlled. Dynamic refers to a more energetic feel that generally comes from the use of many varied colors and diagonal lines giving more of a sense of movement and making the piece more active. A controlled rhythm uses a more even use of space. It incorporates more vertical and horizontal lines and creates more of a sense of calm.

Balance

There are two major ways that you can balance the composition in your art. The first is symmetrical. If you separated your illustration down the middle do the sides seem to be balanced? Do they have similar weight and use of elements? If so then you probably have a symmetrical design. A balanced piece will also usually have a controlled or calm rhythm. If one side has much more going on than the other then you probably have an asymmetrical illustration. It will also be more dynamic and the weight from one side to the other will be balanced but use different sizes of elements and colors to make it so.

Unity

Do all of the elements of your art belong together? Does anything look out of place? If you answered yes then go back and either change it to make it work with the other elements or remove it all together. In this form of unity every element of your image has its place and is equally important to the rhythm and balance of the overall illustration.
Unity can refer to different things too. You can unify your artwork in a visual sense. One example would be the use of a repeated texture or color that moves throughout your art and brings all of the elements together.

10 Tips to Improve Your Compositions

To repeat some of the ideas above, here is a quick list of things to check as you create your vector illustration.

• Choose what you want to be the emphasis of the piece
• Plan your composition before you begin to illustrate.
• Use the other elements of the illustration to enhance the main subject not distract from it.
• Place your main subject in a strong location within your formatted space.
• Create Dimension if needed by placing elements closer or farther away.
• Use objects of varying size and shape to give interest to your art.
• Use harmonious colors but don’t be afraid to be bold in order to can stand out. Use consistency in color theme; use either a warm or a cool color theme unless it is for a specific reason. Use color for emphasis.
• Make sure everything works together and that nothing stands out as not belonging.

Knowing your tools and being adept at using them is crucial to being able to create what you imagine. Consider your ability to compose your art as just another tool that you use to bring your images to life.

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All images found on CMVA.com may not be used, distributed, manipulated, reproduced or showed publicly or privately without a written permission from the artist. All pictures presented here are for viewing on this web site only. The only exception is the photos in the tutorials which can be used in creating the art in the lessons. Design and content © 2013 CMVA and AWesleyFloyd.