How to compose drawings with correct layout and scale

How to compose drawings with correct layout and scale

Video by Vladimir London

At Life Drawing Academy, we receive drawings for critique and provide unlimited personal tutoring to students who take the Correspondence Course.

When it comes to composing a drawing, there are three common mistakes to avoid:

• Incorrect paper layout
• Incorrect scale
• Incorrect balance

To pick the correct layout, you first need to check the overall height-to-width or width-to-height ratio of a composition. For example, this still life has a width greater than its height. That is why the landscape paper layout is a better choice. In this example, the height is greater, so the portrait layout would make sense. There is a reason why the portrait layout is better for portraits and the landscape layout is good for horizontal landscapes.

The next mistake is about scaling. Some students start an artwork without a plan how it would fit on a paper sheet. The end result is not composed, but accidental. Here's what to do before making the first mark on paper:

• Measure the overall height-to-width or width-to-height ratio.
• Decide on the paper layout - vertical or horizontal.
• Think how big your drawing should be.
• Think about the placement - should it be in the middle of the sheet, slightly above or below the center, or shifted to one side. It is about visual balance; not a geometric center.

Only then, mark the top, bottom, left and right edges of your subject on paper using the height-to-width ratio and apply your decisions on scale and margins. Then, stay within those marks to draw from big masses to small shapes, measuring relative proportions, angles, alignments, and cross-points.

How to measure with a pencil and rules of composition are fully covered in the dedicated practical tasks of the best drawing course.

To learn good drawing techniques, enroll in the Life Drawing Academy course: