Design & Composition Fundamentals
Learn how to see the whole picture, organize visual elements more intentionally, and make stronger decisions before you ever pick up the brush.
This course breaks design and composition into practical ideas you can actually use — from basic design principles to shape relationships, pattern, picture-plane organization, and solving problems in reference images.
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Elements
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Principles
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Design Theory
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Demos & Examples
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Composition Basics
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Most Important Lines
Very important
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Eight Common Armatures
Proven ideas
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Horizontals and Verticals
Design tips
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The Cruciform
A cross works
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Creating Tension Within The Rectangle
Dynamic relationships
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Crop For Drama
Remove the unnecessary
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Look For Value Masses
Simplify the subject
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Design With Rhythm
Keep it interesting
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Avoid Cropping Near Edges
Avoid tangents
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Overlapping Shapes
Connects shapes
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Watch The Corners
Keep eyes in frame
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Application Examples
What You'll Learn What You’ll Learn
Core elements and principles of design
How design decisions affect the strength of a painting
Pattern and repetition
Balancing elements within the frame
Organizing shapes more effectively
Working with the edges of the picture plane
Spotting weak compositions in reference photos
Redesigning references before painting
Applying design ideas from concept through finished work
Inside the Course
22 video lessons
Approximately 2.5 hours of instruction
Practical design theory
Composition breakdowns
Multiple complete demonstrations
Real-world examples using reference images
Who It’s For
This course is ideal for artists who feel their work is technically competent but still lacks clarity, unity, or visual impact.
It’s especially useful if you tend to focus on individual objects instead of seeing how the entire composition works together.