Hello! My name is Liz Staley and I’m a long-time user of Clip Studio Paint (I started using the program back when it was known as Manga Studio 4!). I was a beta-tester on the Manga Studio 5 program and for Clip Studio Paint, and I have written three books and several video courses about the program. Many of you probably know my name from those books, in fact. I write weekly posts on Graphixly.com and on CSP Tips, so be sure to come back every week to learn more Clip Studio Tips and Tricks from me!

Composition is the organization and arrangement of elements in a piece of art. These elements include line, shape, color, and space, and understanding Composition can vastly improve the appeal of your work even if you don’t have crazy color theory or rendering! There are many different methods of composition, but I’m going to cover just seven simple and common ones that are very easy to implement. 

In this article we will cover the following topics:

Introduction
Rule Of Thirds
The Golden Spiral
Triangles
Leading Lines
Point of View
Negative Space

Let’s look at some compositions!

Introduction

Some of these composition methods are much easier if you have a template of some sort to drag and drop onto your canvas to either check your sketch or to have while thumbnailing. There are tons of these templates, but I will be using the Golden Spiral and the Rule of Thirds templates from the Clip Studio Assets pack below. 

Rule Of Thirds

The rule of thirds is really pretty simple! If you were to divide your image into thirds horizontally and vertically, the focal point(s) of your image should line up with the points where those lines intersect or along one of the lines. 

You can either use a Rule of Thirds template like the one from the Assets listing in the section above, or simply draw lines vertically and horizontally across your image on a new layer to split it into 9 sections. If you are using a template, be sure to resize it to fit your canvas while not having the “Keep aspect ratio” checkbox activated in the Tool Settings property, otherwise your sections will not be the correct size to your individual canvas.

You’ll see this a lot in drawings, paintings, photography, and even in movies! Not having the subject dead-center in the image is more visually interesting. 

If you can put the most important focal point at an intersection of the lines then it’s even better! Note that the character’s eye in the screenshot below is at one of these intersections. This makes the eye a very strong focal point for the drawing.

The Golden Spiral

The Golden Spiral or Golden Ratio is a method used to divide lines and rectangles in aesthetically pleasing ways. This spiral is seen in nature all the time - in the spiral of a seashell, petals of flowers, the curl of a vine, and even the swirling of a hurricane. The math of this spiral is not something I have the smarts to explain, but the spiral that this ratio creates can be used to help plan or alter a composition.

When you place the focal points of your image along the Golden Spiral, you can draw the viewer’s eye to elements and lead them through the image. 

In the example below note how the spiral leads you to the character’s face and eyes, the right hand, then the left hand, and finally ‘out’ of the image to the feet!

You can also use the straight lines on the golden spiral to help size and position elements in an image like text. In the example below, the character’s fit (mostly) into the large section at the left side of the spiral, and the text is positioned into the top right using the straight lines as guides for where to place it.

Triangles

Triangles are very pleasing to our eyes and you can use them to guide your viewer’s eye. For instance, in the piece below the character, his arms, and the sword form a triangle.

If you have three key elements in your piece, you can arrange them into a triangular shape. Or, in the example below, arrange your character into a triangular space! 

This also works with the triangle upside down or in different orientations!

Leading Lines

Leading lines are lines (whether actual inking lines or elements that create a line, such as a road, river, or edge of a building) that draw the eye toward the focal point of the image. The lines of the Aurora Borealis and the tops of the trees in the painting of mine below lead the eye down to the horse and girl silhouette.

This can be much more subtle, however. In the image below the lines in the background ‘point’ toward the character and lead the eye towards her.

Point of View

Changing the perspective of your illustration can add drama and storytelling. Rather than drawing the subject straight-on, try dropping the viewpoint so you’re looking up at the character or looking down. Note that each one has a very different feel, however! 

Looking down on the character can give a feeling that the character is powerless or defeated, or add the feeling that they are at a low point. (You can use negative space and leading lines to add some extra drama, as below!)

However, looking up at the character makes them feel powerful and in control. Now the viewer is the one looking up! 

To add a further sense of being ‘out of control’ or off-kilter, try making the horizon line diagonal instead of straight across the image.

Negative Space

Negative space is the space that is not the main subject of your composition. If you have a character, a tree, and a bird in your image then those elements are the positive space, and the areas around them are negative space. Negative space can help define the elements of the drawing (think of the silhouette exercise in character design!) but can also help balance it.

Negative space can also add drama and atmosphere. The image below is largely negative space, which adds to the feeling of isolation and powerlessness of the character. 

Understanding negative space can also help you when drawing from reference. If you are having trouble making a drawing look like the reference, check the negative space between elements (say, between an arm and the side of the body) to make sure that you are drawing from the reference accurately. 

Conclusion

Good composition can elevate any piece of art, from a simple illustration to a book cover. These concepts can also be used in comics as well! These are only some principles of composition, so be sure to learn on your own and also look at art that you love and see how it’s composed. Use these lessons in your own pieces in Clip Studio Paint!

For more information on CLIP Studio Paint, please visit https://www.clipstudio.net/en or https://graphixly.com