The Bottom Line
Simply the best book on composition I’ve read. Starts at the absolute basics and explains things in an easy-to-understand way. Diagrams clarify the text; finished paintings show it in practice.
Pros
- Explains composition starting with absolute basics
- Points well illustrated with diagrams and sketches
- Finished paintings show principles at work
Cons
- The ‘one rule’ has many subclauses
- You’ll wish Greg Albert had written more books
Description
- Paperback book, 128 pages, ISBN 1-58180-256-0, published by North Light Books
- First two chapters cover design dynamics and how to make things interesting.
- Third and fourth chapters look at achieving dynamic balance and pleasing the eye.
- The fifth chapter considers tonal value and contrast, shows how to see your subject as a pattern.
- Chapter six looks at color, including domination by the temperature and intensity of a color.
- The final three chapters look specifically at still lifes, landscapes, and figures and portraits.
- The chapter on landscape composition includes using photographs in landscapes
- Author Greg Albert is editorial director at North Light and teaches at the Art Academy of Cincinnati.
Guide Review - Review: The Simple Secret to Better Painting
This is simply the best book on composition I’ve encountered. It starts with the absolute basics of composition and explains things in an easy-to-understand way. The text is full of diagrams and sketches to illustrate the composition points being made. Finished paintings by a variety of artists show the composition principles in practice.
The book says composition can be reduced to one rule (“Never make any two intervals the same”), but you’ll soon discover it’s a rule with many subclauses. No matter, by the time you’ve read through this book the composition of your paintings should no longer be hit or miss, but spot on.
Beginners are sure to devour this book from start to finish; experienced painters will enjoy dipping into it.
