Greetings, this time I will talk about composition, specifically how to apply the rule of thirds and the golden ratio, since both are related.

Composition rules are not really rules. Instead they are guidelines that will help us to get compositions pleasing to the eye. However, we must be clear that each work is unique and that general rules will not work in all illustrations.

 

For time reasons, I'll use Clip Studio 3d models to illustrate the examples.

 

Rule of Thirds

It is one of the first composive resources to be discovered and is probably one of the first to learn both for its simplicity and for how effective it is in its results.

The rule of thirds is a simple means of approximation to the golden ratio, which I will talk about later, and which deals with the distribution of space within the image that generates greater attraction to the center of interest.

With the rule of thirds you will be able to give your illustrations a sense of depth and you will get a greater balance appreciated, guiding the viewer's eye directly to the point of greatest interest.

Divide your canvas into three equal parts, both vertical and horizontal. The image will be divided into 9 equal parts, and the four intersection points of those lines are the ones that will set the appropriate points to place the center or centers of interest of our image. In this way we will be breaking with the common habit of placing our subject or protagonist element right in the center of the canvas.

How to place the guide lines for the rule of thirds.

First I'll create a new file with the following measures:

 

1920 by 1080

To calculate the three horizontal divisions I will use the following grid settings:

With the grid, in a vector layer and enabled the option to fit the grid we will draw the two lines to horizontally divide our canvas into three.

The following is to draw the vertical divisions, for this we will use the following configurations of the grid:

We draw the 2 vertical lines, so we will have our guide to know the centers of interest of the rule of thirds.

Each of these four intersection points are called strength points. When we are making an illustration, if there is only a single point of interest, it is preferable to place it at one of the four intersection points mentioned instead of directly in the center of the canvas. This usually generates more attraction in the viewer than when the center of interest is in the very center of the illustration.

Examples

We could talk at length about the rule of thirds, but without an image that would be of little use to it.

We have a habit of placing the elements in the middle of the image, thinking that we balance it more, but this is not completely true.

Here it is perceived that the subject is heading or seeing in a certain direction.

 

 

Placing the protagonist in one of the points of interest to win in composition not only happens when we make wide landscapes or scenes, but also applies to portraits.

One of the exceptions in which in most cases it usually works best to place the focus of interest in the center is when there are symmetrical elements in our image, reflections or parallel lines.

Now that I've explained what the rule of thirds is, and how its application can help you improve the composition of your images, it's time to tell you that the rules should not always be followed (in the composition, of course).

Composition rules are like a kind of help to guide us to better visual results. But once you know how to apply them and reach their full potential, the time has come for you to judge whether your next illustration has to be subject to it or on the contrary you're going to break that rule and show a new and more creative approach.

 

If there are Multiple Centers of Interest

 

In case in your illustration there are two centers of interest, it is better to look for two of these points, and whenever possible opposites, forming a diagonal in the illustration. Let's see it better with an example:

Results of Implementing the Rule of Thirds

Not in all your illustrations it will make sense to apply the rule of thirds, but generally, your images will be more attractive because:

• A sense of balance is created.

• The image becomes more interesting and complex than simply placing the subject or object in the center of the frame.

• The image has more strength and energy.

• The image gains a sense of depth and is no longer flat.

 

Golden Ratio

It all started with Leonardo Pisano and the Golden Number

Leonardo Pisano, also known as Fibonacci, was a famous Italian mathematician who spread the Arabic numbering system (1, 2, 3...) with a decimal base and with a null value (zero).

 

But Fibonacci's great discovery was the Fibonacci Succession which subsequently resulted in the golden ratio.

 

What is the Fibonacci Succession? This is a number series: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, etc. It is an infinite series in which the sum of two consecutive numbers always results in the next number (1+1-2; 13+21-34). The relationship between each pair of consecutive numbers (i.e., if we divide each number by its previous one) approximates the golden number (1,618034) which is identified by the letter Phi (Φ) of the Greek alphabet.

 

Example

Golden Rectangle

The golden rectangle is a rectangle in which its sides keep the golden proportion, very present in nature and that has a great visual appeal, which is usually used in visual composition to create harmonious images.

 

To get started, in new file we configure the grid to have approximately the number of divisions we need, in this case 13 high by 21 wide.

Let's create a rectangle whose sides measure two of the Fibonacci series numbers, 13 and 21:

And now let's split it by following the number series:

If we draw a spiral line that closes all the corners of the boxes, it would look something like this

The resulting spiral (known as Golden Spiral or Golden Spiral) is permanently present in nature: in the seeds of a sunflower or in the seashells

The Fibonacci spiral should be just a guide to help you compose and never an untouchable rule that prevents you from being creative. It is also true that many times, we compose according to the golden spiral without being aware of it, simply because the composition has seemed visually appealing to us.

Following the golden ratio you can get an idea of where to place the horizon or the most important points of your photograph. The important thing is to be aware that it is not a law that must always be fulfilled and that at all ensures the quality of the final image.

 

Relationship between the Rule of Thirds and the Golden Ratio

We continue with the rectangle we used earlier. What we do now is place four spirals in the same rectangle. Placing them so that a spiral starts at each of the four corners of the rectangle.

As you've seen, the thirds rule is a version of the Golden Ratio; in general, it is easier to compose an image with the rule of thirds in mind (or overlaid as a guide) than with the Golden Spiral.

Final comment

If you decide to use the Rule of Thirds, you will know that you must place them in one of the strengths. But which one? What if you don't want to use the Thirds? Depends on what you want to convey, some points will help you more than others.

 

The important thing is that in the composition of your illustrations leave the air that the subject needs to make his movement. If you need to move, leave room ahead of him. If it has already moved, the space must be behind it. If it should fall, from below. If you want to convey that the subject is trapped by something, close the plane so that it "drowns" and if you want to show it free, place it in a very open composition, in which the air surrounds it.

 

If, in addition to this, you add in the composition lines that accompany everything you try to transmit with the composition, your image will probably be a success. Especially important is the case of diagonal lines that give the image a high degree of dynamism and also help the viewer to read the image.

 

Depending on the subject, the place, the origin of the light, the angle of view, etc. you can achieve the same effect with a different composition. Composition rules are not definitive laws, each image and situation are unique and even each illustrator can use them in a different way and with very different results.

Know the rules, apply them, improve and learn with them and when you do, you will be free to make use of them or not in your illustrations to achieve the goal you pursue.