Eric Wiegardt on Breaking Composition Rules

In Study of Ilwaco (watercolor on paper, 11x15), I used the hardest edges and the most intense blue for the boat in the foreground. I’ve left the other boats on the periphery very soft-edged. The viewer will know that they’re boats by their association with the dominant one.
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Award-winning watercolor artist Eric Wiegardt often finds that the rules of composition and the theorizing that often goes with it are rigid and not all that helpful. Because the rules never seemed to fit his watercolor painting at hand, Wiegardt devised a simple process for evaluating his paintings that has worked well for him over the years and a way to focus in on an area of dominance to assure you catch a viewer’s attention.

In Study of Ilwaco (watercolor on paper, 11x15), I used the hardest edges and the most intense blue for the boat in the foreground. I’ve left the other boats on the periphery very soft-edged. The viewer will know that they’re boats by their association with the dominant one.
In Study of Ilwaco (watercolor on paper, 11×15), I used the hardest edges and the most intense blue for the boat in the foreground. I’ve left the other boats on the periphery very soft-edged. The viewer will know that they’re boats by their association with the dominant one.

Three-Step Composition Evaluation

1) The painting should stand up well from a distance.
2) The eye needs to travel through the entire picture plane without getting stuck on a shape or color.
3) The eye needs to be guided to an area of dominance and held there as long as possible.

For an in-depth look at how Wiegardt makes this three-step practice work for him — and to see more of his watercolor paintings — check out the this issue of Watercolor Artist.

Compare the edge quality of the left side against the right side in Indian Tobacco (watercolor on paper, 19x25). The harder edges are reserved for the foliage and fl owers on the right, which is where I ultimately want the viewer’s eye to land. I also grayed some of the colors on the left to give the right side more power and focus.
Compare the edge quality of the left side against the right side in Indian Tobacco (watercolor on paper, 19×25). The harder edges are reserved for the foliage and flowers on the right, which is where I ultimately want the viewer’s eye to land. I also grayed some of the colors on the left to give the right side more power and focus.

An Area of Dominance in a Composition

It seems that many artists suffer from a case of “Wow! This looks so good that more has got to be better. This strong value contrast gives my painting so much snap, and the intense colors have so much pizzazz, and oh, the detail — let’s have more!”

This approach inevitably results in too many similar elements competing for attention, which results in an insufficient area of dominance. Elements of design —space, line, shape, value, texture and color — that have a uniformity in strength tend to cancel one another out. It’s akin to a ballet performance featuring lots of ballerinas, but no prima ballerina. There’s a lot of spectacular movement occurring, but there’s no center of focus.

The area of dominance is just that — an area — and not necessarily an object. To create the area of dominance, we need to construct sharper value contrasts, more intense color, warmer colors, harder edges and more detail.

Backing off on the rest of the painting gives the area of dominance the opportunity to make a more powerful impact. But how do you accomplish that? As the picture plane moves away from the area of dominance, it’s all about using softer value contrasts, grayer colors, cooler colors, softer edges and fewer details.

The trio of boats in Ilwaco Rest (watercolor on paper, 19x25) is the area of dominance in this painting, thanks to strong value contrasts, warm colors and edge details that I added when the paper was damp.
The trio of boats in Ilwaco Rest (watercolor on paper, 19×25) is the area of dominance in this painting, thanks to strong value contrasts, warm colors and edge details that I added when the paper was damp.

Two Secrets to Success

There are two characteristics specific to watercolor to keep in mind when constructing the area of dominance.

1) Soft edges are much easier to work with than hard edges.

A soft edge can be tightened up easily into a harder one by overlapping a crisp stroke over the underlying soft edge. This can create a beautiful, loose, painterly stroke. It’s much more difficult to make a hard edge softer.

Usually, we have to resort to scrubbing with a stiff brush to soften the edge, which often results in a tired, overmixed passage of muddy color. Because of this, I’ll frequently begin a painting on damp paper, which encourages soft edges throughout. This allows for flexibility in the process, too, as I’m not caught in a corner with too many hard edges that need softening.

I’m also careful to stay away from portions of the area of dominance that will need a razorsharp edge. I know I can adjust, making the softer areas harder as the painting progresses. Toward the end of the painting session, I ensure a tight, hard edge, or possibly several, in the area of dominance. But, I’ll progressively construct fewer and fewer hard edges as I move to the outside of the picture plane, where there’s usually little change from the initial soft-edge washes.

I ran the fi rst wash of color in Cafés in Cobalt (watercolor on paper, 22x16) directly through the fi gures in the foreground. This immediately established a harmonization with the rest of the painting. As the paper began to dry, I added successive strokes to create the hard edges that further define the figures.
I ran the first wash of color in Cafés in Cobalt (watercolor on paper, 22×16) directly through the figures in the foreground. This immediately established a harmonization with the rest of the painting. As the paper began to dry, I added successive strokes to create the hard edges that further define the figures.

2) Intense colors are easy to neutralize with successively gray washes, whereas gray washes that have dried are diffi cult, if not impossible, to intensify.

With this in mind, I start each of my paintings with a lot of intense color — more than I’ll need — in anticipation of graying areas apart from the area of dominance later. It’s important to incorporate grayer colors, fewer details and value contrasts — as well as the necessary, but often overlooked, softer edges — outside the area of dominance to create an effective painting. They’re all key to driving attention to the area of dominance.

Composition Demo: Area of Dominance

Step 1 I block in the large shapes by establishing their appropriate value. I may need to adjust these to darker values as the painting develops, so pinpoint accuracy isn’t necessary at this stage; however, if I start off too dark with the value construction, I may be in trouble because it’s so difficult to lighten a passage.

This is the time for large connecting patterns with many soft edges. I also try to have some representation of the darks established as a goalpost against which to compare the mid-tones and lights.

Composition area of dominance Eric Wiegardt

Step 2 Next, I begin to elevate the area of dominance compared to the rest of the painting. I then work on the rest of the painting in support of the area, but I try not to surpass it in degree of refinement.

This naturally brings the area of dominance to a higher level of completion; I follow this process throughout the painting until completion. There’s a logical reason for this: It allows me to keep the area of dominance ahead of the rest of the painting. The area of dominance should control the composition in totality.

Composition area of dominance Eric Wiegardt step 2

Step 3 I place a few more twigs around the flowers and darken the values at the bottom and far right of the painting so that the stronger value contrasts are reserved for areas around the flowers. Again, I go back and forth between the area of dominance and the rest of the painting, always keeping the area of dominance one step ahead of everything else.

I ended up with an inadvertent darker twig shape near the center of the composition. I’ve found it best to not touch a possible mistake, but better to leave it for a later evaluation.

Composition area of dominance Eric Wiegardt step 3

Step 4 I flatten the Masa paper and mount it onto watercolor paper for stability. I make the edges around the flowers harder and define more branches in the same area. I add ultramarine blue to some of the white areas as a contrasting color statement, which helps to strengthen the area of dominance.

I rely heavily on my intuitive impulses at this point. Having the darker twig shape slightly off center draws the viewer’s eye to the flowers. I’m glad I left it alone and didn’t fuss with it; it kept the passage fresh and expressive for Quince (watercolor on paper, 22×30).

Composition area of dominance Eric Wiegardt step 4

 

Painting Without a Net

This article is based on the instruction and practice that Eric Wiegardt delves deeply into in the pages of his book, Painting Without a Net. The anxiety of the blank paper will be no more with this resource at your side! Explore fearlessly, artists!

Use the tips Eric has discussed here to create your own painting with an area of dominance. Send a JPEG (with a resolution of 72 dpi) of your finished painting to [email protected] with “Creativity Workshop” in the subject line—or follow @artistsnetwork on Instagram and share your painting there: #everywatercolor.

The “editor’s choice” will receive a copy of Wiegardt’s book, Painting Without a Net. The entry deadline is August 15, 2018.

Meet the Artist

Eric Wiegardt has been awarded the highest honor in watercolor: the Gold Medal and Dolphin Fellow from the American Watercolor Society. As a teacher and artist, he’s best known for his bold, loose painting style. He an his wife, Ann, reside in Ocean Park, Washington, where they own Wiegardt Studio Gallery, which is located in Eric’s great-grandfather’s home.

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Join the Conversation!

  1. Michael John A., rules vs. principles -who cares what you call them. I understand what you believe the difference is, but when it comes to putting paint on the canvas it really doesn’t matter. You can break rules and you can break principles and still have a great piece of art.
    What we have is an artist, Eric Wiegardt, who has been successful in a business that is very difficult. People like his work and pay real money to have a piece in their home. More than that he is willing to share what works for him. It may not work for you or me but it may work for others. In addition there are a wealth of tips in the article that are valuable even if you have a completely different way of working.

  2. P.S. Please forgive me for ranting on, but I teach pictorial composition at the Angel Academy of Art, Florence, and it drives me insane to see such misinformation published on-line. The painter of the “Cafés in Cobalt” has not realised that the eye rises. Let me state two extremely basic principles of pictorial composition: the eye enters the painting from the front and goes immediately to the area of greatest contrast closest to the centre, and after that, the eye has a tendency to rise. This artist almost got it right, but that stupid yellow stuff at the top ruins an otherwise excellent painting (the eye rises). Where am I supposed to look? At the yellow stuff at the top? Surely not.
    Focus, man, focus. This is supposed to be a work of art. Why are you not bringing me back to the red stuff in the middle? Or just leave the stupid yellow stuff out (or better, tone it down – that way the viewer’s interest will go back to the main focus without having to be led there). Two equal foci create a weak work of art – this is NOT A RULE, it is a reality.

  3. What are you talking about? There are no rules in art, there are only principles. If I do this, this will be the result; if I do that, that will be the result. There is nothing an artist can do to change these principles, just as one cannot change the principles involved in Gravity. The artist has to learn to manipulate these principles to create a response from the viewer.
    In the above examples, for example, the principle is that reds will attract the attention of the viewer (and the artist has exploited this). One has to know this stuff, guys!!!!!

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