One major aspect which differentiates "great botanical art" from "average" ​is the design and composition.
This page covers:
  • What should be included in a design?
  • What is composition?
  • Principles and Elements of Composition and Design: Summary
  • ​Principles and Elements and Botanical Art Compositions
  • The Making A Mark Composition Project - when I spent several weeks investigating design and composition and recording the results.
  • Composition and Design in Botanical Art Instruction Books - a critical analysis of which provide useful information - and which do not.
  • More tips about design and composition
After you've collected your plant material and studied and made all the notes you need comes the challenge of the composition - how to portray your chosen plant.

​In my opinion, composition and design is an aspect of botanical art and illustration which  is not emphasised enough in many botanical art instruction books

What should be included in a Design?
​

What gets included in your design probably depends on which end of the spectrum of botanical art and illustration you are working at
  • the aesthetic eg for sale to a member of the public
  • the scientific eg for a plate for a scientific publication. 
You might wish to include some or all of the following aspects and components:
  • plant’s life cycle
  • scientific cross-sections
  • magnified details.
  • ​the plant’s growing habit
and highlight
  • distinctive features of a particular plant.
Picture
The Fibonacci spiral is common to many plant forms

What is Composition? 
​

Composition:  ​The plan, placement or arrangement of the elements of art in a work. It is often useful to discuss these in reference to the principles of design, as well as to the relative weight of the composition's parts.
Art Lex
RECOMMENDATION: Immerse yourself in LOOKING at the paintings of the great botanical painters of the past - who developed tremendous skill in fitting plants on to a page and making them look interesting and attractive.  

You can review links to their botanical art online and access those links via
I highly recommend looking at the design and composition of paintings by the following:
Past Masters 17th - 19th Centuries
  • ​Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) - Botanical & Natural History Artist
  • ​Franz Bauer (1758 - 1840) - employed at Kew Gardens as the 'Botanick Painter to His Majesty' 
  • Elizabeth Blackwell (1707 - 1758) - the first British woman to produce a herbal and the first woman to engrave as well as draw plants.
  • Georg Dionysius Ehret (1708-1770) - who developed the Linnaean style of botanical illustration.
  • Sydney Parkinson (1745 - 1771)- a painter on expeditions to the South Seas and Australia
  • Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759 - 1840) - probably the most popular botanical artist who has ever lived
  • ​Marianne North (1830-1890) - traveller who painted over 800 paintings depicting over 900 species from 17 countries in 14 years​ - and who portrayed plants in habitat and demonstrated that not all botanical paintings need to have a white background!
20th Century Botanical Artists and Illustrators

The Principles and Elements of Composition and Design ​
​

One understands composition to mean the bringing together of flowers and other plant components along with a certain unity of colours in order to achieve an overall effect
​
Redoute - quoted by Antoine Pascal (a student of Redoute) in "L'aquarelle, ou Les fleurs peintes d'après la méthode de M. Redouté : traité entièrement inédit, contenant des notions de botanique à l'usage des personnes qui peignent les fleurs. suivi d'un aperçu sur la manière de peindre le paysage [édition 1837]:
- and quoted by Anne-Marie Evans in her book
Essential aspects which you must think about
when developing a design include the various principles and elements of design.
ELEMENTS of design are the building blocks
- they provide the structure for a design or an artwork.
  • shape
  • form
  • space
  • line
  • texture
  • value
  • colour​
elements of art or elements of design - The basic components used by the artist when producing works of art. Those elements are color, value, line, shape, form, texture, and space. The elements of art are among the literal qualities found in any artwork.​
ArtLex
PRINCIPLES of design include:
  • balance (several kinds: symmetry,  asymmetry, and radial)
  • emphasis (largely synonymous with dominance)
  • harmony (compare to unity, tension and variety)
  • movement 
  • pattern (often paired with rhythm)
  • proportion
  • rhythm (often paired with pattern)
  • unity (largely synonymous with coherence and homogeneity)
  • variety (often contrasted with unity)
Principles of design or principles of art - certain qualities inherent in the choice and arrangement of elements of art in the production of a work of art. Artists "design" their works to varying degrees by controlling and ordering the elements of art. Considering the principles is especially useful in analyzing ways in which a work is pleasing in formal ways. How any work exhibits applications of these principles can further or modify other characteristics of a work as well.​
ArtLex: principles of design or principles of art
I find it helpful to think of the "elements" and "principles" of art and design as being very similar to the ingredients and method of a food recipe 
  • All the elements are ingredients - they are separate and need to be combined effectively to produce a successful outcome. Each ingredient gets to play a major or a minor role in the eventual outcome. This, in part, is dependent on the quantities employed and, in part, on the nature and intrinsic power of each ingredient (think garlic and chilis!).
  • It's the particular way that they are combined - using the principles of design - which enables a successful outcome.
  • The same ingredients can for example be combined in a number of different ways (think of recipes for eggs!)
  • Just in the way that some people are great chefs while others manage to burn toast, we all vary in our degrees of knowledge and skill about how to combine the ingredients.
  • Plus, from time to time, we all vary in our effectiveness in employing both elements and principles to produce a finished artwork.
  • Sometimes we just forget the 'basics' - hence why I think it's useful to have a simple reminder!
Composition: Principles of Design | Making A Mark
Picture
Victoria Regia : or, Illustrations of the Royal water-lily, in a series of figures chiefly made from specimens flowering at Syon and at Kew by Walter Fitch.
see VICTORIA REGIA : OR, ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE ROYAL WATER-LILY, IN A SERIES OF FIGURES CHIEFLY MADE FROM SPECIMENS FLOWERING AT SYON AND AT KEW BY WALTER FITCH; WITH DESCRIPTIONS BY SIR W.J. HOOKER.

Principles and Elements of Botanical Art Compositions
​

ELEMENTS  OF DESIGN CHECKLIST

This section summarises questions to consider when thinking about the elements of design within a composition in botanical art.
SHAPE
  • Which shapes are positive and which shapes are negative - and which are dominant?
  • Which shapes are dominant?
  • How can you best create and organise a mass - in real to detail? 
  • How can you balance the mass of the main study with any details and dissections 
  • Which shapes are dominant?
  • What shapes are repetitive?
  • What's the best format for this composition
    • portrait or landscape?
    • rectangular or square?
Tips and techniques
  • use thumbnail sketches to develop roughs of different options for composition
  • use mats with a predetermined internal cut-out to 
  • it's expensive to use odd dimensions for the format- you then need to get tailored-made frame as opposed to a standard size
  • use the Japanese concept of Notan - to explore the placement and balance of light and dark shapes in a composition - i.e. positive and negative shapes - or the balance between the subject and the white background.
Notan is a word used to mean 'dark and light' as an element of design or composition of harmonic relationships.
Learning about Notan #1 | Making A Mark
Picture
"Helmsley Pink" by Katherine Tyrrell 5" x 5", coloured pencil on Arches HP
Notan is a Japanese concept involving the placement of lights and darks next to the other to read as flat shapes on the two-dimensional surface. This use of lights and darks differs dramatically from the means by which artists had traditionally manipulated these elements to create seemingly three-dimensional forms on the picture plane.
Georgia O'Keeffe Museum: Arthur Wesley Dow and American Arts & Crafts
​​FORM 

Form describes the three dimensional mass of a plant (or group of plants) in space. 
  • the three dimensions are height, width and depth
  • the pace they enclose is called the volume
Cubes, spheres, ovoids, pyramids, cone, and cylinders are all examples of various forms.

Many plants have particular / typical forms. 
Tips and Techniques
Examine plants using drawing studies and/or dissections eg.
  • are they simple or complex or composite?
  • are they cylindrical, tubular or cone-like?
  • Which parts are flat, which are wavy?
  • ​how do forms behave?
  • do they overlap?​
Picture
Images of botanical illustrations by Franz Bauer at the Natural History Museum
SPACE
​​​
An element of art that refers to the distance or area between, around, above, below, or within things. It can be described as two-dimensional or three-dimensional; as flat, shallow, or deep; as open or closed; as positive or negative; and as actual, ambiguous, or illusory.
Artlex: Space
Tips and Techniques
Consider:
  • Positive space - the space taken up by objects.
  • Negative space - the space in-between objects. Focus on this to see the true relationship between different objects.
  • Empty space is highly regarded in some art forms and cultures.
LINE
A line is a mark made by a moving point and having psychological impact according to its direction, weight, and the variations in its direction and weight.
Charlotte Jirousek
Lines have different types and include:
  • direction: vertical or horizontal or diagonal or parallel,
  • shape / space: straight or ruled, curved or bent, angular,
  • width: thin, thick or wide,
  • style or pattern mark-making 
    • interrupted (dotted, dashed, broken, etc.),
    • blurred or fuzzy,
    • controlled, freehand,  hatching, meandering, and spiraling.
Often lines are used to define a space. They can create:
  • an outline or contour or define a silhouette;
  • create patterns
  • suggest movement or the illusion of mass or volume.
Lines can have more than one dimension. They can be:
  • two-dimensional e.g. pen or pencil on paper
  • three-dimensional (as with wire) or
  • implied (the edge of a shape or form).
​Lines exist in nature - in describing shapes and forms. 
​
Lines used in botanical drawings are typically not expressive or emotional - because the drawing is scientific rather than impressionistic
  • Is line a feature of the plant?
  • Are contours a key feature of this plant?
  • How can line contribute to the description of the other elements of this composition?
Tips and Techniques
  • Consider the weight of the line in describing form and movement
  • Consider the value of line without any shading
  • Think about how a diagonal line suggests movement and direction (of growth maybe?)
Picture
Kelly Briar by Ellsworth Kelly - a simple line line indicates the flow of the plant and its growth habit, the contour of the leaves and the texture of the stem - but ignores tonality
Ever since I saw the Metropolitan Museum’s stunning show of Ellsworth Kelly’s botanical drawings, I have been ogling plants and plucking off branches to bring home and examine, like some Victorian naturalist. Thanks to Kelly, it’s not intricate blossoms that catch my eye, but plainer greenery with columnar stems and elegantly arcing stalks. I had never paid much attention to the ubiquitous ailanthus, so hardy it springs up in even the most desolate parts of New York, or the ginkgo tree, which fades into invisibility among majestic oaks. Kelly has made me notice. With a few stark swipes of a pen or pencil, he elevates the city’s prosaic flora into forms of ancient, noble simplicity. His genius is to help us perceive poetry in the banal backdrops of our lives.
REVIEW: Ellsworth Kelly Plant Drawings, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York By Ariella Budick
TEXTURE - Plants are not flat. 
  • What do you observe about the texture of the different features of the plant?
  • Is texture a particular feature which needs to be highlighted?
Tips and Techniques
VALUES and TONALITY
Tones are what indicate shape and depth.​​ Without values everything would be flat. Values in two dimensional artwork
  • create gradations in light and contrast - and without these everything would be flat.
  • are created using line, or shading or colour.
Tips and Techniques
It's really easy to get confused between colour (hue) and tone (value) however there are various tools which can help you out
  • Use a greyscale tool to check colours of specimens in the field in terms of hues
  • Use a red filter to look at live specimens - it converts colour to greyscale
  • If working with photographs, convert them to monochrome to see the values
TIP / RECOMMENDED TOOL: You can make your own version of this - but I've always found this tool made by the Color Wheel Company to be
  • very useful for gauging tonal values
  • reasonably priced.
  • robust in use - it's made of stiff card
You surround a particular colour with one of the values to find which one matches best.
BUY GRAY SCALE VALU FIND 4"X6" from Amazon UK
(Same tool - different descriptions
Picture
A monochome version of a photograph I went into Barts Hospital with - to work on while I recovered from an operation
Picture
Barts Lily by Katherine Tyrrell (Coloured Pencil 8.3" x 11.7") NFS
COLOUR - When representing colour accurately, your choices about colours are focused on other aspects of colour
  • What are the dominant colours?
  • Should colour be saturated or different tinting strengths?
  • How can colour represent depth?
  • What proportions of groups of analogous plants colours/tints are most pleasing to the eye?
  • Which light colours are best represented against a darker colour?
  • Are colours opaque or translucent?
Tips and Techniques
  • Identify all the colours in your plant
  • Make a note of the value and saturation - and the tints in the plant
  • Observe the technical groupings of colour eg.
    • analogous
    • complementary
    • triads
  • Revie
Picture
Painting by Pandora Sellars in the Natural History Museum.
CASE STUDY
Note how in this painting by Pandora Sellars:
  • the majority of this painting has colours within a quite narrow range of hues and values - creating a mass
  • the white/light flowers are displayed against a background of darker leaves - and consequently "pop" out of the painting
  • the deep crimson prevents the dominant dark green from becoming too overwhelming
  • the deep crimson has a range of hues and tonal values - which demonstrates both shape and form
  • there are two different types of variegated leaf with different colour ranges and tonal values
  • light colours are used to suggest shine and contrast against the matt colours of the leaves. We know
    • what's light and matt and
    • what's light and shiny
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN CHECKLIST

This section summarises questions to consider when thinking about the elements of design within a composition in botanical art.
  • emphasis (largely synonymous with dominance)
  • harmony (compare to unity, tension and variety)
  • movement 
  • pattern (often paired with rhythm)
  • proportion
  • rhythm (often paired with pattern)
  • unity (largely synonymous with coherence and homogeneity)
  • variety (often contrasted with unity)
TO BE COMPLETED

REFERENCE - The 'Making A Mark' Composition Project
​

The aim of my Composition Project on my art blog in 2008 was to educate myself. I wanted to:
  • focus on understanding the fundamentals relating to the principles and elements of composition and 
  • offer a range of tips and advice that I found as I researched my project
  • provide links to more resources for those who wanting to pursue the topic in more depth.
​Examples of artwork included in my blog posts relate primarily to traditional forms of artwork - but also include botanical art and illustration.

The following are all blog posts I wrote in relation to a major project about composition and design in 2008.
The Basic Fundamentals
Useful "shortcut" techniques are listed below:Plus two posts for those wanting to understand the eastern perspective on design and proportion
THE RULE OF THIRDS
The diagram below is the one I use to explain the rule of thirds and where the sweet spot is.
  • The 'rule of thirds' is an approximation of the 'golden ratio'.
  • This diagram provides a comparison - using algebra and numbers of "the golden mean" and "the rule of thirds" plus identification of the 'sweet spot' area and how this can be used for the focal point 
Picture
The diagram I use to explain the rule of thirds and where the sweet spot is. The 'rule of thirds' is an approximation of the 'golden ratio'. This diagram provides a comparison - using algebra and numbers of "the golden mean" and "the rule of thirds" plus identification of the 'sweet spot' area and how this can be used for the focal point copyright Katherine Tyrrell (click on image to download for free for education/non-commercial use only)

Books about Composition in Botanical Art and Illustration
​

It is never too early to consider composition. Guidance in composition can be lacking in some early education of botanical artists. I have found that even experienced artist with superb technical skills may not always fully succeed in capturing a satisfying arrangement of the elements.
Elaine Searle
Most instruction books about Botanical Art and Illustration do NOT cover composition and design adequately.

Instead they very much tend to lean heavily towards the "how to" relevant to the handling of media and drawing and painting of petals, stamens, leaves, stems, spikes etc. and development of colours.

I only know one book which is dedicated to being a design guide for botanical artists
The Botanical Art Files - Composition: ​The Design Guide for Botanical Artists
by Rita Parkinson (Author, Illustrator), Dolores Sk-Malloni (Illustrator)
​

​This book sets out to remedy any uncertainty or deficiency an individual may feel they have in relation to composition and relates the "rules" specifically to botanical art

​Paperback: 122 pages
Publisher: Rita Parkinson (12 Jan. 2015)
It covers:
The Composition Process
  • the artists Journal, sketch, photo essay, mood boards, working drawings, thumbnails, trubleshooting, final draft and elements and principles
Ten Principles for Composition
  • The Image Frame and Ratios
  • The Structure - how to divide the space
  • Positive and Negative - the power of shape
  • The Focal Point - what and how to emphasise
  • Balance and visual weight
  • Depth and Illusions of Space
  • Movement, vitality and rhythm
  • Tonality - light and dark
  • Colour and the properties of light
  • Unity, simplicity and economy
​Scientific Illustration
  • Creating a Composite Plate in Colour
  • Creating a Full Plate Black and White Illustration
  • Field Guides
Presentation
  • Nomenclature
  • The Contemporary approach
  • Mats and Frames and the art of the Exhibition
​
Average Customer Rating out of 5 stars:
  • in UK: 4.4 based on 34 customer reviews
  • in USA: 4.2 based on 32 customer reviews​
​
BUY IN THE UK
BUY in the USA

Books which mention composition and design
​

However beautifully executed the painting, nothing will compensate for a poorly composed picture
The Art of Botanical Painting
Far too little is said about design and composition in many of the instruction books.  
The net effect is I find it very easy to discern when viewing exhibitions to discern who understands design and who does not.  Strong designs stand out, weak ones do not.

It's no coincidence that one of the reasons why very many excellent botanical artists and illustrators often have a background in illustration and/or graphic/commercial design is because they received a very thorough grounding in what makes for a good design as part of their art education. After that they just need to master the painting!

Bottom line - learning about how to execute botanical art is NOT just about learning how to draw and paint plants!

​Lack of confidence in design and composition can also be the reason why botanical artists (and students) dodge complexity in composition and instead go for macro views of blooms or very simplistic designs.
​
All too often the novice painter will dive straight in without paring time to consider the layout, which should be pleasing and harmonious. This means paying attention to the spaces between the component parts of the picture as well as the shapes created by the flowers themselves.
The Art of Botanical Painting
​If you want to see what I mean, try inspecting the Contents Page and Index of most publications providing instruction on botanical art and illustration.
  • Look for 'Design' or 'Composition' - it's not untypical to find
    • EITHER there's not a lot
    • OR what there is does not cover the topic in a systematic way. 
  • Most focus more on "how to" paint rather than how to compose a pleasing composition for a painting or plate for an illustration. 
  • Some may say they focus on it throughout. I'm personally not sure that this approach is helpful and/or leads to a comprehensive understanding of the critical elements of design and composition.
Personally I'm of the view that unless design is studied as a subject in its own right, it's very difficult to
  • understand what makes for a pleasing composition and
  • know how to apply the principles and elements of design work in practice.
  • know how to apply those aspects to botanical art and illustration​
SUMMARY OF HOW COMPOSITION IS TREATED IN DIFFERENT BOOKS
​
BELOW is a summary of the chapters and pages primarily devoted to composition in various instruction books - in order of the quantity and quality of the content.  It's NOT finished and if you know a book you've found particularly useful please let me know.

​LINKS TO BOOKS OR REVIEWS ARE IN THE TITLES.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: An Approach to Botanical Painting (1993)
by Anne-Marie and Donn Evans
Chapter 8 "Composition: Arranging the Content"  is 28 pages long.
  • This is one of a very few thorough-going and systematic discussions of all the different aspects that need to be considered when designing a composition in botanical art.  It also discusses approaches to complex compositions and provides commentary on a number of examples of contemporary and historical botanical images demonstrating different ways of designing an image.
  • This chapter is also of much value in that it also discusses aerial perspective, lettering (at length - one of the very few that do!), plant nomenclature and signatures and the addition of any non-plant forms.
  • It's a particularly valuable contribution because design is discussed in the context botanical art history and how it has progressed from a flattened primitive illustration into an image which purports to resemble life.
When attempting a complex composition with many components grouped together in one painting, the relative position of individual sections is of the utmost importance. Not only does the shape, size and location of each portion need to be considered but also the shape and size of the background spaces which will appear between each portion.
An Approach to Botanical Painting - Anne Marie Evans
​​RECOMMENDED Botanical Illustration (2008) by Valerie Oxley
Chapter 14: Help! The Plant if Too Big for the Page (10 pages)
  • This deals with the placement and design of the plant on the page and provides a very competent account of all the practical and aesthetic aspects which you should be mindful of when designing a composition.
  • She discusses: Scale; Placement and Design, Levels of Observation; The Boundaries, The Focal Point, Positive and Negative Space, Checking your Composition, Composition of Flowers, Planning a Layout, The Problem of Crossing Stems, Composition of Roots, Habitats, Illustrating Trees, Signature and Labels and a checklist of Reminders!
Placement and design of the plant material on the page is crucial to a good overall composition. The illustrator needs to create balance and harmony, contrast and rhythm within the design. The eye should be drawn into and around the picture. The overall design should not be so predictable that the viewer gives it only a cursory glance. Creating tension within a drawing to alert the eye and cvath the attention of the viewer. draws the onlooker into a picture. The viewer can be alerted by something unexpected, such as a change of colour, the particular direction of a line or a change of shape. Nature is full of contrasting colours and shapes; as an artist you need to take time to observe and select the most interesting material for your illustration Botanical Illustration - Valerie Oxley
Painting Flowers in Watercolour (2001) by Coral Guest
  • She has a short chapter on "Composition" and others on the "Thumbnail Sketch", "Tonal Study" and "Colour Study".
  • She places an emphasis on observation with an open mind and studying the characteristics and features of a plant as a way to finding and creating unity on the paper.
  • Coral discusses selection, viewpoint, form and negative space, the paper edge, movement and rest, the focal point and what to do about stems. 
  • She also highlights the benefits for composition of using a thumbnail sketch to locate the plant on the paper and the benefits of the tonal study and the colour study.

Botanical Illustration (1986) by Bobbi Angell
  • She has one page (38) on the approach to use when designing a plate for publication of a scientific botanical illustration with a lot of very practical and useful tips.
  • It's short - like the book - but succinct.

The Art of Botanical Painting (2004) by Margaret Stevens
Chapter 9 is about Composition.
  • The approach used is to explain that most learn by trial and error and the best approach is to include a lot of images and discuss each, highlighting those aspects which help make the composition work.
  • It does NOT try to provide a solid grounding in the basics of design and composition before looking at how they are applied.
  • Indeed I would argue that in the series of books produced on behalf of the Society of Botanical Artists (on painting, palettes, sketchbooks and plant forms) design and composition looks rather like a gaping hole.
Botanical Illustration (2004) by Siriol Sherlock
Chapter 9: Plant Characters in Composition
  • This is very similar to the The Art of Botanical Painting with approaches and tips used in relation to a liberal use of images, but without any systematic discussion of issues to think about when designing a composition

The Botanical Illustrator's Handbook (2014) by Sally Pinhey
  • This has a good section on the mathematical models which underpin the complex structure and design of some plants - but relates it wholly to plants and not to the design of artwork.
  • Also has a useful chapter on using perspective to create depth.

Botanical Drawing Using Graphite and Coloured Pencils (2017) by Sue Vize
  • a generally excellent book which, on first inspection, appears to have a LOT to say about composition until you realise that the Index has been produced on the basis of when a word has been used on a page, not when there has been any serious discussion of composition!
NOTE: This is an UNFINISHED analysis.
  1. The fact that a book is not mentioned is neither good or bad - it just means I've not reviewed the content for design and composition tips yet. I will be providing a list of books which come up short on design and composition.
  2. I will be UPDATING this listing in the future. Why not tell me which books you have found particularly useful?

Other recommended books about composition and design
​

​​BELOW are links (in the titles) to my blog reviews about other recommended books about Composition and Design 
- which are NOT related to botanical art
​
Greg Albert - The Simple Secret to Better Painting  
​- a recommended read and the book I always recommend to people who want to learn more about composition and design.
This is a book which you can come back to again and again. It's a 'basics' book for those wanting to learn more about composition and design and it can also act as a 'pick you up' for more advanced artists who feel they're getting stale and need a visual boost. This book makes composition as a topic both accessible and understandable to art students and would-be artists who've been ducking out of improving their knowledge of composition. For those who tend to neglect the importance of composition because it's 'too difficult' or there are 'too many rules' or there is 'too much to think about' there is now no excuse! my book review of Greg Albert - The Simple Secret to Better Painting 
Mastering Composition - a recommended read
Ian Roberts, the author, covers all the basics and more. He
  • identifies steps on the path to mastery of composition, 
  • explains key concepts and 
  • provides practical exercises so that you can employ them. 
Mastering Composition: Techniques and Principles to Dramatically Improve Your Painting is an excellent book by Ian Roberts for all those who want to learn more about helpful principles and techniques for composition and design. It's all about understanding the structure and dynamics of the picture plane and planning your artwork. In my opinion it has something useful to say to both experienced painters and those starting out - and I've already got it tagged as one of those books I won't be lending out! I highly recommend this book to all those seeking to improve their skills in design and composition.
​
​​Composition and Design - A Digest #1 - includes reviews of
  • Composition A series of exercises for the use of students and teachers by Arthur Wesley Dow (Author), Joseph Masheck (Author)
  • Pictorial Composition by Henry Rankin Poore.
  • The Elements of Drawing (1857) ​ by John Ruskin and never out of print!
    • You can search the text for specific terms on this Ruskin College Oxford website
    • Letter 1 concerns the basics of drawing which involve the elements
    • Letter 3 concerns itself with "On Colour and Composition" and Ruskin's 9 laws
    • It appears you can download a complete copy from the University of Toronto Canadian Libraries.
    • If you want to buy a copy, then I recommend that you get the edition which was edited by Bernard Dunstan RA which includes his annotations which make it much more accessible. (Available from Amazon.com or Amazon UK)

Courses about Composition
​

Usually I list courses in the Courses section but thought it worthwhile highlighting courses specifically about Composition here.
Links to more information can be found in the course title
Let me guide you through an approach to composition. Learn how to establish clear focal points, balance space, colour and texture. Why and how to edit, cut, crop and much more. Composition Matters - Elaine Searle

More tips about Composition
​
Details should not be put on as an afterthought – or look as though they have been. Decide before starting your composition whether or not details are to be included.
Guidance from the Eden Project Florilegium Society
Banner: Images of bananas from Plantae selectae quarum imagines ad exemplaria naturalia Londini, in hortis curiosorum nutritamanu artificiosa doctaque pinxit Georgius Dionysius Ehret v.1-10
Note ArtLex is no longer published. I retrieved the above definitions prior to its demise.
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