You, Take Two.

Compositional Devices

How to organize your space to

interact with your viewer
 Angles
• Straight on
(connects the
viewer to the
image)
 Angles
• Worms-Eye
View (makes
the viewer feel
less than the
image
 Angles

• Birds-eye View
(makes the
viewer feel
important, feel
large, or feel
empowered)
 Consider Distance
• Conversational
(1-4 feet); like a
personal bubble
 Distance

• Zoomed In (In
your FACE!;
extremely close)
 Distance…

• Zoomed Out (to

include multiple
objects
 Distance to Achieve!
• NEAR/FAR
• (2 important
aspects in
which one is
close, and one
is far)
Set-up checks…. Have you…
• ….filled at least
75% of the space
with your main
elements?
• ….. Cropped off 2
or more sides in
the composition?
 How to Involve the viewer..
1st person vs. 3rd person perspective
 The challenge:

• Pick a random object and written

prompt.
• Create a composition with multiple
views of yourself (near and far) drawn
from observation which tell a story. The
story is based on your written prompt
and includes your selected object.
 Steps:
1 Create thumbnails of composition
possibilities
2 Begin sketching in pencil
3 Work in more values using black oil
pastel, thin with solvent for grays
4 Lastly, use selective color to add
emphasis to the focus of your
composition