Composition is about achieving balance and harmony in a drawing. When you settle down to sketch, assess the view. Does it make an interesting subject? Analyze why you’ve chosen to draw this view over another. Be clear about what you’re going to draw, too. Is it a detailed element, part of a building or an ambitious cityscape? Is there depth—meaning foreground, middle distance (where the focal point of your drawing should usually be) and background? Is there something to lead the eye into the view?
When thinking about composition, it’s good to start by considering what’s important to you in what you see before you. You don’t have to draw everything absolutely correctly—you can always choose to omit elements that don’t add anything to your sketch.
Consider the view as you would a still-life painting. A still life usually comprises a collection of objects arranged in such a way as to create a balanced composition; the placement of objects is very carefully considered, with an appreciation of both the objects themselves and the space around them. Use the same approach when sketching architecture. Obviously you can’t move things around in the same way, but you yourself can move around the location until you find the right vantage point. Also, unless it’s a deliberate choice, avoid placing your main focal point in the center of your sketch.
SHARI BLAUKOPF
The City, Montreal, Canada
This vivid sketch by Shari Blaukopf illustrates composition and an understanding of context beautifully. She has articulated the foreground, which features a bandstand, tree and people. Note, too, how the path draws us farther into the picture. While this may not have been intentional, this is an effective compositional “trick” that leads us to the middle distance. The backdrop of tall buildings in downtown Montreal then provides a city context behind the park in the foreground. By including a few people, Shari has also given this sketch a clear sense of scale.
Never worry about making mistakes. All the marks you make, even the ones you aren’t happy with, contribute to the overall drawing. Think of it as a tapestry of lines. Sketching is also a learning curve. It’s always interesting to revisit old drawings and see how much your work has changed, modulated and improved during the time that you’ve been sketching!