6 WORST Mistakes in Composition & Thumbnail Sketching

See a examples and drawing demos for how create effective compositions through creating a series of thumbnail sketching. Demo by Art Prof Clara Lieu
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Clara Lieu was an Adjunct Professor at the Rhode Island School of Design from 2007-2020. Her artwork has been exhibited at the International Print Center NY, the Currier Museum, Childs Gallery, the Davis Museum, and more. Lieu received an artist fellowship from the MA Cultural Council, has written for the NY Times, and lectured at Brown University, the NAEA conference, and in Vancouver & China. She has been profiled in Artsy, Hyperallergic, KPCC, & WBUR.
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[@artprof]

See all of our thumbnail sketching videos in this playlist: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYnSl4iXrNVsfa8

[@Makbabe72]

Oh why do I find doing thumbnails so frustrating? But I love checking out other artists thumbnail sketches. It is seeing a piece of their artistic brain!🧠 My brain just feels like 😵‍💫when I think about doing them. Who else’s brain is on this struggle bus?

[@artprof]

I'm definitely there with you! Especially when I need to do like a hundred of them just for one painting. Sometimes it really feels like torture! -Lauryn, Art Prof Teaching Artist

[@Lisa.DiPrete]

On #2, not only do I draw the borders, I do them to the same proportions as the canvas will be.

[@artprof]

That's really smart!! I overlook that detail and it's definitely messed me up a few times... - Mia, Art Prof Staff

[@MariaRevArt]

I've started doing this too. It makes such a difference.

[@TaniaRouserArt]

I love the trick with colouring on a trace paper. Never knew about it until now. Thank you ❤

[@artprof]

You can see the full demo here! kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5LWf5-jept8eNE -Prof Lieu

[@jhmstagg9104]

Never thought of rules for thumbnails, but you are right yes thank you for pointing it out yes make it work if you're going to take the time to do it

[@artprof]

Glad you found this useful! -Lauryn, Art Prof Teaching Artist

[@janhogan3873]

Thank you so much for your reminder about thumb nail sketches. They are essential in evaluating negative and positive shapes as well as boarder connections with the subjective matter, I am at the moment grappling with water colour and techniques, finding it so hard to not move into mixed media to get what I want, does me in working light to dark! You are so right about other tutorials not showing their thumb nail sketches, I am not an outdoor artist, but would imagine they would surely do some? Loved your demonstration,❤

[@artprof]

I find recently that having a tonal thumbnail sketch is super helpful when working light to dark or trying to figure out how to balance a composition. Not every professional does thumbnails or even needs to, but it's very helpful for most people I think! -Lauryn, Art Prof Teaching Artist

[@candicebarbosaart]

I've been trying to incorporate more thumbnails into my process and I found this so extremely helpful. Thank you so much for sharing all your art knowledge with us!

[@artprof]

You're very welcome! We're glad to have helped you out! - Mia, Art Prof Staff

[@egroover9449]

Your livestreams are always so timely for me it's crazy! I needed to see this this week. I'm working on a BIG canvas and have been struggling with the composition for days and somehow I just forgot that thumbnails are a tool I can use! I didn't know there was real technique involved since I never properly learned about them. It's like I've been given a missing piece to a puzzle. Thank you so much!

[@artprof]

It always feels SO GOOD when something clicks and the flow improves! We're glad to have helped you out. Good luck with your artmaking! - Mia, Art Prof Staff

[@alexandercuyvers9675]

Love from Belgium! currently composing my portfolio for a bachelors at the royal academy of fine arts in Antwerp!! binging every video!! (u guys are single handedly going to get me in!)❤❤❤

[@artprof]

That sounds awesome! We are rooting you on all the way!! - Mia, Art Prof Staff

[@MariaRevArt]

I definitely struggle with knowing how much detail to include in a thumbnail. But Art Prof has definitely helped me to do better. I didn't even know what thumbnails were before Art Prof.

[@artprof]

This makes me so happy that you got into making thumbnails through Art Prof! ❤️ -Lauryn, Art Prof Teaching Artist

[@feral_vlogs]

guilty of not using thumbnails here lmao. But whenever I do stuff always comes out better so i'm trying to grow the habit

[@artprof]

Thumbnail planning always makes things easier in the long run! It feels weird to start out that way sometimes though :/ - Mia, Art Prof Staff

[@jazminalvarado8433]

Thank you for this informative video❤ So helpful for making decisions on what I am creating😊

[@artprof]

You are so welcome! -Lauryn, Art Prof Teaching Artist

[@rice6827]

Your commission piece is soo good whoa! Makes me wanna get into acrylic inks…the thing with thumbnail sketches is that I love them too much😂. I‘m into sketching big time anyways and I‘ll personally almost always will take a good sketch( so dynamic if made well and relatively quick) over a finished painting (feels static to me most of the time) which leads to me not being good at drawing/ painting details but I‘m not even sure if I really need that process for my personal style🤔

[@artprof]

I completely relate to that!! There's something about a sketch that's spontaneous and unpredictable, and when I try and turn it into a "fully realized" piece that part of it always ends up ruined. My journey at the moment is to try and keep that sketchy-feel! - Mia, Art Prof Staff

[@MoonlitIllustrator]

Guilty of not using thumbnails, and then drawing a box around a drawing to call it a thumbnail. At that point I don't wanna make a final piece because I spent so much time rendering the "thumbnail" Thank you for this!

[@artprof]

Hah-- I've done that before too! - Mia, Art Prof Staff

[@leilaskye8143]

I'm learning to

[@GypsyGrindN]

I draw mine on 4x4 memo pad 😅

[@GypsyGrindN]

Sometimes I do thumbnails but sometimes I use the entire page for my sketches.

[@GypsyGrindN]

I do those big ones hahaha