How To Actually Practice Composition As A Beginner

Check out my Free Illustration Mini Workshop where I share my journey from Amateur to Pro: www.thedrawingcodex.com/illus...
You will get some simple advice on how to get more detail and polish in your work. How to think about composition. And my thoughts on how to prepare for professional work.
The principals of composition and picture making are time honoured and well understood. But figuring out how to apply them to your work right now is a challenge! Often we need to focus on the types of images we want to create and understand how things like compositional principals will help us specifically!
Happy Drawing!
Tim Mcburnie
Learn Drawing and Illustration from me: www.thedrawingcodex.com
Portfolio: www.timmcburnie.com
www.artstation.com/tim-mcburnie
timmcburnie
timmcburnie

[@Buddhabellie]

Dont apologize cause this is where so many of us need to learn and see this process as is....thanks so much. Learning so much

[@hobbsmakescomics]

The thing that really made composition click for me was the book Framed Ink. I leveled up the day I got that book.

[@mnqwenononqane1604]

Been struggling for a bit to create a storytelling kind of mood and conveying different emotions with composition. I'm glad I came across this video to brush up. Thanks man. You killed this!!

[@throughthewatcherseyes3482]

Thank you for this, I always wanted to see videos for beginners that allow them see not only what to Study but how to practice what they want to do. We need more videos like this.

[@PaintEasy-ts9wl]

❤

[@LauraTeAhoWhite]

Good god, I have been needing this video in my life for years. Composition is the one thing I continue to struggle with, I need more videos like this in my life.

[@sharongillesp]

Yes! And there are so few, and in-depth yet broken down into manageable techniques.

[@BreezyDefrag]

I really love how you describe and treat drawing... When you talk about the fact that you can draw something simple but still make it appealing to look at really kind of enlightens me. I tend to draw a lot of characters... on blank backgrounds because that is all I really know, but I love how you demonstrate that you can start with that simple piece and think of the variables that CAN be manipulated is really cool, like hair, or jewel stuff. And I really love how you outline that you can create the rough sketching thing and then come back with the Composition Pass, then the anatomy pass. That really helps because most of the time when a teacher says, 'Draw the s curve and use that as the foundation' my brain is like...'ok so I have to stay as close to this line as possible'... which I have tried and it always made my images look empty. That's just how my brain works, you give me an image of an X and tell me draw something using that composition. I always would draw as locked to that X shape as possible... So all that to say it is nice that you bring up that you can draw something you want, explore it in the artistic right brain space AND THEN go back over with the Comp Pass, and Anatamy pass. It really helps my mind understand that it can explore an idea before I get the gritty academic part of the image. So thank you.

[@sunshineanddoodles]

only found your channel recently but THANK YOU! it's like the glue i needed to put some things together

[@MrExcaliburg]

Super helpful as always! I feel like this really fills in a gap that I've had from learning fundamentals and actually applying them to engaging images, which is why I learning them in the first place 😅 Really excited to push my design skills further and create some sucky thumbnails in the meantime.

[@WyvernCult]

this is exactly what i've been looking for! thanks so much!

[@sharongillesp]

EXCELLENT tutorial on planning a work of art! Thank you!

[@barelyabear7956]

Thank you for this, composition has always been very difficult for me and this video help me immensely

[@Mr-rj8fb]

I love your content man, excellent work as always!!! You’ve taken my art to the next level. Could you eventually do a video on comic book panel/page composition? Does that obey the same considerations you expressed here? I’ve really struggled with that!

[@Albelius]

I really wish the schools I've attended gave this type of education! Really helped me to think my artwork differently and how to create more emotional pictures. The sketches I made during this are quite simple and not-good, but it was a fun practice while being eye-opening as well!

[@oliverspin8963]

Yes I would watch it, love listening.

[@mandalora5325]

This was amazing, exactly what I needed to hear, I’ve never heard anyone approach this subject like this. Right on time, too, just as I’m trying to find an approach to practice composition more consistently! Awesome video, thanks :D

[@florxlotus]

Thank you very much, this is exactly what I needed. Your way of explaining and art are beautiful!

[@JH-pe3ro]

The way I currently approach composition for panels is very top-down structured: words, faces, hands, figures, background. And this is logical in the sense of showing the theatrical elements and building a graphic design: I maintain a lot of control over the eye flow and acting so the story always reads the way I want it to, and the text isn't crowded. Since I've been drawing the panel details on index cards, scanning those and composing the page digitally, I've noticed that I end up with interesting crops and adjustments that I'd never achieve by doing it "on the board" - sometimes it's just in the card being a little bit off-axis, other times I notice an opportunity to do a deeper close-up or move around the figures. I've also been working through *Framed Ink* and it has a method that is much more oriented towards cinematic storyboarding: it thinks about an actual camera lens and sets, and then discusses how to enable a formal composition over that with lighting, foreground objects and other details. That's something that I can still work on more, since a downside of the way I'm doing things is that I never break away from the acting.

[@not_floater1706]

Just wanna say through my process of teaching myself you have been a huge help throughout these past few months

[@TheDrawingCodex]

Thanks! That's awesome to hear!!

[@rachelloof7569]

Love your tutorials. Concept and composition has always been a struggle for me so thank you!

[@Jamafly]

I usually have a low opacity grid in my digital sketches. It's helped so much. Plus I don't start on a blank page. Thank you so much for the video!

[@falcongaming3657]

Simply, Thanks!

[@sandwich3044]

This was great!! Surprised the line concept feels like it clicks with me! Def will have to check the book out now, I wonder what he says about it will expand my understanding further! Also your art is amazing, it was wonderful watching you sketch. Glad this showed up on my recommendations!

[@dertethra]

I would absolutely watch a 3 hour thumbnailsession😊

[@PatricioSoler-ix5rt]

Wonderful video, I'll make sure to share with my Content Creation class!

[@vespi2730]

I've only watched a couple of videos of yours, but I already can say that you are one of my favorite youtube teachers! The calm voice and clear instructions reminds me that I shouldn't obsess over drawing and that I should just have fun with it. Thank you very much, really helped

[@boworna7629]

What an amazing video, this really helps !

[@Churras-ff9ss]

You just saved my life omg, i couldn't draw a head correctly but this video helped with so many things!! Tysm!!

[@katm8128]

Just discovered your channel!! This is so helpful thank you

[@MH-lr6ue]

I like this video. I need to practice more thumbnail planning and plan out illustrations. Please do the 3 hour video. I would draw along with that as well. 😊

[@khwanaeoy5356]

This is very helpful. I have learn a lot. I’m glad that I find your channel 😆

[@mahdichime1162]

That was very inspiring thank you💙

[@julianaarroyo1122]

❤thank you so much for your teachings ❤

[@1234asdfzxcv]

Loved the video!, my main takeaways are to start to frick around and find out and to be curious about what you want to create and what you want to add to your drawing, I'll definetely start implementing this into my drawings and start thumbnailing more often, it looks fun too!

[@musaki31]

This was super helpful! Thanks for share so much knowledge.

[@PaintEasy-ts9wl]

❤

[@thedollpretty91]

This is precisely my problem. Hopefully, this will help because omg, it can be really frustrating not to know how to do a good composition for even a simple pose. I've noticed that in my case, drawing the frame is better

[@poneyfeathersart1442]

I enjoyed this video a lot!! I've been trying to figure out thumbnails. Very helpful, thank you.❤

[@alejandroespinosa8329]

Thank you for this video!!! you have a new follower!

[@polodhtip6061]

thanks for this video

[@FranzoiDrawings]

Awesome!

[@TanyaM.-jq8kn]

Thank you for this!

[@PaintEasy-ts9wl]

❤❤

[@whathefuckitis]

great video 🙌

[@Alison-nh9ku]

Very informative. Voting for 3 hours of thumbnail drawing/composition discussion.

[@thelookbackmachine]

thanks!

[@user-ce6pg1dz4u]

Hey Tim! Great video! I'm just now catching up to your composition series and I risk saying that this is you most important teaching yet. The other content can be found elsewhere (although it's always insightful to learn it from your personal lens and line and color style) but content about composition is sparse or entirely missing. There are some advanced books like Edgar Payne's or Andrew Loomis' but something like you've presented here, on how to practice composition when one's drawing isn't yet at a high level is gold content. I'm always amazed when you show the thumbnails on your sketchbook, especially the series with the more complex dragons. If you could make an episode doing more complex thumbnails like those it would be amazing, even if those turned off your speaking abilities for a bit. Another idea for a video is to work on an illustration from a more developed thumbnail. Usually the thumbnails you use for your Art Ritual episodes are less developed (then the dragon series on your sketchbook, for comparison). I guess you do that both keep the finishing process more interesting to you and to keep the illustration more manageable in the time that you have available for non paid work. But a perspective on how to approach working from a more developed thumbnail, as I imagine would be a professional freelancer gig, could be really illustrative - pun intended. Your content just gets better and better! Thank you so very much for it!

[@KatharaWaterTribe]

It's baffling things like this are free in the internet and yet people just type in words into an AI and won't put further effort

[@wickedash_]

Agree so hard

[@MinhNguyen-kb1ps]

I dont know Loomis write about such topic, glad I followed you Tim (y)

[@charlesjoigneaux9760]

Thank you for those very helpfull videos, I searched one on your account about how to find ideas for drawings. I guess for a pro artist it might be simpler, but when you draw for yourself and don't have a pre-defined story, where do you search to get a good subject ? What's your mind process to come to an image ? I don't know if I'm clear, I'm french so please excuse my mistakes.

[@goldenbunnies4143]

This is such a good video!! New sub :)

[@artbybrickel]

I love that he's so honest about his process, it's extremely helpful. Though I do have to ask, does it bother anyone else that he said "so, and again..." about 30-40 times? 😅

[@TheDrawingCodex]

Thanks!! It bothers me lol :) one day I will finally manage to sort out all my oratory foibles while drawing and talking in real time.

[@tracy-eire]

20:53 For when he begins drawing composition!

[@employeah]

thank youu

[@user-fw3j-Arnold]

I like this video. I need to practice more thumbnail planning and plan out illustrations. Please do the 3 hour video. I would draw along with that as well.

[@Lucy_Brookes]

I’m not a beginner but I’ll eat this video up 🙌

[@mr.babichslessons7279]

Hi Tim, I love all your videos. I’m planning on joining the Drawing Codex Lessons. Do you have any discount codes for teachers? Thank you.

[@omorganstudios]

Thx so much! I need composition to help my scenes to have more "life" they don't move ESPECIALLY my LeonardoAI text prompts. Still old school pen paper but trying to bridge both worlds....

[@luciluziel2946]

Great video, Tim!! I have a question: I had an idea to simply copy from other artists based on the method I'm studying at that time ~ For example, if I'm studying the rule or thirds I'll try to find images of movies, drawings, albums covers, and etc ~, and then after that I would try to apply what I've learned directly into my way of creating art. Would that be a 'good idea', or would it hurt my process in the long run? I am thinking of studying an Anime called 'Frieren: Beyond Journey's End', they have spectacular art and it definitely fills me up with that ''I gotta study that'' feeling. I totally recommend it~ And it'd be really cool to see you getting some screenshots of the Anime and breaking them down, showing us how to apply things in a big piece of drawing, or showing how certain things work in certain scenes to guide the eye, the rule or thirds, or how they used any other composition principle~ :) Also, I would definitely watch the 3 hour video about thumbnails hehehe. Honestly, I would watch any 3 hour video by you. Your videos are so full of incredible knowledge, it's honestly amazing! Thank you!!

[@DaniellaR-xp4cp]

Anything that helps expand your imagination is always helpful.

[@matiaslazaro1562]

great content Man! Thank you!!!

[@galaadbiganda7046]

i came up with something that forced me to improve composition i used abc to z as lines and numbers to spice it up and too make it harder i played around with camera angles and

[@christinaedwards7072]

This frustrated me more than anything through self-teaching, through college, and even 15 years after starting to draw. Sure, I can practice things by planning them better and I probably for sure would be better at it if I practiced it more regularly, like I have been lately. But no one tells you how to make compositions in your own art!!!!! its always 'S curves are great!' well bitch i aint drawing a road with hiills and a sunset in the distance so >:S it was so agggrovating!!! Thank you for this video, I wish I had this a decade ago.

[@alliwantforyouistofeel]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

[@el_m3allem]

one question i have about composition as a journeyman level artist is how do you keep composing as you scale up? like i often make a tiny composition sketch that looks great but then when the time comes to pencil the larger piece i struggle with how to add in details in a way that suits the larger composition elements rather than just being random/all over the place and undermining it. i often find i just add details until it seems like it's too full.

[@DaniellaR-xp4cp]

Grid

[@dyastro7479]

Stuff like would normally be planned out in the Thumbnail stage already. For me, that's the point of the thumbnail; figuring out where ALL the elements would be. A simple portrait with a basic composition wouldn't really need thumbnails from me since it's straightforward. More complex compositions or simple compositions with alot of different elements would need some pre-planning from me before final product.

[@jameskellam2980]

See if you can find a picture of Ed Newton's thumbnails for those wacky cars he drew. Great video as always. James

[@matthewglenguir7204]

Please make more of thede comprehensive videos

[@johnDoe-vt4et]

Question? What sketchbook were you using in the begining?

[@arpitabhowmik1329]

❤️❤️❤️

[@user-nb7rj5ow2c]

جميل

[@likemyshortsplease]

Do you do freelance work?

[@sharpness845]

❤

[@kevinhardy8997]

Just draw a logarithmic spiral, and go home

[@PaintEasy-ts9wl]

❤

[@elvenatheart982]

What is taht?

[@hamothemagnif8529]

⁠@@elvenatheart982 “Golden Spiral” would be the key search word. “Rule of Thirds” is another good one.

[@LordWhatever]

Pareodolia: visual recognition of forms and image from randomly placed objects or stains.

[@GetDownKp]

😮

[@junereytolentino7535]

[@reganbothma5435]

Great video Tim, loving the insight, tips and knowledge u shared here thanks mate ;-)

[@PaintEasy-ts9wl]

❤

[@princess_going_digital]

an artist that use this a LOT is chris hong, i really learn a lot with her

[@tracy-eire]

No naked men though. Gets tiresome when the whole value of the figure is boiled down to that.

[@slonsky2363]

Master of repeating himself

[@Visigoth_]

You "ramble" too much... stop "repeating yourself," and "move on" to your point. 😑

[@artwhat..]

Hi Codex.. lots to think about. Wish I had something jazzy to say, oh'oooo I do,ha. So your saying leave my artwork bad but improve the placement on the page of my bad art,all right. I kid,yes a three hour lesson of you confusing me would be great. I really liked how you said to people it's about you what you want to do as an artist and what do you want to accomplish and such. Thanks for empowering my mind with your artistic point of view 🥸