Tip: Composition Don'ts

You can probably tell that I have enjoyed reading Birge Harrison's book Landscape Painting more than I thought I would. The chapter on composition was no disappointment. Harrison dismisses most of the rules of composition by saying that the only rules of any practical value are "negative rather than positive." He expresses them as a series of DON'Ts.

Here they are:

• Don't try to say two things on one canvas
• Don't divide your picture into spaces of equal size and proportion
• Don't have anything in the picture which does not explain itself
• Don't repeat the main line of your picture with another important line parallel to it
• Don't let the dominant line of your picture end aimlessly in mid-air
• Don't crowd your composition
• Don't put in a single unnecessary feature

I won't elaborate on these as they are self-explanatory, for the most part. Also if you want to read the book it is available online. Just click here to view it.