Post 493: Composition 13. Aesthetically Pleasing? Straighten Your Lines!

Composition 13. Aesthetically Pleasing? Straighten Your Lines!

This is Part 13 of my series on Composition

Ever look at a painting or a photo and the water on the horizon is crooked? Doesn't it feel like the water should be dripping off the image? What should be straight, be straight about it. Use your level, a ruler, or for goodness sake painter's tape.

 

Photo by Ruth H Curtis on Unsplash 

See the difference in the photos? Its very slight but the top one the horizon isn't quite horizontally straight.

 

Be careful with architectural images and especially multiple lines, where you might select on as the main focus as in a building with columns. Straighten one line at least, or its painfully obvious the perspective is off.

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This is part of a series of blog posts on the guidelines, or rules of composition. Look for all of them in the Search this Blog feature at the top right by searching for the word "composition". I hope you enjoy the posts!

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Author: Donna Liguria  is the Blogmaster for Donna's Cave Paintings and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, VA. Donna specializes in acrylic paintings of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art.

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