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Tools for Improving Composition
By Scott Maier
Mastering composition can be a challenge. Nothing beats repeated work and intentional practice, but these tools can be a big help! Tools like grids, proportional dividers, and the golden ratio, can help create stronger designs in your work, laying a groundwork from which you’ll discover your own approach to composition.
View Catcher
A standard tool for many artists, view finders like this help to visualize compositions when working from live. Using the slider, it assists artists in finding their preferred cropping of the subject
Great for
Sketching and painting from life
Golden Ratio Finder
Use a finder like this to arrange subjects in your work according to the Golden Ratio. The transparent overlay can be used to observe the Golden Ratio in nature or in your work as the composition is developed.
Great for
Painting or sketching from life.
Divided Viewfinder
Easily find the center of your composition as well as other divisions in your subject to explore the “Rule of Thirds” with this viewfinder.
Great for
Applying the “rule of thirds” to your composition
Drawing and more
Proportional Divider
Proportional dividers make great tools for composition, allowing for an easy comparison of various shapes in a work. Whether working on representational or abstract work, understanding the spatial relationships between forms is important and these tools make it easy!
Great for
All artists
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Share your comments below! If you use any of these tools, tell us what you think! What others would you recommend?
Meet the Artist
Scott Maier is an artist, instructor, and a content contributor to artistsnetwork.com. He’s an adjunct instructor at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, as well as the author of the instructional art book See, Think, Draw: An Easy Guide for Realistic Drawing and Beyond.