figures and portraits

The human figure is the most enduring subject for artists since humankind first painted on cave walls. The body is capable of marvelous agility, articulation and expression, and is an engaging challenge for artists.

The appeal of the human form is its grace,

fascinating complexity and infinite variation. In particular, the body exhibits a dynamic balance that makes it a perfect subject for artistic composition. This chapter focuses on applying the ONE RULE OF COMPOSITION: Never make any two intervals the same when working with people as the primary subject.

placing the head

The ONE RULE OF COMPOSITION tells us not to place the center of the head so it is in the exact center of the picture, especially if the head is facing straight out. Place the head and face in one of the upper sweet spots. If the head is near the center, use areas of lights and darks in the background to alleviate the static formality of this kind of placement.

With a three-quarter view, allow more space on the side to which the face appears to be looking to avoid a claustrophobic closeness and give the subject room to breathe. In general, don’t let the top or back of the head form a tangent with the edges of the picture.

Boring composition
The head is exactly centered and looking straight toward the viewer. The distance of the face from top to bottom and side to side is equal.

Better composition
When the head is off-center from both top to bottom, the portrait is more intriguing. The center of the face (both focal point and center of interest) is now located in a sweet spot.

Good composition
With a three-quarter view, the center of interest is right between the eyes at one of the sweet spots.

Boring composition
This profile is centered and boring. Eye level is near the horizontal center. The face appears cramped by the right edge, and the subject’s eye directs your attention to and beyond the frame.

Better composition
This profile is off-centered and more interesting. There is more room to breathe on the right, so it feels less cramped.

Good close-up composition
This profile is cropped close-up, which generates some interesting abstract shapes. The eye is now in a sweet spot.

A closely cropped portrait generates intensity
This close-up profile draws your attention to the character of the man as revealed in the details of his face. Closely cropped closeups provide an intense encounter with an individual. The sharp contrast of face against background arrests your eye and creates a strong focal point.

Leonard Dee Knott, AWS 20" x 28" (51cm x 71cm) Watercolor on paper

Draw attention to your subject’s face
By minimizing any background detail, the artist concentrates your focus on the face and its intent gaze. You see enough of the hat and clothing to garner important clues about the subject.

Mr. Hamm Dee Knott, AWS 18" x 24" (46cm x 61cm) Watercolor on paper

Position your subject to lead the viewer’s eye
The head is located at the crossing of the walls change in value and texture and at the apex of the triangular mass of the man’s body. The artist has included a lot of space on the right for the figure to look into, inviting the viewer to imagine what is beyond.

Patrick Dee Knott, AWS 20" x 28" (51cm x 71cm) Watercolor on paper

placing the head and upper body

When including the head and torso, again place the face in one of the sweet spots, with the face toward the center and the rest of the body dynamically balanced with the edges.

Avoid placing the head in the center, especially if it places the rest of the body in an unbalanced position to one side.

Wherever the head is placed, avoid any element that is crowded in or points to one of the lower corners.

The hands will be a natural secondary focal point, so check to see that they are at varying intervals from the edges. Also, beware of awkward cropping, especially at any body joint such as a the elbow, knee or hands.

Bad composition
When including the head and shoulders of your sitter, place the head near one of the upper sweet spots. Placing the face in the exact center will usually leave dead space above the head. In this example, the knees not only point into the corner, but are awkwardly amputated.

Bad composition
The head is located in a sweet spot, but the composition is unbalanced because the subject is looking out of the picture, making the right half appear dead.

Good composition
The head is located in a sweet spot, but the picture looks balanced because the subject is looking toward the center, activating that part of the composition.

Head as the center of interest
There is no doubt about the center of interest in this portrait. The mind is naturally attracted to heads and faces. The head is located in the upper-right sweet spot, and is looking out to the right. To keep the viewer’s eye from wandering off to the right, the artist has strategically placed the darkest shapes in this location as a block.

Caroline William H. Condit 14" x 21" (36cm x 56cm) Watercolor on paper

Head as the focal point
Strong value contrasts and rich texture make the head the dominant focal point, with the hands as a secondary focal point. The eye is naturally attracted to strong contrast. The background and clothing almost merge into one dark shape. This is a good example of a dynamic balance between the relative amounts of dark and light values.

Tribute to Mondrian Arne Westerman 29" x 21" (74cm x 53cm) Watercolor on paper

placing the figure

When depicting the figure, consider its shape in relation to the edges. Placing the figure so there are wide margins between it and the edges of the format generates little compositional interest. Distances between various parts of the figure and the frame are not dramatically different and therefore boring.

When the figure is enlarged so it fills the frame, or the edges are cropped more closely to the figure, the relative distances from figure to frame are more varied and, for that reason, more interesting.

watch out for these pitfalls

Lots of background, no interest
When there is a lot of room between the shape of the figure and the edges, there is little compositional interest.

Tight cropping, more interest
Tight cropping is more interesting because the resulting intervals differ greatly in measurement.

Tangents identified
Avoid awkward tangents. Body parts just touching an edge will attract unwanted attention.

Background shapes identified
If you examine the intervals generated by close cropping, you can see that the shapes are interesting and varied in dimension.

Too symmetrical
The human body is bilaterally symmetrical. In this example, the sitter is placed right on the vertical centerline, a violation of the ONE RULE OF COMPOSITION. Notice how the dull composition is divided into three nearly equal vertical sections.

Divided in half
In this example, the head is now in a sweet spot, but the composition is divided in half vertically, also violating the ONE RULE OF COMPOSITION.

keep these additional points in mind

Awkward composition
Avoid tangents. Tangents often direct the eye out of the composition.

Good composition
Place the subject in a relationship that generates an interesting variety of shapes and intervals.

Good composition
A useful compositional device to keep in mind for portraiture is balancing an active side with an inactive side. The left side of this painting has less visual energy because it is strongly vertical. On the right, there is greater complexity and energy.

plan a path for the eye

One main center of interest, a secondary focal point and two minor focal points are all arranged in a circle. The boy’s face is the viewer’s main center of interest, but his center of interest is his own painting. His gaze directs you to his artwork, which because of color and contrast is a powerful eye magnet. His brush and paint box also act as pointers to the boy’s painting. The boy’s hands are the other two focal points. The four points (face, painting and hands) keep your attention circulating through, but not out of the composition.

Budding Artist Tom Browning 16" x 10" (41cm x 25cm) Oil on canvas

establish a mood

The head and shoulders of the silhouetted figure below are located in a sweet spot; several horizontal lines in the picture direct your eye there. The figure is alone, but not isolated; the mood is one of quiet and calm.

The Seasons Dee Knott, AWS 20" x 28" (51cm x 71cm) Watercolor on paper

Moving the figure changes the feeling
If the composition were reversed, as for a mirror image, the eye would encounter the figure before scanning the rest of the picture, as if hurried; the effect would be one of greater restlessness. The figure would appear to be going counter to the habitual path of the eye, creating some tension. Psychologically, the right has more “weight” or importance than the left; therefore a figure on the right moving in that direction seems more comfortable.

A centered figure is boring
If the figure appeared in the center, there would be little or no tension. Instead of calm, the composition would induce boredom.

A figure placed too close to the edge
If placed too far to the right, close to the edge, the figure would appear literally and psychologically on edge. Since it appears to be moving to the right, the figure now directs attention out of the picture.

creating a dynamic figure

The human body is an appealing challenge for artists and is their most enduring subject. It exhibits a marvelous agility, articulation and expression. In particular, the body has a dynamic balance that makes it a perfect subject for artistic composition.

The body is bilaterally symmetrical. The right side mirrors the left from head to toe, making the body naturally balanced. However, the potential for movement is so strongly suggested in its form that even when the body is static, it appears dynamic.

Static
When the weight of the body is supported evenly on both legs, the body is in static balance. Notice how the divisions suggested by the body’s inner frame are parallel.

Dynamic
When the body shifts weight to one leg, the classic contrapposto position, the body is in dynamic balance. The divisions suggested by the body’s inner frame are no longer parallel. This pose complies with the ONE RULE OF COMPOSITION: Never make any two intervals the same and is more interesting.

Dynamic shapes radiate energy
These shapes suggest a definite mood. They are dynamic and generate visual interest. The left and right sides of the body vary considerably even though the body itself is symmetrical in design.

the figure as an interesting shape

Think of the figure as a shape. What makes any shape more interesting applies to the figure as well. Don’t let colors and surface details make you unaware of the overall shape of the figure.

Look at the figure as an abstract shape. Does the figure fit into one of the boring shapes: a circle, square, or equilateral triangle? Does its shape have a vertical, horizontal or oblique thrust? Does it have “innies and out-ies” that give it interesting complexity?

A triangle shape is static

A square shape is static

A figure with a diagonal thrust is dynamic

A figure shape with “innies and outies” is interesting

cropping the figure

Cropping presents a great opportunity for increasing the energy in a composition, so it should be done with thought and deliberation. All too often, cropping is almost accidental because the figure “just didn’t fit” when it was drawn on the paper or canvas.

considerations when cropping the figure

Crop and float
The figure can be cropped by one of the edges or several. One successful formula is called crop and float (by Bert Dodson in Keys to Drawing, North Light Books, 1985 ). If you crop at the top edge, don’t crop at the bottom edge—let the figure float.

Avoid artificial cropping
It’s difficult to crop effectively with opposite edges only. The result often calls too much attention to the cropping and looks artificial.

Crop at the right or left, but not both
When the figure is cropped on opposite sides it looks trapped; it cannot “float.”

Don’t crop at body joints
These “amputations” direct attention outside the picture.

Cropping can help direct the eye
Not showing the bottom of the figure keeps attention focused on the face and the window, both are natural centers of interest. Value contrast makes them strong focal points as well. The urn in the lower left forms a secondary focal point that keeps the eye circulating inside the composition.

Dawn of a New Day Tom Browning 24" x 16" (61cm x 41cm) Oil on canvas

cropping a portrait

There are two considerations when cropping a portrait. First, the cropping should be appropriate for the subject matter and should support what you are trying to communicate about your sitter. For example, a portrait of a public figure meant for public display might include the torso and the trappings of the subject’s duties or office. A portrait of a family member meant for display in the home might be a more intimate close-up.

Good design is the second consideration for cropping. Regardless of whether you show the full figure, the head and shoulders, or an extreme closeup, the cropping should create interesting shapes, maintain a single focal point that is also the center of interest, and have dynamic balance.

Create intimacy with the subject
Cropping in close and eliminating most of the background produces a much more intimate approach. The closer you crop, the more intense an encounter the viewer will have with your subject. An extreme closeup of a face could be intimidating or uncomfortably confrontational.

Provide a setting for the subject
Cropping to include most of the sitter and some of the background is an opportunity to reveal more information about the subject and create the desired atmosphere—while generating interesting shapes.

Focus on the whole figure
A looser cropping provides fewer dynamic shapes; the figure here forms a strong shape on an oblique axis.

value patterns

As in all compositions, the values in a portrait are vital to success. The principle consideration is making the face the focal point as well as the center of interest. Through contrast, the values in a portrait should help establish the face and head as the strongest eye magnet.

The greatest value contrast should be concentrated around the head and face so the viewer’s attention is attracted and retained. If there is another area in the picture with strong value contrast (or sharp detail, bright color or busy patterns), a competing focal point will be created. The viewer’s attention will be divided between the face as center of interest and a rival focal point.

A classic strategy often employed to create this value contrast around the head and face is to make the background dark behind the illuminated side of the head, and make the background light behind the shadow side of the head.

evaluate the value patterns in your portraits

Strong value contrasts direct the eye
This sketch is a great example of playing light against dark. The face is contrasted with a dark background, and the back of the head is contrasted against light. The strongest area of contrast is along the contour of the face, making it both the focal point and the center of interest.

Phil Ned Meuller 16" x 13" (41cm x 33cm) Conté crayon on paper

Mostly, some and a bit
Apply the Mostly, some and a bit formula to this portrait. The strong value pattern of this painting makes it irresistible. The pattern forms a pleasing configuration as a purely abstract design. Notice how the frames and the tie direct your eye to the picture’s center of interest, the subject’s smiling face.

Terry Tollefson Tom Browning 24" x 30" (61cm x 76cm) Oil on canvas

group portraits

The ONE RULE OF COMPOSITION: Never make any two intervals the same can readily be applied when there is more than one subject, as in a double or group portrait.

Double portrait

In a double portrait, it’s more interesting if the heads are not equally spaced or on the same level—both violations of our One Rule. The relative heights of the heads may imply prominence of one over another, so be mindful of that significance to your sitters.

Watch for the direction the sitters are looking. If they are looking in different directions, or if one or both are looking out away from the center, a distracting pull out of the picture can be created.

Group portrait

In group portraits, usually family groupings, keep in mind the principles of placement derived from the ONE RULE OF COMPOSITION. Do not allow the heads and faces to line up, be equidistant or form a boring configuration like a regular triangle or square. The heads should be at different levels and distances. Think of how boring it would be if all the heads were lined up equally on Mount Rushmore.

If you are painting a portrait of an entire family, make all the sitters look in more or less the same direction, or all of the them looking in toward the center. If one or more of the figures is looking out of the picture, it attracts the viewer’s attention out of the frame.

Boring
Don’t line up two (or more) faces at equal distances or along any central axis.

Better
In a double portrait, place one head at a different level and different angle for greater interest.

Boring
The heads are all at the same level. The lack of variety in their placement engenders a lack of interest.

Better
The heads are dynamically arranged with eye-pleasing variety.

multiple figures

To maximize eye-pleasing variation, groups of figures should be arranged according to the ONE RULE OF COMPOSITION: Never make any two intervals the same. By changing the size of the figures, and the spacing between them, you can create varying intervals that work to create interest in your painting.

Even spacing is boring
Equally spaced figures of the same height are boring and look unnatural.

Asymmetry suggests tension
The eye and mind group proximate figures together. The three figures on the left form a unit; the figure on the right is isolated. This arrangement is not only attractive to the eye, but interesting to the mind because it suggests some sort of social tension.

Varied spacing is better
Unequally spaced figures are more appealing and suggest more interesting social dynamics.

Scale variation creates depth
Varying the scale of figures creates spatial depth and increases interest. Note that all the figures share the same eye level, which coincides with the horizon line and eye level of the viewer.

Ground level placement is unexciting
Unequally spaced figures of different heights and eye levels is more interesting, but the ground level is parallel to the bottom edge.

Variety creates visual energy
When figures in a scene are at different heights, sizes, eye levels and distances, the visual energy is maximized.

figure interaction

When there is more than one figure in a painting, some kind of relationship is implied, and the viewer will attempt to determine what that relationship is, even if the relationship is one of mutual alienation. Where the figures are placed in the composition will give clues to that relationship. If they are placed close together, a stronger relationship is suggested; if apart, a weaker relationship is suggested. If the figures are symmetrically balanced or in the center, a stable relationship is implied.

Two figures facing each other will be interpreted very differently from two figures standing back to back. The viewer’s eye will track the paths of contact. If figures are in physical contact, the point of contact will be a center of interest. If the figures are in eye contact, the viewer will follow the link.

Make the connection visually
The figures are linked in a three-way connection. Looking over the shoulder is a voyeuristic vantage point that is hard for the viewer to resist.

Three Women at Lunch Arne Westermann 21" x 29" (53cm x 74cm) Watercolor on paper

Contact in the center of interest
This painting is about the interaction between two figures. The faces and arms—the points of contact—form the center of interest. These figures are linked visually and mentally by the viewer.

Iced Coffee Arne Westermann 29" x 21" (74cm x 53cm) Watercolor on paper

A figure in motion
Uneven spacing of the figures makes this scene look natural. The scene appears like a moment frozen in time and convincingly conveys the bustling activity of a real street corner. Notice that the figure shown in motion attracts your attention.

Struttin’ Tom Francesconi 19" x 27" (48cm x 69cm) Watercolor on paper

Placement implies relationship
In this penetrating painting by Arne Westerman, the two figures are close enough together to be considered as a single shape, and as such this shape is located off-center, in one of the sweet spots. In fact, the figures are almost uncomfortably off to the side. This discomfort is increased by the very lack of interaction between the two youths. They both appear to be absorbed in their own worlds, not in direct communication. They are perhaps physically close but psychologically isolated, and it is this implied relationship that is the source of the painting’s power.

Boardwalk, Santa Cruz Arne Westerman 19" x 29" (48cm x 73cm) Watercolor on paper