Before a big drawing, many artists make a few thumbnails: tiny, quick sketches, often only a few centimeters wide, that try out different arrangements. Each takes a minute or two. You are not drawing details, only big shapes and the light and dark pattern.
Key idea
Small, quick thumbnails let you try several arrangements and crops before the real drawing. A viewfinder helps you choose the view.
Why it works
Fixing a composition in a small sketch takes a minute; fixing it in a finished drawing can mean starting over. Small sketches also hide details, so you see only what matters for composition: big shapes, balance, where the focal point sits and where the horizon falls.
A viewfinder is a card with a rectangle cut out of it, the same shape as your paper. Hold it up and look through it to frame the scene. Move it closer to your eye to take in more; move it away to crop in tight.
Worked example: Make a viewfinder
Your paper is 12 inches wide and 9 inches tall. You cut a viewfinder opening 4 inches wide. How tall should the opening be?
- The opening must have the same shape as the paper: the same ratio of width to height.
- The paper is 12 by 9; dividing both by 3 gives 4 by 3.
- So the opening is 3 inches tall.
Answer: 3 inches.
Common mistake
Many people start the final drawing at once and only discover the composition problems, like a subject jammed against the edge or a horizon cutting the page in half, when the drawing is almost done. Spend five minutes on three thumbnails first.