Colored Pencil Step by Step

Composing a Landscape

with Pat Averill

Nature produces amazingly beautiful scenes that call out to be captured on paper. But a good landscape drawing has more than just an interesting subject—it also has a dynamic composition. Composition refers to the relationships among the objects in a scene, and a good composition uses interesting colors, shapes, and lines to lead the viewer’s eye in and around the drawing, toward the center of interest (also referred to as the “focal point”). In this rendering of a nature preserve, Pat Averill uses a few simple guidelines (such as the careful placement of the center of interest and the horizon line) to create her composition and draw a compelling outdoor scene.

The Rule of Thirds

It’s rarely a good idea ...