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    10 Drawing Exercises to Improve Composition
    Latest blog post

    10 Drawing Exercises to Improve Composition

    Learn how to arrange the elements of an image, create points of interest, and guide the viewer’s gaze with simple exercises to train your visual judgment. Composition is one of those aspects of drawing that often goes unnoticed when we’re just starting out. It’s common to think that a good illustration depends solely on mastering anatomy, perspective, or color, but the reality is that an image can be perfectly drawn and still fail to convey what it intends to. Composition means deciding how all the elements are organized within the available space. It’s about choosing what the viewer will see first, the path their gaze will follow, and the feelings the scene will evoke. In other words, composition is the silent language that gives structure to any drawing. The good news is that this visual skill can also be trained. Just as we practice lines or shading, there are specific exercises that help develop the ability to make better decisions even before starting a final illustration. Below you’ll find ten simple, progressive exercises that can be adapted to any discipline, from artistic drawing to illustration, comics, sketching, or painting. They aren’t meant to produce finished works, but rather to help you see your compositions with fresh eyes.

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cathalijn

cathalijn

@cathalijn

Hanover, Germany

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cathalijn

Courses

  • Pet Portraits in Colored Pencils. Illustration course by Camila Correa Castro

    Pet Portraits in Colored Pencils

    A course by Camila Correa Castro

    Illustration

  • Collage: Transform Your Ideas into Visual Projects. Design course by Rico Lins

    Collage: Transform Your Ideas into Visual Projects

    A course by Rico Lins

    Design

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Course lists

  • Recommended for teachers Recommended for teachers Recommended for teachers

    Recommended for teachers

    A list by cathalijn

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  • Cosy courses (bestseller quality but somehow relatively small) Cosy courses (bestseller quality but somehow relatively small) Cosy courses (bestseller quality but somehow relatively small)

    Cosy courses (bestseller quality but somehow relatively small)

    A list by cathalijn

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Projects

  • Following the "Animal Illustration: Capturing Wildlife in a Sketchbook" course through Advent 2021. Traditional illustration, Collage, Sketchbook, and Naturalistic Illustration project by cathalijn - 08.21.2022
  • Projects for "Botanical Patterns in a Sketchbook: Conquer the Blank Page". Traditional illustration, Pattern Design, Botanical Illustration, and Sketchbook project by cathalijn - 08.21.2022
  • Some of my projects for "Typography Sketchbook: Drawing Letters with Style". Lettering, Sketching, Creativit, Drawing, H, Lettering, and Sketchbook project by cathalijn - 08.14.2022
  • Progress in Travel Journalling . Traditional illustration, Watercolor Painting, and Sketchbook project by cathalijn - 07.22.2022
  • Some of my projects in Sketchbooking with Handmade Stamps course. Pattern Design, Printing, and Sketchbook project by cathalijn - 12.17.2021

Professional listing

  • cathalijn – @cathalijn
    • Botanical Illustration
    • Hand Lettering
    • Infographics
    • Sketchbook
    • Children's Illustration
    • Printing
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Schools

  • Universiteit Leiden

    Universiteit Leiden

    Leiden, Netherlands

    1997 - 2004

  • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

    Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

    Amsterdam, Netherlands

    2006 - 2013

  • AUT - Auckland University of Technology

    AUT - Auckland University of Technology

    Auckland, New Zealand

    2014 - 2015


Joined July 2020
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Recent projects
  • Following the "Animal Illustration: Capturing Wildlife in a Sketchbook" course through Advent 2021. Traditional illustration, Collage, Sketchbook, and Naturalistic Illustration project by cathalijn - 08.21.2022

    Following the "Animal Illustration: Capturing Wildlife in a Sketchbook" course through Advent 2021

    cathalijn

    • 425
    • 4
    • 1
  • Projects for "Botanical Patterns in a Sketchbook: Conquer the Blank Page". Traditional illustration, Pattern Design, Botanical Illustration, and Sketchbook project by cathalijn - 08.21.2022

    Projects for "Botanical Patterns in a Sketchbook: Conquer the Blank Page"

    cathalijn

    • 484
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