Composing a picture

Is there a variety of shapes in my picture, does one shape need to be a bit further away from the other or does it need an entirely different shape altogether, a rectangle, an oval or triangle etc. When you are drawing a landscape always think that you are drawing or painting in shapes, relating a vertical tree to a rectangular house in a pleasing way and always keeping in mind to relate the shapes you are putting down. In the constable example on the left you can see that the two rectangles on the right of the picture are a little too large for the two rectangles on the left, this is because the photograph in this example has been cropped, but in the original painting these shapes are aesthetically related to each other and to the whole in a pleasing and satisfying way.
 

You can see that the vertical tree trunk comes down into the reflection of the water and with the horizontal line or horizon line going across the picture both these shapes create rectangular shapes. The blustery curvy shapes in the sky area on the right echo the right edges of the large tree. There are lots of shapes in this landscape which make it an harmonious composition. So to sum up always think of the shapes you are putting down onto your paper or canvas, they must relate in a pleasing and aesthetic way. These are the basics of good composition in art and there are other things to consider of course but if you can learn these basics you will grow in your art and your composition will grow with you.
 

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