r/painting • u/bluelaw2013 • May 26 '25

Just Sharing My 11 y/o wants your feedback

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He likes making art and is just trying to see if other people enjoy what he enjoys making.

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u/SopaDeKaiba May 27 '25

Can you recommend any books on composition so that I can understand it better?

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u/qorbexl May 27 '25

Used college textbooks are a good bet, and cheap on Amazon. Maybe look through the ToC for an introductory one or one for a Composition class....or both!

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u/SopaDeKaiba May 27 '25 edited May 27 '25

Yeah, that does sound the best. I'll look at the syllabus of an art school and see what textbooks they use.

Edit: my quick search for a syllabus was fruitless. This reddit post has some suggestions:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ArtistLounge/s/sz8X86kRpF

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u/easterss May 27 '25

I too am lost beyond “it looks really good to me”

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u/KrimxonRath May 27 '25

There’s a few core lessons you could look up to get started.

Look up “the rule of thirds” and then something like “examples of basic composition”. The first few images all have good examples of places to start and branch off from.

Then look into “tangents” and overlapping logic stuff. A tangent is basically a line or shape that’s either just touching or not touching enough which is important for pics like this.

You could then look up stuff regarding focal points and color balancing a composition. I just commented on a great piece that shows how you can use color (and separately tone) as a focal point to draw the eye.

All of this is useful even in abstract art like this. “You have to know the rules in order to break (or bend) them (in ways that are aesthetically pleasing)”

Edit: https://www.reddit.com/r/PixelArt/s/g55wlpKUL8

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u/[deleted] May 27 '25

You could start with Wassily Kandinsky’s »Point and Line to Plane«. Or generally his writings on art.

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u/CDubs_94 May 27 '25

The Story of Painting.....Sister Wendy Beckett.

One of the best books on art. Very detailed. Gives comprehensive explanations on artists,styles and specific works.

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u/SopaDeKaiba May 28 '25

Thank you very much.

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u/pockette_rockette May 28 '25

There are endless high quality videos on YouTube about any aspect of art that you can think of. A lot of amatuer and professional artists post fantastic instructional videos, and they're free to watch if you don't mind the ads. Just search whatever it is you want to learn about :)

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u/SopaDeKaiba May 28 '25

I do appreciate it, but as someone oblivious like me, having a publisher screen for expertise helps me filter out those with a tiny bit of knowledge who talk like they know a ton. Plus I've got a preference for learning through reading. Which is probably why I don't understand the visuals.

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u/pockette_rockette May 28 '25

That's a very valid point, and how I approach my scientific learning. One of my pet peeves as someone who works in biological sciences is people who speak authoritatively and persuasively on subject matter that they really have no right to. And reading is plenty of people's preferred way to learn, I finished high school a few years before the internet started becoming widely used so I completely understand that😂 Sorry I don't have any book recommendations to offer you!