Composition: A Series of Exercises in Art Structure
by Arthur Wesley Dow · Arthur Wesley Dow
Arthur Wesley Dow's 1899 teaching manual built on graded exercises in line, notan (dark-light massing) and color, drawn from Japanese design principles. Working through it trains you to arrange shapes and values into balanced, unified pictures in any medium.
This link may earn us a small commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate disclosure
More resources on Advanced Composition
Composition Library
Master advanced composition techniques with Matt Kohr's Composition Library! Learn to create compelling art through proven visual principles.
drawabox.com
Drawabox is a structured drawing fundamentals resource offering free lessons, drills, and assignments that teach basic sketching from lines and shapes, covering construction, perspective, and form. It provides instructional videos and written guides to practice shading and improve accuracy.
line-of-action.com
Line of Action is a free drawing-practice site that provides a pose generator and photo references to help you practice gesture drawing. It offers timed sessions with customizable content—from human figures and hands to faces and animals—so you can build speed and accuracy.
Picture This
A short illustrated book that builds a scene from simple cut-paper shapes to show how placement, size, color and angle create emotional effect. Afterwards you can explain why a composition feels calm, tense or threatening, and apply those principles deliberately.
Framed Ink
A storyboard artist's guide to visual narrative for comics, film and illustration, covering framing, camera angle, lighting and value to direct the viewer's eye. It teaches how to design panels and shots that communicate mood and story clearly.