 Morning class! Today we're going to have a quick look at composition and the rule of thirds. Even though it's called a rule, it's really just a guide to help you compose a picture that looks natural with an erect angle or a square. I find it always works best so with an erect angle. All you do is split your page into thirds, horizontally and vertically. And these bad boys at the intersections are what we're looking for. These are what we can align key points of interest to to pump up our paintings. To guide the viewer into where we want them to look. Let's look at the 17th century Dutch painting by Rhysdale. And you can see how he creates a focal point on the windmill on the right. Because the horizon is so low, a third of the painting, you've got this really imposing sky. You can imagine the wind coming through and hitting the windmill. The sails are up on the boat. It's got a real sense of drama to it and a sense of movement. When we overlay the rule of thirds over the top, you can see how he's positioned his windmill right up to one of the guidelines and even the mast on the ship nearly spot on to the other guide. The horizontal line at the bottom isn't plumb with the bottom line but this doesn't matter. He hasn't laid it exactly on the line because he needed to balance the horizon with this taller area of land in the foreground. The right hand side of the painting is higher. He's had to drop the land on the left slightly to balance it and remember he's just a guide. A subtler approach but still sticking to the rules is gained for his view of Dedham. This is a warm or terminal scene with a mass of trees. There's a break in the foliage to help center eye through into the distance of the picture. When we put the grid on again, you can see how this church is banging in the middle of the guide. It's not on the crosshairs but right on the center line. This is another key point to remember not to get too caught up with everything having to hit exactly on the crosses. What is interesting to know though, if we focus on the tree line, even this tree has a little indent to allow to sit in the guide. As Degas once said, even nature has to be composed. I hope this has opened your eyes to the rule of thirds. So next time you're on holiday, click on the grid function on your camera and try and line up some of the key elements of your picture with the rule of thirds. I guarantee this will improve both your photography and your painting. This is Will Kemp from Will Kemp Art School.