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Your journey to learning new compositional techniques starts here!

Welcome to the Canon of Design page for everyone! If you’re new to the Canon of Design, please read the intro and learn what motivates the world’s best site, dedicated to sharing the design and composition secrets of master painters, and translating them for artistic photographers.

They won’t teach you these composition, design, and visual perception (Gestalt psychology) techniques in expensive schools. You’ll be stuck with beginner tools, like the rule of thirds and leading lines. Powerful tools are needed if you’re wanting to become a master artist.

We must never feel as if we’ve learned enough…that’s when mediocrity begins to hold us down. Quality knowledge is an asset, and it’s the key to being a successful photographer.

These 130+ articles created for everyone are also posted to my blog, but I’ve created this list to help you find them easier. I’ve also included a list of amazing downloads available to everyone!

Members of The Master Pass can enjoy 750+ Linear or Structured articles based on composition, design, and inspiration. They get the juiciest selection of all of the articles, plus a Resources page full of more downloads. Exclusive content for serious artists!

Awesome Videos Amazingly

Check out all of the YouTube videos on my channel! Made for you, to help you understand how to master composition, design, and dynamic symmetry. It applies to painting, street photography, wedding photography, fine art photography, sculpting and more.

To see the other videos, please click on the upper left corner of the playlist (three horizontal lines).

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Excellent Articles for Everyone

Check out the awesome articles created for everyone below! Get inspired and feed your brain!

Searching Fast Use Control + F on a PC, or Command + F on a Mac to type in a keyword and find what you need quicker (Fun keywords to try = analyzed, resources, Bresson, Leibovitz, Rubens, Bouguereau, Phi, Gestalt, grid, rule of thirds, color, cinema, street photography, quote, inspiration, technique).

1 of 365 – Introduction

2 of 365 – Annie Leibovitz – ANALYZED PHOTO #1

3 of 365 – What Makes Me an Expert on Composition?

4 of 365 – The Simplified Concept Behind the Rule of Thirds

7 of 365 – Canon of Design Essentials- VISUAL GLOSSARY

8 of 365 – Using the Rule of Thirds: I am Guilty, Most of Us are

10 of 365 – The Rule of Thirds Inventor: John Thomas Smith

11 of 365 – What happened to design?  

14 of 365 – The Simplicity & Beauty of Dynamic Symmetry – VISUAL GLOSSARY

20 of 365 – Laocoon – ANALYZED SCULPTURE  

24 of 365 – The Rule of Thirds and the Chicken Soup Analogy

25 of 365 – A Misleading Guide to Mastering Composition

26 of 365 – Alik Sakharov (Game of Thrones) – ANALYZED CINEMA

36 of 365 – The Rule of Thirds and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

52 of 365 – The Future of Design in Art

53 of 365 – Gestalt Psychology Introduction – Part I

74 of 365 – Composition for Dummies

77 of 365 – Gregory Crewdson Documentary

80 of 365 – Using the Phi Ratio Doesn’t Mean You are Part of a Cult

84 of 365 – Seth Godin on Mentorship

95 of 365 – A Painter Finding His Way with Composition

96 of 365 – Happy New Year Artists!

101 of 365 – Surfing is an Art

105 of 365 – Phi Lecture by Barnstone Student Ryan Brooker

112 of 365 – The Desolate Arcade

116 of 365 – The Impassioned Eye with Henri Cartier-Bresson

118 of 365 – The War of Art with Steven Pressfield

120 of 365 –  Share the Secrets of Design with Myron Barnstone

123 of 365 – Timing is Everything

124 of 365 – Rubens – ANALYZED PAINTING #1

126 of 365 – Boxing is an Art

132 of 365 – Say Hello to Other Artists

136 of 365 – Joe McNally Photography Quote

139 of 365 – Alfred Stiegletz Documentary

140 of 365 – Learning Art from Those Before Us

143 of 365 – Good or Great Photography

146 of 365 – Technology Fails Design

147 of 365 – Application & Repetition Leads to Experience

153 of 365 – Composition in Painting and Photography is Essential

154 of 365 – Einstein’s Struggle

158 of 365 – What Makes a Painting Valuable

164 of 365 – Anatomy by Robert Beverly Hale

171 of 365 – Golden Ratio and Mona Lisa -ANALYZED (Phi Calipers)

174 of 365 – Odometer vs Facebook Likes

176 of 365 – Artistic Composition is a Choice

185 of 365 – Alan Watts – If Money Were No Object

186 of 365 – Forging Masterpieces

188 of 365 – The Painful Puzzle

192 of 365 – Photography: Stretch Before You Exercise

195 of 365 – Can the Untrained Eye Recognize Design

196 of 365 – Tom Keating on Master Painting

197 of 365 – Art: Getting Your Money’s Worth

199 of 365 – Art: Learn to Roll with the Punches

200 of 365 – Web Art Academy Lessons

202 of 365 – Drowning in the Rat Race

206 of 365 – Oil Painting Realism

207 of 365 – Designing is for Weirdos

211 of 365 – Focus Your Artistic Efforts and Excel

213 of 365 – What Happened to Our Free Time

214 of 365 – Insights on Landscape Photography

215 of 365 – Gregory Crewdson – ANALYZED PHOTO #4

225 of 365 – Art and Pandering to the Masses

226 of 365 – Henri Cartier-Bresson – ANALYZED PHOTO

227 of 365 – How Inspiration Fades in Photography

237 of 365 – If Van Gogh had a Facebook Page in 1887

241 of 365 – Steve Jobs Quote

248 of 365 – John Free Street Photography Advice

252 of 365 – Henri Cartier-Bresson Quote

262 of 365 – Find a Happy Balance

265 of 365 – The Quest to Replicate Nature in Technology

266 of 365 – Johannes Vermeer – The Master of Light

273 of 365 – Camera Gear is Based on a Matter of Purpose and Quality

276 of 365 – Excellent Street Photography by Alex Webb of Magnum Photos

279 of 365 – Campfire’s and Camping Nowadays

280 of 365 – Annie Leibovitz 1993 Documentary

284 of 365 – Bat Boy Syndrome and Remarkable Art

288 of 365 – Do What You Love – Follow Your Passion

290 of 365 – Edgar Degas Quote #2

294 of 365 – Life is Like a Cinnamon Roll

297 of 365 – World Desensitization

300 of 365 – The Old Masters, Standing in Awe

301 of 365 – Look at that Camera, You’re Not a Serious Photographer

305 of 365 – The Perception of Spoken Words

309 of 365 – Promoting Great Art and Composition

315 of 365 – Art, Social Media, and the Empire State Building

319 of 365 – Bouguereau Quote 2

321 of 365 – Couch Potato or Master Painter

326 of 365 – Modern Day Slavery

329 of 365 – The Ignorant Teapot Calling the Kettle Black

335 of 365 – Jim Carrey: Inspiration from a Goofball

339 of 365 – Van Gogh Quote #2

343 of 365 – Schools are Factories for Obedience

347 of 365 – Edgar Degas Quote #3

349 of 365 – Christina’s World Stuck in a Corner at the MoMA

350 of 365 – Karl Blossfeldt and His Artistic Representation of Nature

366. Mastering Composition & Henri Cartier-Bresson (Video Response)

367. Moving to Hawaii to Pursue Photography and Composition

368. Film Photography Inspired by Bresson (Waikiki Meetup)

369. Myron Barnstone Interview: A Journey to Find the Techniques of Design

370. Color Theory, Monet, and Bruno Barbey – Part I

372. 40 Street Photography Tips from Brutal Self Critiquing – Part I

375.Taking One Photo with William Eggleston

376. NEW Flickr Street Photography Account

377. How Picasso Found Subject Matter for his Painting

379. The Fading Giants of Magnum Photos

380. Top 10 Free Books from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

381. How Tall was Henri Cartier-Bresson?

382. Leonardo Da Vinci Quote, Picasso Master Copy, and Tiny Habits

383. 5 Reasons Why Scanning Your Own Film is Better

384. Would You Cease to Exist if Facebook Disappeared?

386. Printmaking Artist Gustave Dore

387. Harold Speed: Drawing with Dither

388. Your Portfolio is like a Window for Shoppers

389. Photography Composition with Cutouts Transforms Landmarks

390. Child Prodigy of Painting, Photography, or Mastering Composition

392. Losing a Hard Drive Full of Photos was Gut Wrenching

396. 10 Myths About the Rule of Thirds

397. Peer Pressure Can Make You Sharp or Dull

398. When a Photo Becomes Reality: Losing a Loved One

399. Mastering Composition to Get More Keepers in Street Photography

403. Score Your Compositions

407. Can an Artist be Born a Genius

411. Mr. Robot Creates Visual Tension with Composition Techniques

415. An Update to My Artistic Journey

420. Rest In Peace Myron Barnstone – 10.29.16

422. Famous Artist Birthdays and Inspiration

425. Virtual Mentors to Inspire Your Artistic Journey

429. “Moby” the Mobile Studio: for Painting and Photography

431. Dynamic Symmetry: How to Use it in Photography and Painting

433. My $200 Pencil Sharpener for Drawing

437. Email Q & A: How Did the Masters Learn Dynamic Symmetry?

439. Mastering Composition to Get More Keepers: P.O.V. B+W Street Photography

443. Vincent van Gogh Gold Mine of Paintings and Drawings

445. Absinthe: Murder, Mayhem, and Master Painters

446. Email Q & A: Blade Runner Analyzed Cinema

451. Cinematic Test Shots with the Sony A6500 and Mavic Pro Drone

458. Top 20 Discoveries from Canon of Design

460. Dynamic Symmetry, Composition and Henri Cartier-Bresson

462. Why is the Rule of Thirds Grid on Pro Cameras?

470. Vincent van Gogh – Color Theory

472. Proof that Henri Cartier-Bresson Used Dynamic Symmetry in Photography

482. Golden Ratio in Art: Parthenon and Euan Uglow [Techniques]

490. The Masterful Design Techniques of Martine Franck [Cartier-Bresson]

515. Photography Composition and Tips for Beginners [Digging Deep Into 8]

525. Solaris by Andrei Tarkovsky – Analyzed Cinema

531. Nature Consumes Everything Eventually

542. How to Design a Book Cover and Abstract Letters with Dynamic Symmetry

552. *Street Photography Compositions with the Ricoh GR III (with P.O.V. VIDEO)

557. Dynamic Symmetry: How to Easily Understand Ratios (Super Simple)

565. How to Master Manual Mode and Avoid Auto Mode Flaws (Exposure Triangle)

570. Top 10 Ways to Spark Creativity

573. Dynamic Symmetry and Design Techniques in Epic Paintings (Video)

579. Perfectionism and Your Art (Paris)

583. Dynamic Symmetry and Absinthe Inspired Drawings – Four (Paris Video)

587. Bresson Photos Reimagined as Satirical Paintings (2020)

590. The Ego Manifesto for Artists – Quick Guide (PDF Download)

600. Dynamic Symmetry Grid Package – Intro for Beginners (ECOSYSTEM)

605. *Design Techniques for Quick Portrait Paintings (Fun Video)

611. How to Force Growth as an Artist (Fun Video)

615. Complementary Colors – The Biggest Myth of All Time (Video)

622. Deborah Turbeville Best Compositions (ANALAYZED PHOTOS)

627. Annie Leibovitz Group Photo – ANALYZED #10 (Video)

631. Dynamic Symmetry – Top 7 Misconceptions You Should Know

636. Top 7 Female Master Painters – Before the 1900’s

647. Anatomy Mistakes by Master Painters – Does it Matter?

652. Andromeda and Perseus – A Quirky Love Story (Greek Mythology)

656. A Quick Guide to Art Periods, Movements & More

661. Paul Cezanne Still Life Painting (ANALYZED VIDEO)

668. Joel Meyerowitz Top Design Techniques (ANALYZED PHOTOS)

671. Dot Bunn – Secrets of Color & Design (Landscape Painting)

677. Create Killer Compositions Like Kubrick – The Shining (ANALYZED CINEMA)

681. Dune 2021 Composition Techniques -Part Two (ANALYZED CINEMA)

688. 12 Things I Learned from Van Gogh (Master Copy)

692. Rule of Thirds – The Number One Reason NOT to Use It

696. Dynamic Symmetry – The Biggest Cliché Ever Heard

701. Did Picasso Steal From Ancient Romans?

707. Joel Sternfeld – Top 3 Techniques (ANALYZED PHOTOS)

713. Composition Eclipsed by Aesthetic

718. Which Dynamic Symmetry Grid is Best (CINEMATOGRAPHY)

724. Pieter Bruegel – The Harvesters (ANALYZED PAINTING)

729. Gustave Moreau – Hercules and the Lernaean Hydra (ANALYZED PAINTING #2)

734. Annie Leibovitz – Quick Critique #1

738. Nick Knight’s “War” Photo Breakdown

748. Best Articles of 2023 (Top 8)

751. Composition & Design Drawing Course (Videos 1-10)

754. Peter Lindbergh – Top 6 Techniques (ANALYZED PHOTOS)

757. How to Create Abstract Art with Composition Techniques (Video 1-3)

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