Focal Point in Art: Creating Engaging Artworks

What is a focal point in art?

Why do we need one and how do we create one in our paintings? These are important questions we'll answer.

Then we'll look at examples and how to create a center of interest with proven techniques using composition, values, color, details, and more.

These focal point techniques are fundamentals of art that work together to create strong artwork.

Learn how to create a focal point.

Learn how to create a focal point.

What Is a Focal Point in Art?

It's the main attraction in a painting.

It's the what and why the artist did the artwork. It attracts people and connects them to the artwork.

Why is that important for our artwork?

Paintings without a center of interest run the risk of being overlooked. Everything from landscapes to portraits, and even abstracts need a main subject.

Where Do We Put the Subject?

The focal point should be well integrated into the design of the entire painting.

A well-placed focal point

• Generally, it's placed "near" the center of the painting.
• The woodpecker painting is an example. The bird is slightly off-centered and well-integrated into the design of the painting.

The subject is almost never placed in the absolute center of the painting.

If the subject is dead-centered, the viewers are drawn to look at the subject and then don't spend additional time looking at the rest of the painting.

Don't place the subject close to the edge of the painting. It makes the viewers feel uncomfortable and possibly take them out of the painting.

The rule of thirds is a game-changer. It's a tried-and-true method of placing the focal point.

Leading Lines Bring Us to the Subject

Composition lines lead and direct the visitor. They create a line of sight for the viewer to follow and arrive at the main subject.

Common things to use are a road, a path, a river, a ravine or a fence. We could also use the line of roof-tops, clouds, ocean waves or any other part of the composition that creates a line.

People are accustomed to reading from left to right. So, the bottom left-hand side of the painting is the common place to paint a line leading into the artwork.

The clouds flow to the main subject. The beach edge leads to the lighthouse. Grasses come in and turn up toward the lighthouse.

The road leads to the focal barn. The tree trunk and branch frame the barn. The tree foliage points down to the barn.

What Are Some Examples in Paintings?

What made the point of interest in these paintings? We'll talk more about the techniques in the next section.

Animals are attention-getters. People are the same. Our eyes are attracted automatically to living things.

Contrast catches our attention. The difference between light and dark values stands out in a painting.

The subject is normally placed off-center. Very seldom would we place the subject in the exact middle of the painting.

We can paint a second attention-getter. The line of sight between the fish directs our focus to both of the two subjects.

How Do We Create a Strong Focal Point?

We know where to place a focal point, now what painting techniques can we use to amplify the center of interest?

Every part of the painting contributes to creating of the main point of the painting - from color and contrast to composition and detail.

Accomplished painting artists will use one or more of the following methods.

Contrasting Values Are Sure to Stand Out!

Values are the light and darkness of a color.

Contrasting values are the #1 way to create a focal point in art.

Light values contrast against the darks.

Value contrast is the easiest way to make a focal point. The eye is automatically drawn to an area of high contrasting values.

Artists will use light against dark in many areas of the painting. But the focal area or point, should have the strongest value contrast.

The fish is obviously the star of the show. Its white, red, orange and yellow contrast well with the dark colors of the background.

We can use the color wheel to identify the color's value.

Use Saturated Colors

The judicious use of color draws our eyes to the subject of a painting.

An artist may use bright or saturated colors to draw attention.

Bright colors contrast with subdued colors.

Bright, clean colors contrast well with subdued colors.

In this painting the clean butterfly colors make it stand out from the subdued colors of the background.

We subdue colors by adding white, grey or black or their complement.

The subdued colors look farther away than bright colors. So, the flowers and background recede and bring the butterfly forward.

Use Complements, Warm and Cool Colors

A set of complementary colors always consists of a warm and cool color.

Painting warm and cool colors beside each other is an attention-getter.

The warm horse shows off against cool colors.

The warm colors, (red, orange and yellow) automatically attract attention.

When we place them against cool colors, (blue, green or purple) they really sparkle.

The horse's over-all warm colors make it stand out against the cool colors of the background.

The colors of the mane and shadows were mixed from the warm sienna in the horse and the cool blue of the background. Even these dark colors are warm and contrast well against the background.

See more about how to mix colors.

Details, Edges, and Shapes

The butterfly painting below uses six techniques to bring our focus to the main butterfly.

These principles of art created this successful painting.

Details: People like details and enjoy looking at them. Use more details in the focal area.

Our eyes are drawn to the intricate patterns on the butterfly's wings. The large focal butterfly on the left has more details than the other two smaller ones.

Details make the subject more important.

There are five more techniques used in the focal area of this painting.

Soft versus Hard Edges: 

• Soft edges are easy to view and they recede.
• Hard edges attract attention and come forward.

The hard edges on the main butterfly bring him forward. The soft edges in the background make it recede.

Shapes: The focal butterfly and its flowers are a large shape compared to the smaller shape of the other two butterflies with their flowers.

Notice three other techniques we already covered:

• The main butterfly has more value contrast than the other two butterflies.
• The lower right butterfly and the branch on the lower left are both leading lines directing our line of sight to the main butterfly.
• The focal butterfly has saturated colors, compared to the rest of the painting.

What Are Easy Attention-grabbers?

How do we know our focal point will work? Some things have an automatic pull on the human psychic.

People and Animals

People or animals become the star of the show in a painting.

Animals are automatic focal points.

Even though there is a lot of detail on the chicken and in the background, there a couple of differences.

She is painted with hard edges and saturated colors. This pulls her forward and makes her the focus.

Notice that the only red in the painting is the hen's comb and wattles.

Red is a great for attracting attention. Use the meaning of colors in your artwork.

Buildings and Vehicles

Any man-made things will automatically be the center of interest in our art. 

Man-made things draw us into a painting.

Things such as vehicles, buildings, bridges, boats, etc. always will attract our attention.

The hard lines and angles of man-made things attract our attention.

Notice the rigid, structural lines of the building compared to the grass and shrubs in the landscape.

Formal buildings are normally painted in a symmetrical composition, but the palm tree changes the it. 

What type of composition is used in most modern paintings?

Solitary Objects

Solitary items automatically will be the star of the show.

A single object is a focal point.

This hummingbird has multiple things going for it that call attention to itself.

First, we know animals, as well as birds, automatically attract the viewer's attention.

Second, it is a solitary item. It's flying, all by itself out away from the flowers, so it stands out.

Third, it demands attention because it is small compared to the mass of flowers. 

It could be a large mass as the attraction, like the butterfly and flowers above.

Fourth, it has other techniques used to create a focal point; contrasting values, intense color and hard edges.

Eyes Always Attract Our Attention

The eyes of people or animals grab our gaze. They automatically pull us into a painting.

Notice how our attention goes to the eyes.

Should a Painting Have Only One Focal Point?

Some paintings may have more than one. They have a main subject with supporting points of interest.

This is a painting with multiple points of interest. The cottage is the main one, pelicans are second and the sun is third.

This painting has two focal points. The hummingbird is the center of interest. The daylily is the supporting focal point.

People Also Ask:

Does Every Painting Have a Center of Interest?

It is up to the artist whether they paint a center of interest or not. There is no law that says we have to have one.

This is a painting of patterns.

As a composition note: The two fish in the center overlap each other to hold the viewer's eyes inside the painting.

The fish are all moving to the left and I didn't want them to carry our eyes out of the painting.

So the left fish are not touching the edge of the canvas to keep us inside the painting. Get more tips on composition in art.

Review: What Did We Learn?

Let's see if we can spot what makes this bluebird the focal point. He has several things that bring attention to himself.

Complimentary colors, warm vs cool colors

1. He is complementary colors, blue and orange.
2. Hard edges are painted on the bird, compared to the soft edges in the background
3. He is bright, saturated colors.
4. Warm versus cool colors in the entire painting are nice.
5. He is a solitary object and a bird.

The painting shows movement that's another attraction.

Use any or all of these techniques for the focal point in your paintings.

Go and Create Beautiful Art!