Line space and balance can make a work more cohesive and aesthetically pleasing.
"Line space" and "balance" are terms that describe how space is used within a piece of two-dimensional art. In painting and drawing, knowing these terms and their applications can make a painting more visually appealing and accessible to a wide range of viewers. Creating a work of art that incorporates these techniques will result in work that appears less cluttered and more aesthetically satisfying.
Line Space
In two-dimensional art, a line is used to connect one point to another. "Line space" refers to the location of lines in relation to one another. Lines can be used in art to define edges and provide shading, or to direct the viewer's gaze. If several lines in a piece are close together, that section will appear to be denser or darker, while more space between lines will make a piece of artwork seem more open.
Balance
"Balance" refers to the relation of elements of a piece of artwork to one another, intended to give the viewer a sense of harmony through their placement on the canvas. Balance can be symmetrical, with elements given equal "weight" relative to the center of the piece, or asymmetrical, with one area of the piece more densely filled in to draw the viewer toward that section. There should also be balance between the background and foreground, so that the elements in the foreground are more prevalent than the background.
The Rule of Thirds
In art, the rule of thirds is used to divide the canvas into a grid with nine equal spaces. Instead of centering the subject, a composition that follows this rule places important pieces of the image on these lines. For example, a painting of a man standing on a beach might restrict the sand to the bottom third of the canvas, with the sky in the top two-thirds. The man standing on the beach would then be painted on one of the lines dividing the canvas horizontally, drawing the viewer's eye toward him.
Vanishing Points
In this image, the vanishing point is at the end of the hallway, drawing the viewer's eye toward the center.
Utilizing a vanishing point is another way of achieving perspective and balance. With a vanishing point, the piece is designed to draw the viewer's eye toward a certain point in the image, and the balance and lines of the piece are built around this point. If you were to draw a hallway, the line spacing would get tighter toward the center of the image, as the lines converge at the vanishing point.
