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The Simple Secret to Better Painting: How to Immediately Improve Your Work with the One Rule of Composition
Composition is one of the most important elements to any painting, but it can also be one of the most intimidating. The long list of rules for designing and structuring a work is complicated, hard to remember and downright mystifying. In this simple resource, Greg Albert boils it all down to one golden Never make any two intervals the same. He demonstrates this fool-proof technique with clear, concise diagrams, before-and-after student paintings and samples from today's top painters. Readers will get to learn from the work of Frank Webb, Tony Couch, Zoltan Szabo, Tony Van Hasselt, Tom Lynch and many more! Artists of all levels with find this secret to great composition easy to remember and even easier to use. Greg Albert is Editorial Director of North Light Books. He's also an artist, author and teacher who lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
131 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
July 23, 2011
Illustrators, photographers, and film buffs check it out: my favorite book on composition (painting is the medium, but rules still apply). More detailed than Molly Bang, but the same concepts.
August 1, 2021
Excellent. I just completed an intensive art program. This book covers a great deal of the material in my course in a clear and straightforward way. Highly recommended to anyone involved in making art.
May 2, 2010
This book summed it up. The simple secret to better painting - succinct, direct to the point. Explained art design elements & theory that for the non-art major gave me the knowledge to improve my creative dabbling. For the artsy geek that rather read a book about it than take a class. I'm re-reading it for inspiration.
April 29, 2008
The Simple Secret to Better Painting by Greg Albert. It is subtitled, "How to immediately improve your art with this one rule of composition." The book is interesting and a worthwhile and informative read. Its premise is that in art, "no two intervals should be the same." The author applies the principle to not just obvious things like intervals between trees or fruit, but also to the size of items, their general placement on the page, the use of color, tone and value, visual weight and energy, rule of thirds etc. He has little helpful sayings like "Mostly, some and a bit." However, he had the annoying habit of contradicting himself which I found confusing, upsetting, and off-putting. But there was enough good information in this book that I will 1)probably read it again, 2)study it to some extent and 3)keep it around as a reference.
August 20, 2025
Greg Albert has made design principles used in the best abstract contemporary acrylic and oil paintings accessible and understandable for watercolor painters. Loved this and it is so helpful!
March 31, 2022
Lately I have been taking in some webinars by the successful Canadian artist Tim Packer. He is big on composition! He says:
Such statements and my own lack of compositional knowledge had me casting about for help. I found it in The Simple Secret to Better Painting by Greg Albert.
In it, Albert suggests one overarching compositional rule to guide the artist in making aesthetic choices. His One Rule of Composition: “Never make any two intervals the same,” is deceptively simple. However, his application of it covers the gamut. In six chapters he shows how this rule applies in achieving interest, balance, eye pleasure, and in directing tone, value, and color choices. He concludes with three chapters of advice on using this rule when composing still life paintings, landscapes, and figurative paintings.
His book contains other helpful maxims like:
and
The formatting of the book, using bold and italic font to direct attention and add emphasis, is super helpful in aiding the reader to find and review Albert’s principles. He also includes lots of art, from simple line drawings to full paintings, to illustrate concepts.
Now his advice rings in my head as I plan my simple creations. I’m sure this is a book I’ll return to again and again as I work at becoming a better artist.
“A strong composition can result in a successful painting even if the artist has only moderately competent technical skill.
“No amount of technical skill can turn a poor composition into a successful painting. The only remedy is to change the actual composition…” “Ten Common Compositional Weaknesses,” by Tim Packer.
Such statements and my own lack of compositional knowledge had me casting about for help. I found it in The Simple Secret to Better Painting by Greg Albert.
In it, Albert suggests one overarching compositional rule to guide the artist in making aesthetic choices. His One Rule of Composition: “Never make any two intervals the same,” is deceptively simple. However, his application of it covers the gamut. In six chapters he shows how this rule applies in achieving interest, balance, eye pleasure, and in directing tone, value, and color choices. He concludes with three chapters of advice on using this rule when composing still life paintings, landscapes, and figurative paintings.
His book contains other helpful maxims like:
“Good composition is the result of conscious planning on your part… You need to carefully consider how the viewer is going to look at your painting and design the painting accordingly” (p. 41 – Kindle edition);
“Value contrast is so compelling that it is the best way to establish a strong focal point” (p. 53 – Kindle edition);
and
“The rule (Never make any two intervals the same) will help you add just enough variety in the range of colors in your picture if you remember this formula: ‘Mostly, some and a bit’ “(p. 67 – Kindle edition).
The formatting of the book, using bold and italic font to direct attention and add emphasis, is super helpful in aiding the reader to find and review Albert’s principles. He also includes lots of art, from simple line drawings to full paintings, to illustrate concepts.
Now his advice rings in my head as I plan my simple creations. I’m sure this is a book I’ll return to again and again as I work at becoming a better artist.
May 7, 2024
It's not often I will log my art reads in GoodReads, but this one stands out amongst the other books I have borrowed from the library. I am so impressed at how the skills and guidelines offered by the author were laid out in the book. With contextual and comparative studies, it reinforced the rules of composition he was suggesting very very well. Now, whenever I paint and plan a new composition, I think of this book, and I believe it has made my art more interesting. A really great read for immediate practical application.
October 15, 2024
It all starts with one easy-to-remember rule that you can carry for the rest of your artistic journey.
Greg Albert not only explained the concept of the One Rule of Composition, he demonstrated the various applications of the One Rule on lines and patterns to portraits. And he kept it wonderfully simple.
It's a book that you can study once and have it in your head. So you don't need to carry the book around. If you found other books about composition a little too complicated to remember (like me), you'll like this one!
Greg Albert not only explained the concept of the One Rule of Composition, he demonstrated the various applications of the One Rule on lines and patterns to portraits. And he kept it wonderfully simple.
It's a book that you can study once and have it in your head. So you don't need to carry the book around. If you found other books about composition a little too complicated to remember (like me), you'll like this one!
November 13, 2023
This is a fantastic book for someone wanting to understand more about composition. Using examples for each concept discussed, Albert demonstrates how placement and variation of shapes and colours can be used to make pleasing pictures. For someone (like me) getting started in visual arts, there is a lot of clear and practical information - lots of images and not too much text, so easy to delve into. I borrowed it from the library, but I think I will buy my own copy.
Read
February 16, 2023I had some trouble with his labels for what is boring and non-boring, tbh most of the still life paintings were boring even in his "perfect" composition. A bit like doing art by using a formula to find how fast a car can travel from destination A to B if it drives with x amount of h/km. Some interesting insight, it got a little repetitive at the end. idk kind of liked it kind of now.
April 10, 2024
Excellent clear explanation of complex topics in art
This book is golden! I have read about visual meaning-making in neuroscience and such concepts are represented in a clear, concise way that artists can use without all the history of how mankind evolved to survive, which though I find that interesting too this book is all an artist needs to kick their work up a level. Bravo!
This book is golden! I have read about visual meaning-making in neuroscience and such concepts are represented in a clear, concise way that artists can use without all the history of how mankind evolved to survive, which though I find that interesting too this book is all an artist needs to kick their work up a level. Bravo!
September 23, 2022
It is, as the title states, a simple secret. The book does a good job of showing readers how to apply that secret to a variety of aspects of any painting. I have read many "how to" art books and find most of them to be a bit like learning to bake a cake by using a box mix. This book works for me.
March 8, 2023
I Will see how it Will werk out for me in the naar future but I feel Thérèse is much componist Senseo in it and it was the forst time I read about composition is Words and advises that I coulld follow
July 28, 2023
the best art book I’ve read on composition
I recommend this to all artists but especially those on the beginning of their art journey. It all makes so much sense in easy to understand principals
I recommend this to all artists but especially those on the beginning of their art journey. It all makes so much sense in easy to understand principals
August 31, 2024
The text was rather repetitive and included lots of distracting right/left errors, but otherwise, I'm glad I read this. I've been wanting to learn more about the principles of composition, and this did the trick!
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April 17, 2021Excellent!
I have learned a tremendous amount from this book even though I have been painting for quite a few years! One never stops learning.
I have learned a tremendous amount from this book even though I have been painting for quite a few years! One never stops learning.
August 7, 2021
Extremely helpful with great visual examples.
I am grateful for this practical reference. It has become a great asset to me as I work to gain more experience.
I am grateful for this practical reference. It has become a great asset to me as I work to gain more experience.
March 14, 2023
likely the book that explains the varied aspects of composition the best; a good find!
January 9, 2025
This book is very good. The author has explained on how to apply a very simple principle to a wide range of scenarios. Very practical to use.
March 16, 2025
Great job Greg!
You really did accomplish to explained the essential concepts of design in a clear, precise and practical guide as you had intended. Congratulations!
You really did accomplish to explained the essential concepts of design in a clear, precise and practical guide as you had intended. Congratulations!
December 27, 2025
Not a great book, does the basics ok
I've been an avid photographer for years, and have started to take up painting. This means that I already had a good handle on the basics of composition (and perhaps a less well developed understanding of theory regarding color and light). This book is just an okay guide to composition, and doesn't go much into any of the stuff I am more interested in. I personally didn't find it very helpful.
I was also a bit put off by the magical rule: never make any two intervals the same...
The rule is helpful basic advice, in some sense, but is not a magical rule that ties everything together. It is just one aspect of good composition, but the author rather unsuccessfully tried to relate all of the basic insights on good composition back to that point.
I found this attempt to argue that everything reflected the magical rule particularly irritating when the book started talking about balance. Things should be in balance and thus the intervals should be the same in terms of their balance, suggesting that intervals should be the same not different in this regard. Also, there is a place for symmetry and patterns in art, which the book ignores.
So much better was "The Painterly Approach", which I read immediately before this book.
I've been an avid photographer for years, and have started to take up painting. This means that I already had a good handle on the basics of composition (and perhaps a less well developed understanding of theory regarding color and light). This book is just an okay guide to composition, and doesn't go much into any of the stuff I am more interested in. I personally didn't find it very helpful.
I was also a bit put off by the magical rule: never make any two intervals the same...
The rule is helpful basic advice, in some sense, but is not a magical rule that ties everything together. It is just one aspect of good composition, but the author rather unsuccessfully tried to relate all of the basic insights on good composition back to that point.
I found this attempt to argue that everything reflected the magical rule particularly irritating when the book started talking about balance. Things should be in balance and thus the intervals should be the same in terms of their balance, suggesting that intervals should be the same not different in this regard. Also, there is a place for symmetry and patterns in art, which the book ignores.
So much better was "The Painterly Approach", which I read immediately before this book.
July 6, 2012
Another wonderful book. Direct, to the point, succinct, precise and full of useful information. Highly recommended for artists (and writers imho, I see many interesting applications of the rule in my articles) looking for a reference study / crash-course in composition. Oh, and don't let the "One rule" thing fool you. The one rule it refers to is the fundamental - "No two intervals should be the same" - rule of composition. I'm sure most people already know this rule, what this book offers are real world applications of the rule in a variety of ways using real paintings. I would give the book 5 starts just for using real paintings, by a variety of artists, so that we can see how things work in the real world (as opposed to generic sketches used by many other authors).
February 8, 2017
Simple secret
Never make the two intervals the same. Hammered in to the reader effectively. Secondly the more, some and bit in a compositions is interesting
Never make the two intervals the same. Hammered in to the reader effectively. Secondly the more, some and bit in a compositions is interesting
September 6, 2007
This book summed it up. The simple secret to better painting - succinct, direct to the point. Explained art design elements & theory that for the non-art major gave me the knowledge to improve my creative dabbling. For the artsy geek that rather read a book about it than take a class. I'm re-reading it for inspiration.
August 5, 2012
Lots of excellent points all variations of Albert's one rule theme, 'never make any two intervals the same'. The author put a great deal of work and thought into illustrating his ideas, and it definitely makes looking at the book worth the effort of locating a copy.
September 7, 2014
my very favorite how to art book. his explainations about composition stuck a cord with me, and I understood them better than I have in the past. I got at the library, and liked it so much I purchased a copy for regular review.
January 12, 2015
Contains lots of good information and advice. Best for someone who has been painting a while, not a beginner. The books helps you find ways to plan better paintings as well as evaluate what mistakes you have been making.
September 28, 2012
Hmmm. A book that has "simple" in the title and actually is. Thanks.
January 8, 2013
Recommend for any artist trying to improve their work. Albert has a simple formula. Some of his examples illustrate his ideas clearly. Some of his examples are not as clear.
March 18, 2014
The title should read; "The simple Secret to Better Paintings", because the tips are mainly useful in improving semi-finished work.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews