In many paintings the artist wants to focus the viewer’s attention on one part of the painting by making one part of the painting (the focal point or focal area) more interesting and by directing the viewer’s eye to that point or area. In this unit you will learn a range of techniques artists use for doing that in order to give their work more variety and make it more interesting for the viewer. You will learn:

• the difference between staccato focal points and focal areas
• how artists increase the interest of a painting by adding a secondary focal area
• how they use directing lines to enhance their focal areas
• how they use isolation to draw attention to a part of their painting
• the role space division plays in creating natural and logical positions for focal points and focal areas
• how they use contrast of temperature for creating focal areas