2002728

[webdesignclub]

Web Lingo - This is good if you are just getting started with your website or want to get one set up. It has technical stuff spelled out in an easy format so you can communicate with the developer. Handy tool! Web Design & Web Development

[antoniettabrandeisova]

Hollyhocks, c. 1910. Georges Jeannin

[soulvoyage]

“If I get up every day with the optimism that I have the capacity for growth, then that’s success for me.”

— Paula Scher

[radstudies]

Thomas Cole (American, 1801-1848) - The Course of Empire: The Savage State; Consummation; Destruction; Desolation, 1835-36

[wallacepolsom]

Wallace Polsom, The Feminine Mystique (2019), paper collage, 19.5 x 23 cm.

[2002728]

Nōtan: The Dark-Light Principle of Design

Nōtan (Japanese for “dark/light”) is a design concept used to balance the positioning of light and dark elements in a composition. Nōtan is a powerful type of study for the arrangement of shapes—it helps conduct compositional energies: the movement, weight, and information of elements in a piece of artwork. It is extremely helpful way to identify fundamental shapes in composition by rendering out other information.

One of the most famous uses of Nōtan is the symbol of the Yang and Yin: It is an ancient Chinese symbol which represents dual nature of things like light and dark, good and evil, positive and negative. The detail is simplified dramatically and all that is left is this the light and dark elements.

Unlike traditional studies, a Nōtan study is limited to two values in order to clearly define form and basic composition.

With the use of Nōtan, the isolation of shapes and assessment of composition becomes easier. The most powerful compositions often have a strong Nōtan structure at their core: the eye is able to take in the entire composition at once without distraction.

James McNeill Whistler, 1864, Symphony in White No. 2: The Little White Girl. Contrast between the white dress and the darker background forms a very apparent Nōtan structure.

David Dwyer, 2013, Persimmons. Persimmons is painted on carefully controlled tones and strong contrasts between light and dark.

If strong enough, Nōtan can be the main focus of a painting as well.

A strong usage of Nōtan:

The eye is able to take in the entire composition at once;

Smaller or recessive shapes do not distract from the primary ones;

the darks and lights are not used in equal measure;

There are a limited number of major shapes;

The “negative” shapes are just as interesting as the “positive” ones.

Sources: The Wisdom of Notan