DESIGN FOR DUMMIES

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Pattern & Texture

Pattern: A pattern is a repeating graphic or visual element over any kind of surface

Tactile Texture: The quality of the surface of the piece that you can literally touch or is inherent to the material; the way a surface would feel if you could touch it.

Visual Texture: The implied quality of a surface using visual cues; the way something looks like it would feel.

Collage: The cutting and pasting of non-art materials and images onto something.

Verisimilitude: denotes the extent to which a work exhibits realism or authenticity, or how much it conforms to our sense of reality. A high degree of verisimilitude means that the work is very realistic and believable.

Trompe L’oeil: a style in which objects are depicted with photographically realistic detail; a technique that uses realistic imagery to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects exist in three dimensions.

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Motion

Stillness/Static: The impression of objects in a piece being static and clearly defined as being in a specific space or time. The eye hops from one discrete image to another.

Arrested Motion/Dynamic: The impression of having suspended an action/image but using visual elements to imply its movement, guiding the eye throughout the piece smoothly.

Optical movement: Implying movement through optical illusion.

Three Ways to Suggest Motion

Repeated Figure: Using the same figure in different positions in order to imply a change.

Cropped Figure: Parts of a figure that are outside the frame can show direction and movement.

Blurred Outlines: Blurring the outlines of the moving objects helps reduce the clarity and detail in order to imply speed.

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Space & Form

Depth

Vertical Position: Vertical (as opposed to landscape) positioning directs the eye from bottom to top, emphasizes height, and allows more room for foreground, middle ground, and background for greater depth.

Amplified perspective: This technique involves projecting one or more elements directly at the viewer. The artist often employs a foreshortening effect causing the protruding part to appear closer. Creates drama and dynamism.

Isometric projection: A way of representing proportional 3D objects without using perspective. It relies on lines that are equally inclined at 30 degrees.

Transparency: The quality of being able to see, or partially see, through one or more layers in an artwork. It can be implied or suggested.

Types of Perspective

1-Point: Perspective that only uses one vanishing point. Any objects that are made up of lines either parallel with the viewer's line of sight or perpendicular  can be represented with one-point perspective.

2-Point: Perspective that uses two vanishing points and allows for a “rotated view” of the subject. One point represents one set of parallel lines, the other point represents the other.

3-Point: Perspective that uses three vanishing points and is used when the view is above or below the subject. In addition to the vanishing points for the sides, there is also a third for the vertical lines.

Atmospheric: Depth or recession achieved by modulating color to simulate the effect the atmosphere has on the colors of things seen at a distance.

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Shape

Volume, Mass: Volume refers to a form with three dimensions (width, height, depth) while a mass refers to a group of visual elements that make up a form or the 2D appearance of a 3D form.

Naturalism: An artistic style based on representing realistic objects in a natural setting.

Distortion: Any visual alteration (in shape, size, general character, etc.) of a natural form that makes it unrealistic. Distortion can also apply to any degree of personal or subjective interpretation of natural forms.

Idealism: An artistic style that aims represent the true, eternal reality. Influenced heavily by aesthetic and imagination.

Geometric: Describes shapes that are made of straight lines, vertices, and angles, and follow mathematical rules and precision. Opposite of organic.

Non-objective: Refers to abstract or non-representational art that does not aim to represent specific objects, people, or other subjects found in the natural world.

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Hue (pt. 2)

Color Wheel / Color Strategies

Achromatic: A color without a hue.

Monochromatic: Describes an artwork that is in a single hue, or in varying tones of the same color.

Complementary: pairs of color which, when combined or mixed, cancel each other out and have the strongest contrast when juxtaposed. They are directly opposite from one another on the color wheel.

Analogous: A group of three-six adjacent hues on the color wheel that share a common hue.

Triad: A triad is a color scheme comprised of 3 equally spaced colors on the color wheel.

Tetrad: A tetrad is a color scheme comprised of four colors split into two complementary pairs.

Warm & Cool: Refers to the perceived “temperature” of a hue. They also affect one’s perception of depth. Warm: Yellow, Orange, Red (advances)  Cool: Blue, Green, Purple (recedes)

Achromatic-Chromatic Mix: A color scheme that uses a dominant achromatic color (black, white, gray, full range of neutrals) with a chromatic hue accent.

Value Keys: Refers to a discrete range of values on the value scale.

Saturation Keys: Refers to the sets of hues with a common saturation level.

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Local color: The true color of an object or a surface as seen in typical daylight, rather than its color as seen through atmosphere or interpreted by the taste or imagination of the artist.

Color psychology: The study of how color affects human behavior and physiology.

Color symbolism: Color as being a symbol for a concept, belief, ideology, emotion, etc. based on culture and society.

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Hue

Color Systems

Additive: Additive color mixing is when we mix lights of different colors/wavelengths. We still perceive all the wavelengths with our eyes after they are mixed.

Primaries: Red Blue Green (RGB)

Subtractive: Subtractive color mixing occurs when we mix paints or other colored material because we only see the wavelengths that both paints reflect; the other wavelengths are absorbed in the process of mixing.

Primaries: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow (CMYK)

3 Dimensions of Color

Value: How light or dark something is. It indicates the quantity of light reflected. tint: add white. shade: add black. tone: add grey.

Hue: The dominant wavelength that we see and perceive as its color. It indicates the quantity of light reflected.

Saturation/chroma: The intensity, degree of vividness, and purity of a color.

Color & Value

Tonal Scale: Refers specifically to the degree of intensity of a hue when you mix greys into it.

Chiaroscuro: Refers to the use of light and shadow to create the illusion of light from a specific source shining on the figures and objects in the painting.

Value Contrast: Refers to how well we can see an object and its edges depending on how different juxtaposed values are.

Value Key: Refers to the areas on the value or tonal scale. High key color describes the set of colors that range from mid-tone hues to white, while low key color spans the range from mid-tone to black.

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Types of Lines

Gesture and Contour: Gesture lines are quick lines that establish the direction and movement of a form, while contour lines establish the edges of a form.

Outline: The lines that define a shape or bind a figure within a certain space.

Explicit line: A line that is visually apparent and takes up space.

Implied line: (1)An invisible line that leads the eye from one point to another OR (2) an invisible line created by juxtaposition within an artwork.

(1)The red arrows indicate an implied line that creates movement. (2) The shoreline and horizon lines.

Lost and found: Refers to the quality of a line that appears and disappears in the outline of a form.

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Line

Point in motion: A point in motion creates a line.

Shape and form: Shape is a flat, closed area created by lines. Form is a three-dimensional object whose boundaries are defined by other elements of art, such as shadows.

Line quality: The characteristics of a line that can be described, such as its thickness.

Line as value: Using lines to create areas of light and dark.

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Point

Point: A dot that marks a position in space.

Pixel: a point on a screen. Collectively, pixels make up the image displayed.

Focal Point: The area of emphasis where the eye is most drawn to and attracts the most attention.

Implied point: A point that is not explicitly marked, but is led into through visual cues.

The spiral shape makes an implied point at its center.

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Kinesthetic Empathy

Kinesthetic Empathy: The ability to feel sensory responses to movements and emotions in a piece of art.

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Haptic

Haptic: Relates to touch and its perception. In art, it takes into account the materials and tactile properties, whether physical or implied.

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Rhythm

Rhythm: An artwork’s visual “beat”; the flow between components in a piece. Can be observed in the style, technique, brush strokes, colors, and patterns that artists use.

Legato: A slow transition between components that flow nicely and softly from one to another.

In this painting, the artists uses soft brushstrokes and indefinite lines to create a smooth flow between the objects in the landscape.

Staccato: Abrupt changes with a dynamic contrast, but that are still connected.

The yellow lines are broken up by smaller squares of different colors to create a relatively consistent jagged flow which unifies the piece.

Alternating rhythm: Successive patterns in a piece where “positive” and “negative” shapes go back and forth in regular, anticipated intervals.

The bigger circles go back and forth between black and white halves across the diagonal line.

Progressive rhythm: An anticipated, consistent change between each subsequent element in a pattern.

The values of the white components (left side of the circles, left rectangles) are getting darker in intervals.

Polyrhythmic structures: Artwork that contains more than one rhythm or beat.

The rhythm of the picket fences and trees, gardens, characters, and grass are all different.

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Emphasis

Emphasis: Used to establish and draw the viewer’s eye/attention to the focal point of a piece by using shape, color, size, etc.

Size is used to emphasize the chick, in relation to the other objects.

Contrast: The juxtaposition of dissimilar elements within a piece that serve to highlight each other, or break up the unity of a piece, which emphasizes the area it is happening in.

The yellow and black rhombuses are contrasted with the red circle via shape and color, but there is also a contrast between the saturation of the foreground shapes and that of the receding shapes.

Isolation: An item that stands out from its surroundings, drawing attention to itself.

The eye is drawn to the woman because she is different than her surroundings, e.g. plants, birds, flowers, etc.

Placement: The position of an item within an artwork, often in relation to the center of the plane where the eye usually tends to go.

The placement of the apple is closest to the center, which serves to emphasize a crucial part of the narrative it is depicting.

Whole over Parts: Can refer to an emphasis on the overall piece as opposed to its part i.e. evenly distributed emphasis OR the emphasis created by an object that appears to be either complete or broken up into parts.

As an example of the former, the artist uses achromatic, repeated patterns throughout the piece that emphasize the whole. An artist may use this strategy if they want the viewer to look at everything at once.

Visual Weight/Eye Direction: Refers to the elements or visual cues that attract and move/direct the viewer’s gaze.

The man’s gaze, the direction the statuettes are facing, and the arrow-like sticks in her mouth direct the viewers gaze to the woman.

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Balance

Balance: Refers to the equal distribution and weight of artistic elements throughout a 2D or 3D piece to create visual and compositional equilibrium.

Frida Kahlo Self Portrait 1940

Horizontal vs Vertical: Refers to the visual weight balanced around an artwork’s axis, which can be vertical or horizontal, and is oftentimes symmetrical.

The image has a vertical axis through the middle. Balance is achieved through the visual similarities between the left and right side of the axis. 

Symmetrical vs asymmetrical: Symmetrical balance refers to when both sides of a piece are identical or nearly identical to one another. Asymmetrical balance refers to when both sides of the pieces are not the same, but have the same visual weight, relative to other artistic elements and the composition as whole.

The dark, tall bush in the right is balanced by a lighter, smaller bush on the left, which demonstrates asymmetrical balance.

Radial (balance): Refers to when the elements are arranged equally around a central point which creates a strong focal point in the piece.

Radial balance creates symmetry and a focal point around the skull as the roses and mandala behind it emerge from a central point.

Crystallographic: An often symmetrical balance and harmony found in the repetition of one or more artistic elements, such as color or shape.

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Scale and Proportion

Scale and Proportion: When referring to an artwork's size we use the term scale; the size of the art object in relation to another object, most commonly to the human body (life-sized, miniature, enormous).       Proportion refers to the size of parts of a whole or elements within the object relative to each other. Ex: proportions in terms of size relationships within the human body.

Michelangelo’s David demonstrates both scale and proportion. Scale, in its size relative to the people viewing it (larger than life). Proportion, in the relative size of human characteristics within the body.

Contrast: “the arrangement of opposite elements (light vs. dark colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.) in a piece so as to create visual interest, excitement and drama.”

Both images contrast between shadows/dark areas and well-lit/light areas (value).

(http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1348826)

Internal references: Using an object (most commonly the human) that is familiar (know the size of) to put into perspective the relative size of an artwork and/or its component.

We get a sense of how small the tree house by comparing to broccoli, which is easy to imagine the size of.

Golden Mean: The perfect combination of balance and harmony based on the ratio 1:1.618.

The theory suggests that humans are naturally trained to recognize this pattern, so it is an effective tool to determine relative sizes, where to place detail, or how to organize a layout or scene. The eye is naturally drawn to the center of the spiral, for example. It can relate to the entire scene or just components, however some argue that the golden ratio is naturally produced regardless of its acknowledgement.

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Unity

Unity: A principle of visual relatedness achieved through compositional strategies (such as shape and color) that makes a piece whole and cohesive.

The piece is unified through the repetition of similar objects (the men in hats and trench coats, the windows), colors, and spacial organization.

Gestalt: Gestalt theory holds that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts; based on the human ability to visually perceive and recognize patterns and group similar/close objects together to make larger units or associations.

The piece depicts a woman at a vanity looking into a mirror; one can also see a skull comprised of the same parts that make up the “original” image.

Proximity: Related to the closeness of objects to one another that implies a relationship between them.

The flamingos are close to each other which creates a “unit” within the piece.

Repetition: The reusing of the same or similar elements throughout a piece.

The pieces uses the same lizard in various sizes and color.

Continuation: A line, an edge, or a direction from one form to another that creates a fluid connection among compositional parts; can be used to lead the eye. 

The lines and colors fluidly direct the eye to the surfer and the center.

Grid: A system for organizing layout and a method of determining proportionality within a piece, regardless of its scale.

Grids can be made from a combination of columns, rows, lines, or sizes.

Radial Balance: Visual balance based on a circle, extending from a center.

The design extends from a center point and is bound by circular forms.