Texture, pattern, and narrative/theme

Plant near base of Keeper of the Plains statue in Wichita, KS

Field experiment using pattern

TEXTURE is the creation of an appearance or tactile feel in a work. .

PATTERN is reoccurring theme or object in a work. The image and the design above have a leaf pattern that is used throughout the works

NARRATIVE/THEME is topic, idea, or story that is used throughout a work. In the above works, the theme is nature.

Foreground, background, and perspective

Detail of Keeper of the Plains in Wichita, KS

Experiment in circular design

FOREGROUND is the part of the image that is closest to the viewer.
  

BACKGROUND is the part of the image that is behind the foreground. In between the foreground and the background is the middle ground or midground.
   

PERSPECTIVE is the way in which an object appears to the eye. It also refers to the techniques that are used to create the way the images appear in a work.

In the photo above, the sky is in the background and the statue is in the forground.

Positive space, negative space, two dimensional and three dimensional

Aerial photo of baseball playing field

 Experiment with non-intersecting cuts in a circular field 

POSITIVE SPACE is the space occupied by the main subject of a work.

NEGATIVE SPACE is the space around the subject of a work.


 Interesting images will have an interaction of positive and negitive space. In computer designed image above, the black area is the positive space and the white space around it would be the negative space.

TWO DIMENSIONAL works use only two dimensions, which are usually height and width.

THREE DIMENSIONAL works use height, width, and depth. Statues would be three-d works.

The computer design above would be two dimensional and the photo, while a two-d work, represents an image with three dimensions.

Shape, Mass, and Space

Fuel cover on Comanche aircraft

Field experiment in circles and design demonstrating activation of negative space

The SHAPE of an object in some space is a geometrical description of the part of that space occupied by the object.

The MASS of a shape is the bulk or size of a shape.

Experiment in Rhythm and Repetition

Field of wheat with terraces

Wavy lines in a field

RHYTHM is an organized pattern of elements.

REPETITON is the recurrance of elements.

Experiments in Balance and Symmetry/Asymmetry

Model of Smith Miniplane with sunburst paint scheme suspended from ceiling at Airport Steakhouse in Hutchinson, KS.



Field experiment in intersecting non- perpendicular lines.

BALANCE is creating equilibrium or equal ditribution of artistic or design elements throughout a work.

SYMMETRY/ASYMMETRY -Symmetry means having balanced proportions. Asymmetrical images have imbalanced proportions. 

Experiment in Grouping and Unity

View from inside of John Deere combine harvesting wheat in Sedgwick, KS. Thanks for the ride, Bruce!

Non-parallel, non-perpendicular lines in a field

Grouping is placing items, shapes, colors, or other elements in close proximity.

Unity is creating a cohesion within the elements of the work.

In the photo above, notice that the lines of the windshield wiper create a group, the lines of the header on the front of the combine create a group, and the lines in the wheat field create a group.

Experiment in Dominance and Relief

Trees at Natural Bridge State Park in Stanton, KY

Parallel vertical lines in a field

DOMINANCE is the prevailing focus of a design.

RELIEF is the contrast to the dominance. It is the area that is "relieves" the dominance.

In the above images, the tree trunks at the left of the photo are grouped to demonstrate dominance in much the same way that lines are placed on the left of the drawing. The relief in the picture is provided on the right by the thinner clustering of trees in the foreground and the view of the sky.

Experiment in Line and Field

Paint stripes on Piper Comanche airplane

Parallel horizontal lines in a field  

A LINE is the connection of a series of points made with tool or created by an image that can be straight or curved and can be explicit or implied.

A FIELD is the area that bounds the work.

The parallel horizonal lines on fuselage of the Comanche echo the fleeting nature of aircraft and the over all sleek design necessary for flight.

100 Lines

As the culmination of Week 1 assignments, the class was to create a 5" square field and use 100 lines from the experimentations with lines in studio practice to compose a design.

Art and Design elements are found in all aspects of our environments and daily life. Recording those features makes us aware of the building blocks and visual enhancement those elements grant to us.

I hope friends, family, and all explorers of knowledge will enjoy my record of art and design in my life. While this blog is a feature of the class Foundations of Design 1 at Wichita State University, it is passion for me and is in no way just an assignment.