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Week 6 - Composition

By Bill Perkins

presented by
Week 6 Shape:

In the images below look for similar shapes or characteristics of shapes that
offer variations on a theme. Keep in mind our Minor Key expresses the
range of contrast. Our Major Key is proportion, so look for look for the
predominant shapes (not the exception) and then the variants about that
Major keyed shape. For instance in the image below the predominant shape
are curved, gradient shapes. The interior shapes are smaller variations of the
larger shapes. Scale and values are grouped and offer a sense of scale, while
the contrasting shapes are the whales that are a little different and the most
contrasting shapes are the straight rays of light.
This is another example that no shape or any visual component has inherent
value. The value or importance of any shape (or other visual component)
determines its impact. That impact or importance is defined (in each case)
by the contrast the artist determines it to have within the total image. This is
establishing importance or value through Minor Key. Value or dominance
can also play out through repetition or similarity as well, and in this case
dominance would be achieved through your Major Key.
• A) Shapes that move your eye
◦ Each shape has an axis and balance
◦ Directional force and intersections
◦ Your shapes should be pointing, framing, leading the eye
◦ Concave vs. Convex Shapes:
Concave = Negative
Framing effect
Convex = Positive
Deflecting/pushing effect

• B) “Variation on a theme”: clarity in your design


◦ 1) Set up a condition
◦ 2) When you put in an exception, it becomes the focal point/an
extreme
▪ The exception calls for attention

• Things to keep in mind:


◦ Think of objects as directional shapes and forces and things that
move your eye.
◦ How are shapes leading into other shapes?
◦ How are they contributing to the composition?
◦ Are your forces working with where you want the audience to look?
◦ Or is it counter intuitive, moving eye to somewhere that doesn’t pay
off?
◦ Think of shapes that complement the place where you want people
to focus.
◦ Be deliberate with how you design your shapes

Shapes can also express aspects of emotional feelings. The images below
are from Walt Stanchfield book Drawn to Life in which he says that he ran
across these images and definitions. To be clear though, it is very sketchy to
assume everyone gets the exact feeling from the same shape, or a particular
shape characteristic defines completely one specific feeling. So I look at the
following as things to consider and explore.
The shapes in this image both lead your eye through the image with their
contrast and directional bias. The lighting is Notan biased and the design
works in both 2D design and 3D illusion.
Repetition of shapes within an area becomes a pattern and as you can see the
background is treated as a pattern of similar shapes. This sameness flattens
the space and has a tendency to come forward. The boys face has small and
more delicate lines. You might think that that would automatically get lost
in the background but because the shapes in the background are similar the
face serves as an area in contrast with the pattern and therefore stands out.

Look at the contrasting shapes in this image. They are mostly rectangular
except the domes at the top and the arched doorway. These domes are
distinctive among the other shapes. And the lighter and more saturated hues
makes the one dome at the top makes it the area of focus.
Compare the images above and below. Look at how the artists either tried to
push realism in the first image (above) and in the one below shapes were
caricatured a bit more. The one below is far more stylized.
Developing styles for animated films often involves defining shape
characteristics that become synonymous with the film if they are clearly
definable with elastic performance capabilities. This means that the theme
or concept used to character shapes is finite but its application can still be
very expressive and adapt to all the various shapes in the world of the film.
Here are some examples from Tinkerbell.
Here are some shape themes designed for Aladdin. These were based on the
art of Al Hirshfield in combination with Persian Miniatures.
Many discount the sophistication of the use of shapes in Peter Pan probably
because it is a cartoon or animation and not a high art. But lets explore just
how the Disney artist’s themed and used shapes to move the viewers eye
around and directed them to the area of interest.
Here are a couple of paintings by El Greco. You can see how he has
manipulated shapes within his paintings and that characterization has come
to define his art.
In this image by Monet pay attention to the scale of his marks in different
areas between the trees, the sky the distant trees, boats, and the foreground.
All of these areas are treated with slightly different types of marks. Often
times we overlook and take this for granted saying they are different objects.
But Monet had the focus to change his marks within each different area.
A simple plan well executed often reads more true. Lets look at the
orchestration of a limited number of shapes in these images.
Sometimes Dan McCaw will subjectively combine areas of mass and form
to create more interesting shapes in his Matrix like in the images above.
Thomas Moran was a member of the Hudson River School of painters.
Their mission was to express the vastness of the new frontiers in the
American continent. He achieved this through multiple focal points all
throughout this huge painting. The viewer can’t help but move from spot lit
area to spot lit area at viewing distance of this piece. It is housed at the
Gene Autry Museum and worth experiencing for that reason alone.
In the image on the left below Mezzonis brings attention to himself by
shifting the prevailing mode of Notan to Chiaroscuro on his face and upper
body. This contrast in mode is a contrast that calls attention to this area or
makes the area different and therefore more important. The figure block in
on the right demonstrates a Chiaroscuro Matrix.
Russian Impressionist painters
Grant Wood, American regionalist painter caricatured shapes within his
paintings of landscapes, buildings, and people.
William Wendt, American California Plein Air painter composed with
caricatured shapes.
Here are some images from Hokusai. His images are filled with controlled
variation. Each element (or area of his compositions) is drawn with distinct
differences in shapes of marks. This offers variety in a controlled manner
that has a clear sense of design.

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