Design in Art: Scale and Proportion

Scale

noun: A graduated range of values forming a standard system for measuring or grading something.

Proportion

noun: A part, share, or number considered in comparative relation to a whole.

Elements of Art: Volume, Mass and Three Dimensionality

Volume

noun: The amount of space that a substance or object occupies.

Mass

noun: 

3D

noun: The property of having three dimensions.

Elements of Art: Movement and Time

Movement

noun: An act of changing physical location or position or of having this changed.

Time

noun: The indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.

Elements of Art: Colour

Colour

noun: The property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way it reflects or emits light.

PrimarySecondaryTertiaryAnalogousComplimentary

WarmCoolContrastingHarmonious

http://www.trixle.com.au/v1/documents/Trixle_Print_Colours_and_their_Meaning.pdf

The meanings of colours vary depending on a number of things including culture, context and personal opinion. Our reaction to colour is instantaneous and has a profound impact on the choices we make whether we realise it or not.

Tutorial Logo Design

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw9j0dHDLMU  

Elements of Art: Shape

Shape

noun: The external form or appearance of someone or something.

OrganicGeometricPositiveNegativeImpliedHardSoftFigure-Ground

It took a while and quite a bit of practice to get used to the pen tool in Illustrator, but now that I have the hang of it I don't find it a problem.  I started to draw this elephant as practice in Illustrator using the pen and pencil tools.

I decided to create an image in Illustrator based on one of the animated characters in my favourite film: My Neighbour Totoro. I drew the basic shape using the Pen tool and then added the fluffy looking texture using the pencil tool.

After I'd finished I created a background for the character.

Elements of Art: Line

Line

noun: A long, narrow mark or band.

ActualImpliedGeometricOrganicHorizontalVerticalDiagonal

DescriptiveExpressiveFlatWideCurvingGestural

Task: Take your sketchbook/journal and record as many kinds of line as you can. Make quick sketches of them and note where you found them.

Task: Experiment with lines. Fill a page with as many kinds of lines as you can, using different colours and different media, i.e. pencil, crayon, watercolour, paint, marker, pastel.

Lines made by fingerprinting. Unique to you.

Create an image from the lines of a fingerprint?

Lines in Nature

Looking closer at flowers I noticed a lot more lines that I had before.

I decided to create a flower entirely made of lines using the brush tool.

Using the 'layer' element of photoshop I was able to have a blown-up copy of the line drawing as a background, reducing the opacity to make sure the flower really stands out.

Locking the layers of the flower in the foreground I was able to use the brush tool to add the thicker, dark lines, making the colours where they cross the flower more vibrant. I also reduced the opacity of the black lines so that you can see the exploded image of the flower in the background through them.

Theodor Seuss Geisel

Theodor Seuss Geisel, more commonly known as Dr Seuss, was born in 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

He graduated Dartmouth College in 1925 and then went on to study at Oxford University with the intent of acquiring a doctorate in literature.  It was here that he decided he no longer wanted to be a scholar, but that he wanted to draw.  He returned to the States in 1927 and began working for the humour magazine 'Judge', submitting both cartoons and humorous articles for them.

His first novel 'And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street' was rejected by countless publishers before it was eventually published by a friend. 'The Cat in the Hat' was the thirteenth children's book by Dr Seuss, and perhaps the book that defined his career.  At 82 years old he published his last book; 'You're Only Old Once' and told reporters "Age has no effect on me. I surf as much as I ever have. I climb Mount Everest as much as I ever have..."

"And then he was gone with a tip of his hat"

Theodor Seuss Geisel died on September 24th in 1991.

Seuss wrote books that make people think and imagine. From creating new animals to creating new alphabets, Seuss teaches us that the imagination can lead to discoveries that are literally beyond words.

"Think left and think right/ think low and think high/ Oh the THINKS you can think up if only you try!"

Dr Seuss was not only a great author, but a great artist too. For over 60 years his illustrations brought a visual realisation to his fantastic and imaginary worlds. Throughout his lifetime, Seuss created a number of paintings and sculptures, these Secret Art works he rarely exhibited whilst he was alive, but asked for his wife to share these works with his fans once he was gone.

In 1997 the Art of Dr Seuss project was launched, for the first time collectors were able to see and purchase lithographs, serigraphs and sculptures reproduced from Geisel’s original drawings and paintings.  Now these artworks have toured leading galleries and museums across the world, establishing Seuss as a significant artist of the 20th century, his work can be found alongside works by Picasso and Rembrandt.

"Surly Cat Being Ejected" 

Mixed Media Pigment Print on Canvas.

"Green Cat With Lights"

Mixed Media on Canvas.