Transcript 1.3 Digital Photography Q1 Composition and

1.3
Digital
Photography Q1
Composition and
Principles of Design
Art Basics 101
To discuss art, one needs to
understand about composition and the
elements and principles of art. Those
are the basics. One might even call
them “the science” of art.
In a nutshell, the elements of art are
building blocks. The principles are the
ways the blocks can be used. The
composition is the way in which
specific blocks can be used to make a
particular work of art.
This slideshow will briefly cover
composition and these elements and
principles of design.
Elements of Art
o Line
o Color
o Shape/Form
o Space
o Value
o Texture
ELEMENT: Line
A line in art is a continuous
mark made on a surface by a
moving object. It has length
and direction.
The main types of line are
descriptive, expressive and
implied.
ELEMENT: Color
Color is the relationship of a surface
to the spectrum of reflected light.
There is a complex theory of color
which can be studied in depth.
Basically, color has three properties:
1)
Hue, - the name of the color
such as “blue” or “red”
2)
Intensity - the purity and
saturation of the color translating
into brightness or dullness
3)
Value - the range of lightness to
darkness of the color
ELEMENT: Shape or
Form
Shape is 2 dimensional but
may give the appearance of
being 3 dimensional. It is an
enclosed space with
recognizable boundaries.
Form is 3 dimensional. It is a
space that surrounds volume.
Cylinders, spheres, and
cubes are examples of
various forms.
ELEMENT: Space
Space refers to the area
between, around, below, above
or within things. It can be
positive or negative. It can
describe both 2 and 3
dimensional areas.
ELEMENT: Value
Value describes the
range of lightness and
darkness both in color
and in grayscale.
Without value, volume
could not be expressed
on a 2 dimensional
surface.
ELEMENT: Texture
Texture is that element of art that
describes the surface quality of
an object. This description shows
qualities such as roughness,
softness, smoothness. In two
dimensional art, texture is usually
simulated and not actual. It
visually shows what it would feel
like to touch such a texture.
Photography captures the actual
three dimensional texture and
documents it as two dimensional
texture.
What is
Composition?
Composition is the
organization or
placement of visual
elements in a work of
art.
Principles of Art
Fact is that not everyone
agrees on exactly which
qualities make up the
principles of art. If you do a
web search for the principles
of art you will come up with
similar lists, but not exact
lists. Because of that, this
slideshow will include the
nine most commonly used
rules or principles.
Ordinarily, there are around
seven.
Principles of Art
o Unity
o Variety
o Emphasis
o Balance
o Rhythm
o Movement
o Proportion
o Pattern
o Contrast
Unity or
Harmony
Unity is that quality
seen in a work of art
that gives the feeling
that all the parts
belong together as a
whole.
Variety
Variety is that
quality in a work of
art that welcomes
differences in
shape, color,
texture, value or
other elements.
Emphasis
Emphasis refers to
those points of interest
or dominance that
capture the viewer's
attention
Balance
Balance is a sense of visual
stability or equality. When an
artwork is in balance, no part of
the work appears to be heavier
than the others. This is visual
balance and not necessarily
physical balance. There are
three types of balance:
• Symmetrical – when
one side is the same as
the other
• Asymmetrical – when
visual balance does not
rely on symmetry (as in
the image to the left)
• Radial – vertical and
horizontal balance
radiating from a center
focus (such as a
mandala)
Rhythm
Rhythm is an abstract
principle of art that
uses repetition in such
a way as to create a
pattern that moves the
viewer through the art.
Rhythm in visual art is
similar to rhythm in
music but is seen
rather than heard.
While rhythm is similar
to the principles of
“movement”,
“repetition” and
“pattern,” it remains a
distinct principle
because it combines all
three.
Pattern and Repetition
Repetition is when one or more of
the elements of art are used
repeatedly in a work of art. An art
work can have repetition without
having a pattern.
A pattern is repetition that is used in
such a way as to anticipate what
comes next. Elements are repeated
in a regular manner. The pattern can
be a simple one or it can range to
very complex.
Movement
Movement Is a visual flow
that guides the viewer
through the artwork.
Movement gives the viewer
a sense of action through
“look” or “feel” or both.
Because photography
freezes a moment in time,
movement is sometimes
captured in such a way as to
give the photograph tension
and anticipation for the
follow through of the
movement as in the
photograph to the left.
Proportion
Proportion is the
relationship of the size
or amount of objects in
an artwork both to each
other and to the artwork
as a whole.
Contrast
In art, contrast generally
means comparisons in
the range of light from
brightest to darkest. In
digital photography
contrast is important and
a word that is used often
to mean several different
things. In the image at
the left as you follow the
blue tube you will see
the varying degrees of
contrast with the
shadows on the tube
and in the background.