Monthly Archives: September 2013

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Elements of Design

So today I will talk about what the elements of design are. But, I’m not going to use boring definitions from some kind of text book. Instead, I will explain the elements of art through the use of photographs that I took.

LINE: For line, I used a glass panel that has stalks of grass pressed into the center of it. Each stalk creates repetition and movement, since each line is repeated in a semi-regular pattern along with random strands of beige grass waving in and out of the pattern causing your eye to move around the piece.

lamp_web

SHAPE: For shape, I decided to use an image of a chandelier that I took while standing beneath it. At the is angle, I feel that the chandelier’s position creates an interesting focal point. the circles of the glass covers and the spindling branch support also work together to create a wheel-like circular shape.

color_web

COLOR: I used this photo of the baskets of fruit to represent color. I tried to find an interesting focal point, and I think the range in colors (bright green, red, and orange) create a balancing interest with their varying size amount. The similar shape of the fruit also creates rhythmic flow due to the repetition of the differing shapes coming together.

rockwater_web

TEXTURE: I chose this water fountain for showing texture, since I believe you can easily depict the rough curves and bumps that form a uniquely beautiful stone. Even though it is obvious that man is involved in its creation, I think the varying texture gives it a natural quality. The combination of water rolling down the crevices of the rock’s surface also creates movement.

stairs_web

FORM: I chose this geometric staircase to represent form. Within its structure, light hitting the different shapes help you to see this structure’s unique and interesting form. You see numerous rectangles and triangles coming together to create differing forms, some rectangular prisms and some are pyramid like. The slanting staircases also move your eye to each level of the building. The structure is very interesting.

VALUE: I chose this image of a shadow caused by the sun shining down on a pavilion. I think the contrast created by the sun on the wood beams is splendidly beautiful. I also felt that the repetition in the lines and the circular shape the shadow was also very interesting.

size_web

SIZE: Last but not least, I chose these tables and chairs for shape. The shape of each table and chair is very similar, and they hold a very organic feeling. I also chose this because I thought that the varying heights created interest through contrast. The curves in the furniture seats also created a repetition in arc-like shapes.

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How To: Ocean Princess

Ocean Princess

Ocean Princess

When creating my Ocean Princess, I wanted to create the feel of a princess in an underwater world, but I did not want to create a princess out of the generic idea of a mermaid. So I began to look for ideas else where. The princess’s design originated from when I found a large reddish shell. I really liked the shape of the shell and when I looked at it, I realized that it had a dress like shape and from there, I began to form my characters. I began to sketch shells of different shapes and sizes, seaweed, and coral to form a beautiful gown. I also created the oceanic dragon since I wanted the princess to have some sort of guardian.

When making this, I used large sketching paper, wood-less color pencils(gives smooth color), mechanical pencil for sketching my drawing, a piece of plain white paper(stops the smearing of colors as I apply color to the drawing), and shading stumps(objects that are pointed to allow detailed blending of colors). First off, I sketched numerous ideas of what I wanted both the princess and the dragon to look like, along with researching numerous underwater life to gain an idea of how I wanted the drawing to come out. After I got my basic idea, I began to arrange my characters on the paper I was using. Since I wanted the princess to be the focal point, I tried to center her. Also to do this, I placed the dragon behind her but wrapped it protectively around her. Then I began to place ocean plant life in a methodical way that allowed a fluid feel and also moved your eye throughout the artwork.

The specific color that I chose, also had a great deal of importance in my drawing. I began to think out what colors would work and I knew from the start that I wanted blues. So I then decided to find colors such as greens and purples that would work perfectly with the blues that I planed to use. Some oranges were also used for details in the coral to bring some contrasts. The very first thing that I worked on, was the princess. I wanted to make sure that the colors  on the princess popped out from the rest of the drawing. To do this, I began to color her first, giving her a light blue skin tone. Then I worked on her dress and hair piece, which I used different shades of purple and blended the different values together with a medium-sized shading stump. The smaller details were blended with a tiny shading stump. I also blended her hair piece into her hair-line by blending a dark blue into both the shell and her skin. The seaweed corset, bows, coral bouquet, and fin were the last to be colored. The fin  was just light shades of blue and black. The corset and bow were drone with different greens, including a lime green, of which I did a scribble effect to make it appear as veins. The coral was different pinks and oranges mixed with just a touch of black. With the dragon, I started on his face, starting with putting an emphasis on the details. Here I blended blues with the shading stumps and added darker tones where I felt I wanted shadows to fall. The fins were dark and light greens blended together. Some parts of the dragon, where the colors are applied in a more solid manner, was due to a hard pressure I applied on the color pencil. And the veins were formed by using a blue pencil that had just a touch of black in it. With it, I just changed pressure and angles in a pleasing manner to create vein like shapes.

The back ground was basically a repeat of what I did to color the princess and the dragon. The seaweed and coral used the same techniques and colors, just getting darker the further back in the image. To create the ground texture, I took a black pencil and applied it in a circular manner allowing changing in pressure. The water was done with just a light blue blended with different values of black.