Ceramics 1
Ceramics 1
Unity-Principle of Design
Unity-Principle of Design
Unity-Principle of Design
Unity-Principle of Design
Unity-Principle of Design
Unity-Principle of Design
Line- Element of Art
Line- Element of Art
Classwork & assignments
Presentation slideshow
Presentation slideshow
Classwork & assignments
Classwork & assignments
Lines are everywhere. You can see lines in the grain of a piece of wood or in the cracks on a sidewalk.
In art, Line is an element of art that is the path of a moving point through space.
Lines are used to:
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Create boundaries between shapes
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Create boundaries between colors, textures or values
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Lead the eye from one space to another
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Create textures
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Suggest emotional qualities
Lines are everywhere. You can see lines in the grain of a piece of wood or in the cracks on a sidewalk.
In art, Line is an element of art that is the path of a moving point through space.
Lines are used to:
-
Create boundaries between shapes
-
Create boundaries between colors, textures or values
-
Lead the eye from one space to another
-
Create textures
-
Suggest emotional qualities
Classwork & assignments
Grid drawing is a very old technique of transferring images (from sketches to a full size canvas or fresco, etc...)
Always make sure that the number of squares on the original picture and your working area are exactly the same (even if the size of the squares are bigger on the paper). This is because no matter how many times bigger (or smaller) you make the drawing, the proportions and dimensions can only stay the same if the number of boxes (squares) matches exactly.
Make sure you follow all steps below.
2.3.2 The Van Eycks and Rogier van der Weyden
1.1.3 Depth Perception
Depth Perception
A big part of creating accurate and believable perspective in painting comes from the ability to communicate a sense of depth with paint.
Depth perception is something you use every day. It's the ability to see ("perceive") objects in three dimensions. So, when you're walking or driving, you use depth perception to avoid running into things.
You can find out more about depth perception in life by going to the links below. But what does depth perception have to do with art? Keep going to find out.
Tricks of the Eye
Depth perception is real, but our eyes often play tricks on us. Our visual perception cannot always be trusted. The components of an object can distort the perception of the complete object. Our mind is the final arbiter of truth. Most optical illusions are the result of 1) incongruent design elements at opposite ends of parallel lines, 2) influence of background patterns on the overall design, 3) adjustment of our perception at the boundaries of areas of high contrast, 4) afterimages resulting from eye movements or from kinetic displays, or 5) inability to interpret the spatial structure of an object from the context provided by the picture.
This image is a trick of the eyes. What do you see when you look at it?
Perpetually ascending staircase.
How can the man go up all the time? Can such a staircase be built as a real object?
The red squares are the same color in the upper partand in the lower part of the "X"
The diagonal lines are parallel. (Zöllner illusion)
The diagonal lines A-B and B-C are equal in length.
The value (shade) of the center dot is the same in all the squares.
The value of the background influences how we perceive it. All squares are uniformly shaded,
but each square seems lighter on its left edge than on its right edge.
There are only white circles at the intersections
Artists Who use Illusions
There are many artists that use illusions in there art. Once such artist is M.C Escher. Maurits Cornelis Escher was born in Leeuwarden, Holland in 1898. He trained as an architect in 1919, but quickly changed to art and graphics. During his art career he made a remarkable collection of prints, woodcuts and sculptures.
The image on the right looks like a perfectly normal building, except for the steps on the roof. Although the figures seem to be ascending or descending the steps, if you follow them round then you will find yourself back where you started.
Artist: M.C. Escher Title: Ascending and Descending
Year: 1960 Medium: Lithograph
Dimensions14 in × 11 1⁄4 in
Left: Image from Alfred Edmund's book Brehm's Life of Animals, circa 1860
Right: Australian Aboriginal painting, date and artist unknown
The Value of Color
All colors in the visible spectrum can be seen in every rainbow. And, a lot of the colors in the green spectrum are present in each of these evergreen trees.
The range of colors the eye can see is known as the visible spectrum. And any color within that range can be created with paint.
Using subtle variations in color can create light and shadow within a painting. This helps it look more real. Because of this, painters pay close attention to a color's brightness or dullness. In art, this is known as a color's value.
What color is an evergreen tree? The answer "green" is only partially correct, at least to an artist. A closer look shows hundreds of values of green that range from almost black to pale green.
Depending on the time of day, golds, pinks, purples, or blues might also be seen within the tree's needles.
It's up to the artist painting this tree to re-create those colors.
Depth Perception and Color
You already learned about perspective, which is one way that depth perception is used in art. But there is another very important element to creating depth in art: color.
The illusion of depth is always accompanied by shifts in color. These color changes are the primary reason why aerial perspective works so well.
The more vivid the color, the closer it seems. So, colors used in the foreground are warmer and richer. Colors in the background are cooler and duller, since that's how they appear in real life when you look at something far away.
Compare the two images on the left. Which one has more depth?
Shallow Versus Deep
The kangaroo on the right is painted in a single plane with no variations in colors. As a result, you cannot see the three dimensions of depth, and the image seems shallow.
Meanwhile, the kangaroos on the left are painted with subtle variations in color value, so they appear round and real. This painting also uses aerial perspective beautifully and really makes you think you can see the landscape disappear.
All colors in the visible spectrum can be seen in every rainbow. And, a lot of the colors in the green spectrum are present in each of these evergreen trees.
This portrait of Grace Kelly by Peter Engels looks as if it's in black and white. But it's actually composed of many different tints and shades.
Tint and Shade
Painters have a lot of options with the colors they use — any color in the spectrum is up for grabs. An artist can take a base color, like red, and change it to create an impressive range of value. But how?
White reflects light. So, colors can be mixed with white to create a lighter color value. This is known as tint. For example, red mixed with white makes light red or pink.
On the other hand, black absorbs light. So, to make darker values, colors can be mixed with black. This is known as shade. Red mixed with black makes darker values of red.
Even people blessed with raw artistic talent have to spend a lot of time studying colors to create the desired effect. If a color is even a tiny bit wrong, it can affect how realistic a painting looks and how much depth is created within it.
Light and Shadows
Remember, using a different tint or shade of color creates light and shadow within a painting.
Objects have shadows because they are three-dimensional. So, artists use shadows in painting to help make flat objects look like they have three dimensions.
Shadows change depending on how the light hits them. If the sun (or any light source) is above the object, that object will have a short shadow. If the sun is lower on the horizon, it will cast longer shadows.
If you've ever stood with the late afternoon sun at your back and jumped up and down to play with your very long shadow, you already know about this effect.
So, it's not enough to just paint shadows. Artists have to pay attention to where the light is in the painting and adjust their shadows accordingly if they want to create a truly realistic image.
The winter sun is usually low on the horizon, which means it casts long shadows in front of objects, as seen here.
Contrast: Light and Dark
Shadows are just one more element in the now-long list of things artists must consider and create in order to paint realistically. Shadows fit into part of a larger concept called contrast .
In art, contrast is the difference between light and dark. Artists use shadows and colors to achieve the contrast they want. This effect is called chiaroscuro.
Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was an expert at this technique. In The Calling of Saint Matthew, he skillfully employed chiaroscuro to direct his viewers' eyes. Where do your eyes go when you look at this painting?
In Caravaggio's The Calling of Saint Matthew (1599), the illusion of light makes viewers look first at the faces of the people sitting at the table.
Smoke and Haze
The different values of color plus light and shade can only get an artist so far. Whether or not depth perception is created in a painting can depend on the forms within the painting.
In order to make a painting realistic, the objects themselves must have a realistic form. And, any form must be bordered by some sort of outline.
Luckily, Leonardo da Vinci recognized that real objects do not have thick, black outlines around them. He invented a technique called sfumato, which is the Italian word for smoke.
Sfumato creates a gentle transition from one image to another by "outlining" them in a fine haze instead of rigid lines.
Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, rendered in soft lines, is the most famous example of this fuzzy technique.
In Da Vinci's Mona Lisa (ca. 1503), can you see what we mean by sfumato? Look most closely around her face.
Check Your Understanding
You will come back to these terms over and over again, so don't worry if for right now it's hard to think about what they really mean. As you move through the course, everything will start to fall into place.
For now, make sure you understand the basic definitions you've just learned.
Select each item in the left column and its match in the right column.
In Review
Before moving on, review what you have learned in the study. Go over the notes you wrote on the study sheet. Ask your teacher any questions you might have.
If you have not filled out your study sheet, do it now before moving on to the next activity.
Study sheets are a very useful tool to help you study for quizzes and tests.
What Did You Learn?
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In addition to perspective, color can be used to create the illusion of depth.
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Tint and shade can change color values and create light and shadow.
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Chiaroscuro uses extreme contrast of light and shadow.
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Sfumato creates realistic images by eliminating outlines, which make images appear flatter.
Take this opportunity to check your work.