All About Trading - ArtTrader Magazine

Art TRADER
m a g a z i n e
iDesign 911p
by Andrea Melione
Welcome back to Design 911! Last time, we discussed some basics in composition: symmetry, asymmetry
and proportion. In this issue however, we’re going to discuss a few design buzzwords: tangents,
ambiguity and negative space, and how they can be incorporated (or avoided!) in your artwork.
Tangents: tan·gent Function: adjective Etymology: Latin tangent-, tangens, present
participle of tangere to touch; perhaps akin to Old English thaccian to touch gently, stroke
Date: 1594
If you remember geometry class at all, you may know that tangent means “to touch”. Tangents in
design mean two elements that are touching one another, not overlapping and not near, but when the
edges actually meet. For example, an amateur photographer may accidentally take a photo of a friend,
who is standing in front of a bookcase and, as a result, the friend may look like they are holding books
up with his head. Tangents can also be used for a laugh, like when tourists ‘hold up’ the Leaning Tower
of Pisa; but for the most part, unless you are intentionally trying to break the No Tangents rule, (and can
pull it off successfully), you can risk having your drawing, collage, etc. look unintentional, unplanned,
and naive.
Tangents can pose problems in your work because they
can eliminate any sense of depth (which is the sense of a
foreground, middle ground and background.) In addition,
they can also make a composition uninteresting. ATCs in
particular are vulnerable because there is so little space to
begin with; if you have a tangent in your ATC, there may not
be extra room to add an additional element that can offset
the awkward tangents.
Here is a good example of how tangents can make your art
look unintentional: This princess looks a little worried, and
you would be too, if you had a castle tower attached to your
flowing red locks! Both the princess and the tower are about
the same length and width, and when you place two objects
of similar dimensions right next to each other, the eye can
make no sense of their relationship, nor where the objects
are in the context of foreground, middle or background. This
card is drawn, but the idea applies to any art form, even
abstract or collage. In this case, the tower should be made
smaller to give the appearance of being farther away.
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