All About Trading - ArtTrader Magazine
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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. -6
Art TRADER m a g a z i n e Ambiguity and Negative Space: Ambiguity is a great concept to incorporate into art: It is when you’re unsure if you are seeing one thing or another. Take for example zebra stripes; is the animal black with white stripes or white with black stripes? The Surrealism movement is a great example of ambiguity in art as well. Research artists like Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Victor Brauner and Max Ernst for inspiration in your own works. Negative space is a highly effective design tool. You can create visual twists that can surprise and interest your viewer. Negative space is also popular in Logo design (the Ram image is the logo for Dodge for example). Next time you see ‘FedEx’ look at the negative space between the E and the X; you will in fact see a little white arrow! Ambiguity and Negative space can be used really effectively in ATCs, and the following cards are a good example. I painted these cards with pink gouache and used the white of the paper for the figures. For the card on left, the negative space is used to define the line of her bust and torso. On all of the cards I use negative space to ambiguously create the clothing; the clothing is pink, but then so is the background; where does the clothing leave off and the background begin? Tangents, ambiguity and negative space are all concepts to keep in mind when creating your artwork; by doing so, you’ll create art that is more dynamic and visually arresting. Next issue, I’ll be discussing how to use color to enhance your design! -7-i
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Art TRADER<br />
m a g a z i n e<br />
Ambiguity and Negative Space:<br />
Ambiguity is a great concept to incorporate into art: It is when you’re unsure if you are seeing one thing<br />
or another. Take for example zebra stripes; is the animal black with white stripes or white with black<br />
stripes? The Surrealism movement is a great example of ambiguity in art as well. Research artists like<br />
Salvador Dalí, René Magritte, Victor Brauner and Max Ernst for inspiration in your own works.<br />
Negative space is a highly effective design tool. You can create visual twists that can surprise and<br />
interest your viewer. Negative space is also popular in Logo design (the Ram image is the logo for<br />
Dodge for example). Next time you see ‘FedEx’ look at the negative space between the E and the X;<br />
you will in fact see a little white arrow!<br />
Ambiguity and Negative space can be used really effectively in ATCs, and the following cards are a<br />
good example. I painted these cards with pink gouache and used the white of the paper for the figures.<br />
For the card on left, the negative space is used to define the line of her bust and torso. On all of the<br />
cards I use negative space to ambiguously create the clothing; the clothing is pink, but then so is the<br />
background; where does the clothing leave off and the background begin?<br />
Tangents, ambiguity and negative space are all concepts to keep in mind when creating your artwork;<br />
by doing so, you’ll create art that is more dynamic and visually arresting. Next issue, I’ll be discussing<br />
how to use color to enhance your design!<br />
-7-i
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