PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN EXERCISE The elements of design, as we have discovered, are the parts of an artwork (line,shape,colour...etc). These are like the

ingredients of a cake (flour, choc drops, coconut...etc).The principles of design are the ways in which these elements are

brought together to create an artwork. The principles organise the elements to create a composition, just as the cooking

techniques organise the ingredients to create a cake. Successful compositions take place when there is a strong sense of unity

amongst the elements, giving an artwork a sense of direction and purpose.

In 1848 Samuel Prout, the landscape painter described composition as, “ the grouping and arrangement of pictorial

materials, to express the unity of an entire impression” .

Where is Prout referring to the elements of design?___________________________________________________

What words refer to the principles of design?_________________________________________________________

Ruskin, a contemporary of Prout also wrote of composition as, “ the putting of several things together so as to

make one thing out of them… an intended unity must be the result of composition. A pavoir [a bricklayer] cannot be

said to compose the heap of stones which he empties from his cart”.

What is Ruskin trying to tell us about composition in this last sentence?___________________________________

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Consider how the following principles of design might bring about a unified composition.

DOMINANCE: when one element is important than another

CONTRAST: the bringing together of opposing elements

REPETITION: the repeating of elements

BALANCE: distribution of visual weight in an artwork

VARIETY: changing of elements to add interest and avoid monotony

HARMONY: when the elements relate to each other

UNITY : when the elements relate to a common idea

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN APPRECIATION Find an artwork for each of the Principles of design. Record the information in the spaces provided and comment on how each work uses the principle chosen.

Principle:_________________________________Artist:___________________________________

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DOMINANCE EXERCISE

The secret to uniting the ship is having a strong commander. For a united artwork we need a dominant element.

When elements are of equal value within a work the results can be boring. By adding dominant elements a point

of interest can be established, such as image of the critters below. Redraw the fish and burgers below, adding

interest with dominant elements (use as many different elements as you can: line, shape, tone, direction etc).

For the rats above how have the following elements been used to established a dominant feature?

Form:

Tone:

Size:

Texture:

To have a leading element we need others to be

led. For this reason it is important to establish a

hierarchy of elements. Dominant elements are

identified first, followed by sub-dominate

elements in order of importance. Less important

elements being called subordinate.

To figure out which element is bigger than the other artists use proportions (assessing the value of the parts compared to the whole). The creature top/right has been drawn using the same proportion repeated over and over. Copy the image using the same proportions in the space below it. See if you can identify the repeated proportion.

By bringing out dominant elements a centre of interest can be established in an art work. A centre of interest is the

one part of an artwork to which our eye is eventually led. Notice how this has been established in the image

below/left. How can you make the cottage (right) centre of interest (make use of fore/middle and background).

DOMINANCE APPRECIATION What are the proportions for:

the beginning of the second arch to the first?

The third arch to the first?

The fourth arch to the first?

What other significant proportions have been used?

What is the centre of interest and how has this been established by dominant elements?

RAPHEAL THE SCHOOL OF ATHENS 1511 (Artwise one 2

nd ed 7-10 p144)

THEODORE GERICAULT “RAFT OF THE MEDUSA” 1819 (Artwise one 2nd ed 7-10 p144)

What is the centre of interest in this image?

How has this been supported by the elements around it?

What is the dominate form in this image

What are the sub-dominate forms in order of importance?

As the work reduces to its subordinate forms is there any patterns emerging? If so why do you think the artist has done this?

Where is the artist trying to lead the viewer’s eye in

this image?

What elements have been used to guide the viewers’

eye in this direction?

What principles of design have been used to do this?

JEFFREY SMART UNDERGROUND CARPARK 1993 (Artwise one 2nd ed 7-10 p126)

CONTRAST EXERCISE CONTRAST: the bringing together of opposing elements eg. contrast in tone- light / dark. Contrast in direction - horizontal / vertical. Contrast in line – straight/curvy etc . Contrast introduces interest, emphasising key points and leading the eye toward the centre of interest Create a label for a can of soft drink emphasising the lettering with contrast. You might like to use a dynamic name like “FLASH!”, “BAM!” or “POW!” Use as many elements as you can.

Lichtenstein Pop by Robert Ferrell D, 2008

WARNING: too much contrast can create confusion and chaos. Contrast is there to emphasise the centre of interest, not

distract from it. The effects of contrast should also always be tempered with balance.

TASK 2: Create a romantic drawing of an elephant and a mouse using contrast. Try and keep the drawing as balanced as

possible, making use of the background. Remember to maintain a centre of interest. Use as many elements as you can.

CONTRAST APPRECIATION

MAX DUPAIN EGGS 1935 (Artwise one 2nd ed p82)

What elements have been contrasted in this image ?

What featurehas the highest level of contrast?

What are some of the more subtle contrasts?

Despite contrasts, how has Dupain managed to simplify

this work?

How is the work balanced?

Identify the contrast used in this image.

How has contrast been used to create a

feeling or mood in this work?

How does the work avoid confusion and

chaos?

PABLO PICASSO GUERNICA 1937 (Artwise one 2nd ed p82)

RENE MAGRITTE THE CHATEAU OF THE

PYRENEES 1959 (Artwise two p85)

How has contrast been used in this image?

What sort of ideas are being communicated using contrast?

Why would Magritte have used contrast in this way?

How has Magritte managed to maintain a feeling of unity in this work?

REPETITION EXERCISE When regular, repetition can be used to strengthen forms, or to make more prominent established work. This can

have a reassuring and even comforting effect, such the tic-toc of the grandfather clock or the steady clickety-clack

of the railway track.

In the centre of the space provided below, create a small random scribble no bigger than a 10 cent coin. Carefully

outline this image and then follow this by making a series of larger outlines whilst maintaining its regular form.

When varied, it can be used differently: to generate movement and energy. Such energy can promote a sense of direction within a work, as eye is led from one repeated element to another by gradual changes (e.g the squares below).

Create a repeated variation of a triangle and a circle in the spaces below.

By combining regular and varied rhythm a tension is struck: suggesting the idea of being individually free yet still submitting to a collective order, like the varying branches of a tree. This tree (right) is an example of varied and regular repetition. Identify the: varied repetition ______________________________

Regular repetition_____________ _________________________ Redraw the tree using these repeated patterns as its constructive foundation.

On-going repetition produces RHYTHM. There are various forms of rhythm, depending on the nature the repetition. Draw an example of each in the space provided. Limit your rhythm pattern to the circle shape

Regular rhythm: similar to the steady beat of a drum, with similar intervals between repeated elements.

Varied rhythm: producing a graded (getting bigger/smaller) beat. Flowing and organic in feeling.

Progressive rhythm: a repeated sequence or pattern that involves “a progression of steps”

The image below is a band design used for a mosaic border. This an example of a ________________ rhythm. Continue the pattern on the isometric grid provided.

REPETITION APPRECIATION

THE COLOSSEUM ROME 80 AD (Artwise two p104)

What elements have been repeated in this

building?

What sort of repetition has been used:

regular or varied?

What has been the effect of using

repetition in this work?

M.C. ESCHER PRINT GALLERY 1956 (Artwise two p104)

What elements have been repeated in this work?

What sort of repetition has been used here?

How have repeated elements created rhythm in the drawing?

What type of rhytm is this?

Why do you think Escher has tried to use repetition this way?

What elements have been repeated in this

image?

What type of rhythm has bee used here and

why?

What sort of feeling or mood has been

created from this repetition?

How does this reflect Aborignial culture?

MICHAEL NELSON TJAKAMARRA FIVE DREAMINGS 1984

(Artwise one 2nd ed p172)

BALANCE EXERCISES

All artworks (figurative, still life or landscape) require an element of balance: to give the overall composition weight and substance and to bring it together as a unified whole. For a composition to be balanced there must be: (a) an even distribution of weight or (b) a central focus of weight.

Even distribution of weight can be achieved through symmetrical and asymmetrical balance. Symmetrical balance occurs when elements are the same side to side or bottom to top (the butterfly

effect), balanced around a central axis: horizontal, vertical or diagonal.

Complete the image to the right using symmetrical balance

What sort of feelings or mood is connected with symmetrical balance?_______________________________

Asymmetrical balance occurs when elements are different yet still manage to balance due to complimentary values. Eg a large-light form opposite a small-dark form, or a distant heavy form opposite a close light form. In the image below how has the artist managed to balance the two figures represented?

Complete the picture using asymmetric balance. Consider carefully how each side of the picture relates.

What sort of feelings or mood is connected with asymmetrical balance?____________________________________ A central focus of weight creates radial balance. Radial balance occurs when elements are placed moving around,

away from or toward a central point. This is clearly demonstrated in the drawing of a figure. For figure drawing there is a “gravity line” that runs from the pit of the neck directly down to the weight baring foot. This establishes a centre of balance whilst also providing a greater sense of weight and

mass. If this line is not perfectly vertical the figure appears unbalanced. Indicate with a gravity line which of the figures below are balanced and which are not.

Draw a balanced figure of your own using a gravity line in the space on the right. Notice how the limbs do not have to be symmetrical for balance to occur.

BALANCE APPRECIATION

How has Lichtenstein balanced his hot dog:

symmetrical/ assymetrical or radial?

What sort of feeling has this created

Why do you think Lichtenstein has used balance

this way?

ROY LICHTENSTEIN HOT DOG 1963 (Artwise two p66)

CLAUDE LORRAIN LANDSCAPE WITH ASCANIUS SHOOTING

THE STAG OF SYLVIA 1682 (Artwise one 2nd ed p106)

What type of blance has Lorrain used in this

work?

How has this been achieved?

How have complimentary values balanced the

foreground with the background?

How has Lorrain used radial blance and to what

effect?

How has Vermeer used balance in this work?

What is the centre of interest?

How has this balance help identify the centre of interest?

How do the objects in the room contribute to the paintings

overall balance and unity? Give particular examples.

JOHANNES VERMEER THE MILKMAID 1660 (Artwise two p100)

VARIANCE EXERCISES Variance: the act of changing objects, to create interest and avoid monotony. A composition may be strong, but is it

alive! Keeping something consistent creates strength whereas variety refreshes. “A change is as good as a holiday”.

Variety is best appreciated when in tension with regularity. With no regularity variety disappears into a series of

isolated events. With more regularity distinctions become more apparent and comparable. However, with too much

regularity variety disappears and we are left with monotony. Redraw the shapes below in order of regularity, from

most to least. Feel free to use different shapes.

Variance can be used in line to make more interesting curves. For example, study the 2 curves drawn on the right. What is the difference between these two curves_____________________________________ Copy the three shapes below. How does each shape vary from the other? ___________________

The pencil below is a regular cylinder, varied slightly with a tapered cone at one end. Redraw this pencil, dividing it into six sections (using a variety of spaces in between each). Then taper each section in a different direction to create an intergalactic space vessel. Use ellipses as dividing lines between the sections.

Varience in tone is referred to as grading. Grading is an effective way to create a feeling of movement in a drawing or an atmosphere. Consider the two drawings below.

In the space to the right create a graded drawing of a dog barking..

VARIANCE APPRECIATION

What elements have been varied

in this image?

What has remained regular?

Why do you think Malevich has

simplified his work this way?

KASIMIR MALEVICH HOUSE UNDER CONSTRUCTION 1916 (Artwise one 2

nd ed p160)

PHILLIP COX SYDNEY FOOTBALL STADIUM 1988 (Artwise two p122)

How has Cox, the architect used

variation with this stadium?

How has this effected the design?

Has this use of variety been inspired by

artistic or practical concerns?

What is regular about the subject chosen here?

How has the artist managed to incorporate variation into this

theme

What do you think Arkley is trying to express by using variety this

way?

What sort of value does variety bring to this work?

HOWARD ARKLEY FLORIATED RESIDENCE 1994 (Artwise two p107)

HARMONY EXERCISES Harmony: agreement in action, opinion, feeling (Collins Aust. Dictionary). Harmony in a composition occurs when separate

elements operate in a similar manner. Eg lines heading in the same direction, shapes represented in a similar

proportion...etc.

Harmony in a composition provides consistency among separate elements. When elements are consistent it

becomes much easier to see the entire composition as a whole. No one element sticks out as a distraction and the

viewer’s eye can move uninterrupted across the work.

In such a way, acknowledgement of harmony helps us to identify the main flow of action involved in a composition.

By repeating harmonious elements draw two images below with an identifiable flow of action. In the first

example the element of texture is used. What is the main flow of action created by this harmony?

Similarly, taking note of harmonious elements helps establish point of view. Once an artist has decided on a

particular point of view much care must be taken to keep all elements involved consistent with this.

A harmonious sense of direction in the bricks below indicate the point of view they have been drawn from. First is

of a brick viewed from below and to the left. From what point of view are the other two bricks drawn from.

below and to the left Draw fourth from top/right

Acknowledging harmony among elements can bring attention to a general feeling or atmosphere in a work, such as

the repeated long lanky limbs of Gothic sculpture, or the mysterious qualities of Aboriginal dot paintings.

What sort of feelings would be connected to an artwork with the following harmonious elements?

Curvy lines Pointy shapes smooth texture Upward direction Dark tones Cool colours Are there any combinations of theses that could be made to create further harmonies? What feelings would be

associated with this? _______________________________________________________________

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HARMONY APPRECIATION

GLENN MURCUTT BINGI FARM 1984 (Artwise two p121)

How have elements been put together in a

consistent manner in this building?

What is the general feeling resulting from this

harmoniouis relationship?

What are the qualities of this design that would

harmonise with the open Australian environment?

There are two different cultures represented in this work,

how is this evident?

How has the artist attempted to harmonise these two

cultures in this one artwork?

Considering Lion Onus was a man belonging to both

cultures represented here, what do you think he is trying

to say about harmony?

LIN ONUS ARAFURA SWAMP 1990 (Artwise one 2

nd ed p173)

SALVADORE DALI NATURE MORTE VIVANTE (Still Life

Fast Moving) 1956 (Artwise two p58)

This is a work created to combine elements that are

inconsistent an unharmonnious. What does not

harmonise in this painting?

What remains harmonious?

Why do you think Dali did such a thing?

UNITY EXERCISES

Harmony; how the elements relate to each other. Unity: how the elements relate to support a common idea.

Unity is the most important objective of composition. This is precisely what the principles have been designed to

do: to organise and arrange the elements to support a unified (composed) idea.

However, if an artwork is to be united, an artist must also maintain a united vision throughout the artmaking

process. There must be a common purpose linking the beginning, middle and end of the process. What the artist

selects, interprets and translates into an artform, must all be linked as one.

To select. The artist must select a strong enough idea to start with, that will keep them engaged throughout the

artmaking process. It must be defined carefully, be inspirational and be imaginable as a finished artform.

List 4 people you would love to meet, how they inspire you and how you could imagine them as a portrait.

Define favourite 4 inspiration Imagined as portrait

1. To interpret. To link the idea of the subject to the idea of the finished artwork a connection must be made by

the artist’s understanding. For this to occur the artist must intelligently interpret the subject, with conclusions

being made as to its shape direction, colour etc. This understanding shall then form the foundation for the

construction of the artwork. Use the technical interpretation (below-left) to draw our famous bridge.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a bridge

in which an arch rises above the road

deck so it passes through the arch.

Cables in tension suspend the road

deck from the arch. The arch is

supported by cantilevers at each side,

with the shoreside ends bolted

securely down into heavy piers.

To translate. The final aim of the process is to translate, in the clearest possible manner not just the subject, but the

artist’s interpretation of the subject into a suitable artform. This means deciding upon an artform that best

communicates the ideas that have been selected and interpreted. This decision can be reached in reverse, finding

an idea to suit the art work. Select a subject from the following list that would be most suitable do fill in the space

below, then draw. (A rocket, a burning cigar, a buffalo, a shark, a dead bird, a fat caterpillar, a sausage dog)

UNITY APPRECIATION What is the centre of interest of this work?

How have the principles emphasised this:

dominance

repetition

balance

Contrast

Variance

Harmony

TOM ROBERTS SHEARING THE RAMS 1890 (Artwise one 2

nd ed p(x))

PIET MONDRIAN THE GREY TREE 1911 (Artwise two p158)

How has Mondrain brought the endless

varieties of this tree together as a unified

design?

What elements have been identified as

important?

Why has Mondrain decided to simplify here?

What issues do you think the artist has identified with here?

What compositional principals have been used to commuinicate

these idesa?

How do you think the style of this work might represent the

artist’s personality?

REG MOMBASSA MORE A PART OF THE LANDSCAPE THAN A PAIR OF TROUSERS