I can also add lines with stitches and with quilting. I think things are beginning to line up!
Showing posts with label design elements. Show all posts
Showing posts with label design elements. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Lining things up!
I've been giving lots of thoughts to lines as I consider my options for my wall quilt.
Horizontal lines are fairly passive, calming.
Vertical lines are strong, stable.
Diagonal lines are much more dynamic.
But I'm not feeling any pull as far as inspiration for my wall quilt.
A curvy line creates more movement. Falling leaves?
Going back to my quilting roots, I recognize that lines make grids.
What if... I shake up that grid?
I can also add lines with stitches and with quilting. I think things are beginning to line up!
I can also add lines with stitches and with quilting. I think things are beginning to line up!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Creativity 101 the point is...
The goal in making art is to communicate something. It can be as simple as enjoying the artist's pleasure in the completed work or it can be a statement about social injustice and all the variables in between. Elements and principles are the tools through which we can communicate.
The prelude to creative designing is an understanding of the design elements. We then organize these elements on a page following design principles. No doubt one can break the rules but it is helpful to at least start with an understanding of the rules and how they work. Here is a link to a site I found helpful.
We start with a point which is a coordinate in space. But a point is not actually something we can draw because then the point would require dimension. But we can draw a dot. Dots are the most basic element and are the building blocks for everything else.
The defining characteristic of a dot is that it is a point of focused attention. It has a different story to tell than a line. Dots work together to form an endless variety of arrangement and complexity. They can even be strung out to form lines and curves. They can form complex shapes, patterns, textures, and any other structure imaginable. Dots in combination can imply direction and movement.
In my Creativity 101 session we sorted dots (beads) and began to differentiate between shades of colours- cobalt and teal. I want to get us thinking and really seeing what is all around us. Shades of blue are a start.
Then we began to get into the basics of creativity.
Afterwards I decided to soak some scrap fabric that I used to cover my work surface in the 'dirty paint water.
I had my eye on a section that had some spray that translated into dots to my way of thinking.
Then I began to make dot patterns.
Acrylics are a bit easier to control and the end of the handle is a great tool.
Paint pens need a bit of care as sometimes you get a blob and they can also spread.
I used a white out pen to add some detail dots.
A sharpie works great and the different sized points offer lots of options. They didn't bleed as much as I thought they would.
I'm getting better control here. The orange and purple are paint pens and the green is acrylic. A fine point sharpie outlines some.
Not all dots are round. A fine point sharpie makes fine dots to contrast the blue paint pen kidney shaped dots.
The dots can be arranged into patterns. This was great fun and I'll be doing some more of this.
After all, the point is to have fun!
The prelude to creative designing is an understanding of the design elements. We then organize these elements on a page following design principles. No doubt one can break the rules but it is helpful to at least start with an understanding of the rules and how they work. Here is a link to a site I found helpful.
We start with a point which is a coordinate in space. But a point is not actually something we can draw because then the point would require dimension. But we can draw a dot. Dots are the most basic element and are the building blocks for everything else.
The defining characteristic of a dot is that it is a point of focused attention. It has a different story to tell than a line. Dots work together to form an endless variety of arrangement and complexity. They can even be strung out to form lines and curves. They can form complex shapes, patterns, textures, and any other structure imaginable. Dots in combination can imply direction and movement.
In my Creativity 101 session we sorted dots (beads) and began to differentiate between shades of colours- cobalt and teal. I want to get us thinking and really seeing what is all around us. Shades of blue are a start.
Afterwards I decided to soak some scrap fabric that I used to cover my work surface in the 'dirty paint water.
Acrylics are a bit easier to control and the end of the handle is a great tool.
Paint pens need a bit of care as sometimes you get a blob and they can also spread.
I used a white out pen to add some detail dots.
A sharpie works great and the different sized points offer lots of options. They didn't bleed as much as I thought they would.
I'm getting better control here. The orange and purple are paint pens and the green is acrylic. A fine point sharpie outlines some.
Not all dots are round. A fine point sharpie makes fine dots to contrast the blue paint pen kidney shaped dots.
The dots can be arranged into patterns. This was great fun and I'll be doing some more of this.
After all, the point is to have fun!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
wow messing with elements
I'm still reorganizing the studio. And I'm beginning to make the switch from playing around to serious, well, sort of, art.
This section is on the elements of design, Elizabeth listed them as line, form, shape, space, texture and next session we'll add colour.
Just like in school we do not master every thing in kindergarten but keep adding to the basics as we progress. A masters is a program specializing in something. So I'm continuiing to 'master' design elements and their principles. It is a tad confusing because they are inter-related and often work in pairs. There are different lists of basic elements as well. I really think that one must get one's own understanding because in order to gain mastery one must become familiar and make the process one's own.
I learned that line is the strongest.
Then I came across this quote which helps me organize the elements a bit better.
Without line, there is no shape. (shape can be geomeric which is generally man made or organic which are nature shapes)
Without shape, there is no form. (this was the hardest for me until I understood that form has mass and volume, 3D so to speak, and shadows add to that feeling)
Without form, there is no texture. And there can be no pattern. (texture can be visual or actual)
Just like in school we do not master every thing in kindergarten but keep adding to the basics as we progress. A masters is a program specializing in something. So I'm continuiing to 'master' design elements and their principles. It is a tad confusing because they are inter-related and often work in pairs. There are different lists of basic elements as well. I really think that one must get one's own understanding because in order to gain mastery one must become familiar and make the process one's own.
I learned that line is the strongest.
Then I came across this quote which helps me organize the elements a bit better.
Without shape, there is no form. (this was the hardest for me until I understood that form has mass and volume, 3D so to speak, and shadows add to that feeling)
Without form, there is no texture. And there can be no pattern. (texture can be visual or actual)
My theme book often looses its effect when I get into study mode so again, I'll be going back later to get a more cohesive feel. I tried the glue for the water cycle and it didn't seem to work as well as the first time I used it for texture. Not sure why, but I got a better understanding of elements after I had almost finished this page. ;^)
I'm linking up to TN&TN
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