Design principles:

Last night I signed up for the Level Up courses on ConceptArt while the half price deal is still in effect. This is going to be the real art school I could never afford to go to, for less than the cost of one class for one semester at a community college! And I love that because it's online I can re-watch the video lectures as many times as I need to really get it, or stop to jot notes without missing anything. I'll be posting my study notes here as I go forward, as well as some of my assignment pieces. Starting at the beginning, with principles of design…

• Rhythm
• Emphasis
• Variety
• Economy
• Repetition
• Balance
• Continuity
• Unity

Hah! Mnemonic - REVERB, SEE YOU!

Notes:

• Design is the basis of composition
• Design elements come from nature, we abstract them
• Choose images for assignments because they demonstrate certain design elements

Rhythm -

• Placement of objects or shapes within an image OR of symbols within scenes
• "like music notes"
• A way to ABSTRACT placement and arrangement of shapes on page
• 'rhythmic notes'
• Can suggest - stillness, distance, emotions…

Emphasis -

• = Focus (focal point or area)
• "What is the most interesting piece?"
• Most important idea or part
• Primary, secondary and tertiary emphases
• Hierarchy - tell the story in the order it needs to be told
• Emphasis can be on part of image or part of the story
• Create emphasis via Contrast - value, color, edge...
• Opposites
• can also be achieved via eyeliner - where people in image are looking or pointing etc
• Contrasting ideas - everybody else is doing something different from main character
• Focus has falloff in a spherical pattern (3d)
• Accents etc add visual weight
• Reduced emphasis in primary area moves stronger emphasis to secondary (death of Caesar)

Variety -

• Various elements - repeated but different
• Various sizes, shapes etc..
• Can be variations in ages of people, hair color, hat shapes, type of clothes etc..
• "Does it have enough variety?"
• Variety of materials & surfaces, texture, weight, tension etc..

Economy -

• Opposite of emphasis in a way, but creates emphasis
• Simplicity
• "What you don't (paint, draw, texture, light, emphasize, etc) is just as important as what you do (and draws attention)
• Suggested rather than explicitly detailed
• Economy can have a range (hierarchy) - some areas simpler than others (primary, secondary etc)
• Focal areas might be complex & surrounding areas simple

Repetition -

• Patterns, shapes, curves, angles etc - textures, rhythms…

Balance -

• Can be symmetrical or asymmetrical
• Large and small forms (objects, areas) can balance each other
• Static or dynamic
• Can balance side/side, top/bottom, diagonally, corners, quadrants..
• Visual Weights
• Subtle changes in balance can have big effects on composition
• Can be between primary, secondary, tertiary focal areas

Continuity -

• Suggested movement
• Implied lines
• "lines of continuity"

Unity -

• Sense of completeness - harmony
• "Do you have all the other principles?" - if so you have unity - you're done