Project 3: Ego

The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice.

‘Who are you?’ said the Caterpillar.

This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, ‘I — I hardly know, sir, just at present — at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.’

‘What do you mean by that?’ said the Caterpillar sternly. ‘Explain yourself!’

‘I can’t explain myself, I’m afraid, sir’ said Alice, ‘because I’m not myself, you see.’

‘I don’t see,’ said the Caterpillar.

‘I’m afraid I can’t put it more clearly,’ Alice replied very politely, ‘for I can’t understand it myself to begin with; and being so many different sizes in a day is very confusing.’

— Alice in Wonderland, Chapter 5

Alice, from Alice in Wonderland
Alice, from Alice in Wonderland

A pity Alice’s conversational partner was the Caterpillar, because she would have found a more empathetic listener in me. I often feel the same way, and find it difficult to describe/explain myself.

1-2

What is it about me that was both constant and distinctive?

____ + ____ = Me

2-2
Exploring the first equation
3-1
Exploring the first equation #2

I eventually chose the pun, because puns are awesome:>

Joy S7 My sisters and I

Joy + s = My sisters and I

I had intended for the last panel to be ‘Joys’, as in multiple Joy-s, repeated all over the box. However, I while looking for more images, I stumbled across an illustration of three bird-girls by Clare Shrounder (https://clareshrouderillustration.wordpress.com/) and I just had to use it! The illustrations are beautifully drawn and are cute and quirky at the same time. The latter description really suits us. That said, I also decided to change the last box because my sisters massively influenced who I am today — eccentricities and all.

Joy is usually synonymous will ‘happiness’, ‘delight’, hence the brightly coloured background, since bright colours like yellow, orange, light green and pink are colours that are full of the zest of life. However, my parents intended it my name to be more than just that, so I wasn’t named ‘Happy’. What sets ‘joy’ apart from ‘happiness’ is that ‘happiness’ is circumstantial, whereas ‘joy’ is not. ‘Happiness’ is temporal; but true ‘joy’ –eternal. Thus, I included various darker patches, made by the confluence of far too many colours, to represent the times/situations that are not so pleasant in life. Even so, Joy is still there, with her arms out-stretched and a big welcoming smile on her face.

Converging lines were used to bring attention to the ‘S’ in the centre. I used blue because bright, warm colours had too much energy, and my friends generally commented on my personality being pretty ‘chill’. Chill meaning cool and relaxed (I hope they didn’t mean ‘icy’). Hence the cool blues.

For the same reasons, the last box has the same background as the first box. The opacity was lowered to bring attention to the three bird-girls stacked on top of one another. The one on top is my oldest sister: the bossiest, the fountain of exciting ideas, and the de-facto leader; the one in the middle is me: the youngest and therefore most taken care of by my wonderful sisters, with spectacles because I’m still studying; the bottom-most is the second sister: the really nice one, dependable, and knows how to look after people. She is at the bottom because she is most down-to-earth of us three, and also because her other two sisters (older and younger) love to tease her <3

Moving on to the second equation:

____ – ____ = A better me

4-2

What aspect would I eliminate to improve myself?

E2 Clear PrioritiesHesitation_FearE2 Step in the right directionClear priorities – Fear = A step in the right direction

I used a split complementary colour scheme for ‘Clear Priorities’ so that the yellow of the star would stand out against the purple and blue of the background, hence making it clear that the yellow star is the main subject of the composition. The blue path recedes into the back, leading the eye to two other yellow stars, one smaller than the other, to represent ‘clear priorities’ through the hierarchy established by scale.

Fear and hesitation is in black, white and grey; a colour scheme that can represent hopelessness and oppression. The image is made by warping rocky cliffs (fear of heights), and the negative white space forms what looks like a path that seems to lead somewhere, a place that is not know (fear of uncertainty).

For ‘A step in the right direction’, I kept the colours simple, just black and white. Though similar to ‘fear’ the texture is different, reflective of how this ‘better me’, although free from fear, is someone who knows that they are there, and is a person who was empowered by conquering her fears. Hence, the texture is predictable (vertical lines), and now the path is straight instead of curving off into the unknown. The front view of the feet indicates a confidence in knowing where to step, thereby incorporating the ‘clear priorities’ aspect of the first box.

Next, the third equation:

____ x ____ = An ideal me

5-3

pause

Wait for it

Steven Pinker is awesome

pinker_3
Attaching a name to a face: Steven Pinker

Yup

Owl 1 E3 Heart and Care copy E3 Well-rounded individual

Intellect x Heart&Care = An ideal me

The reason for the huge ‘PINKER’ in the process book is because I’ve been reading The Language Instinct, written by (you guessed it!) Steven Pinker. It’s really a very interesting read, and had hooked me from start to finish (okay, not that I’m done reading it. I’ve got 2 chapters left. Such a pity…). It’s not an easy book to read, especially since I have no background in linguistics. Still, it’s so good that instead of giving up when technical terms pop out, lazy ‘ol me would actually take the trouble to go and search for more information before reading further.

Crazy, I know.

But still, the whole linguistics field is drop-dead interesting. It’s such a vast field; and is all about what we humans were born to do — communicate. Okay, I should stop and get back to the post.

Anyway, have I already mentioned that Pinker is a brilliant mind?

Back to the post now, seriously.

The owl is the subject for ‘intellect’. Think Athena, Goddess of Wisdom (partly why the shield is in the final box). The colour scheme is monochrome pink, with purple for the darker tones, in honour of Pinker who (did I mention?) is a brilliant mind. Geometric shapes (triangles) make up the form of the flying owl, giving the owl the appearance of a finely cut diamond. The various facets represent the many, many, many intellectual fields one may pursue –linguistics, science, literature, music, etcetera. The triangles ‘fly’ in from the wings, up and curve down to seemingly become part of the jigsaw of the head; much like how we learn: incorporating what we learn into our heads.

Still, what use is intelligence if one doesn’t know where/how to use it?

The next box is Heart/Care. I couldn’t really choose one over the other, since both are so inextricably linked (I feel), and thus decided to portray them both together. What other colour is more suitable than red for heart/care? And what other symbol more wanting when one is injured or in need?

This was the one panel where I had to do by hand, no matter how tedious, because I feel that truly loving and caring for someone means investing time and effort and energy, and interacting sincerely and personally with the other person.

What we all think of when we see the first-aid sign will be those in the medical profession: the doctors, nurses, various allied health professionals that don’t often get the spotlight. But they all work for the same goal. To help someone. To see someone get back on their feet. To ease their physical pain. As such, I used medicinal plants (plants because of their association with nurture and care) as a motif of the design: Echinacea, Chrysanthemum, Nasturtium and Calendula.

The final box is a combination of the two with a few additional elements. The olive tree is a symbol of intellect. The shield represents intellect, and also represents protection. On the shield is the cross shape from the second box. Thus, I hope to be a well-rounded individual who uses her talents for good.

In summary (please pardon the long paragraphs of fan-girling): Intellect x Heart&Care = An ideal me

The Language Instinct is a superbly satisfying book to read

Just saying

You might want to give it a read, y’know, when you have time

Or maybe make time to read it 😀

Fine, fine, enough of this, moving on…

Finally, the last equation:

____ + ____ = Me in 5 years

8-1

E4 Time E4 Introspection E4 Crystallisation of self

Time + Introspection = Crystallisation of Self

‘Time’ depicts a quarter face of a clock. The odd thing is that the numbers are all jumbled up, which is what I’d expect in 5 years (be it working or furthering my studies), meaning that I’d probably lose all sense of time. The colours in the background are the experiences that I’ve experienced, happy, cool, relaxed; some are textured: more memorable; and still some seem to meld into one another, since events in life just seem to end up intertwined despite our best efforts.

The second box, ‘Introspection’, means for me to reflect, to make an effort to understand myself: my motivations, hopes and aspirations. To think about how things affect me, or why I reacted in such a manner. Perhaps the use of the word ‘reflect’ to describe this process stems from the idea of ‘shining light to the innermost’. Thus, I used aluminium foil, which has a reflective surface in the composition. Blues and greens were used because they are relaxing and meditative colours. For it is usually in moments of quiet that one ploughs the depths of their mind.

Lastly, ‘Crystallisation of Self’. Literally interpreted, the subject is a crystal. Purple is the dominant colour in this composition, because purple is related to mystery and intrigue, as well as wisdom. Since I do not know exactly how I’d be in 5 years, the future me is still a mystery. At the same time, I do hope that I’d at least be a little wiser, which makes purple the colour of choice for the crystals.

You might ask why orange was used in the background instead of yellow, purple’s complementary. Although it is true that yellow will make purple stand out more, yellow is associated with happiness and sunflowers. On the other hand, orange seems to be a little more reserved than yellow, yet contains within it a sense of anticipation and hope, which is more suitable for a panel that is made in anticipation of a future me.

Here are some (bonus?) images:

20151103_12514420151101_171044

Thank you for reading:)

Oh, and just in case I forgot to say this…

Pinker’s brilliant, so give his books a read 😉

~See you soon~

Beginning Project 3: Studying in Colour

Colours

Primary: cannot be created by mixing other colours together

Pure blue, red & yellow

Secondary: the combination of two primary hues

Green, orange, purple

Tertiary: the combination of a primary hue with the nearest secondary hue

color_wheels

There are many, many, many more colours out there!

Feast your eyes upon a myriad of gorgeous-ness in:

http://www.taubmans.com.au/colours/colour-chart

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-ca/for-your-home/colour-gallery#&ce_vm=0

Colour Psychology

Colours are more than just they seem. They can affect our emotions, and change the way we perceive things. It can affect our physical and mental states. In fact, many advertisements, posters and even logos have made full use of the effects of colour on our minds to influence our perception of the product or brand.

The following visual nicely summarises our perceptions of colour:

Colours-Mean-Brands1

 Some emotions overlap, and may differ from culture to culture: e.g. mourning can be white, black or brown.

Still, generally, warm colours such as red, yellow and orange, are associated with energy and life; while cool colours such as blue and green are calming and relaxing.

White

– purity, cleanliness, neutrality

tumblr_nksgmmviiQ1tlvzvao1_1280

The predominant colours here are white and blue, giving the advertisement a sense of clinical cleanliness and purity.

Black

– power, strength, evil

darkcastlea

Aside from the bottom-up angle of the image, the overall darkness of the image gives the castle an air of authority. Additionally, the swirling dark clouds overhead create a sense of foreboding;

Gray

– neutral, timeless, practical

stone_sea_mist

Red

– love, warmth, energy, excitement, intensity, life, blood

autumn-leaves-fall-wallpaper

The red autumn leaves in the foreground, and the transition to orange and yellow in the background is very welcoming; as if inviting the viewer into the image

Orange

– happy, energetic, enthusiasm, warmth, sophistication, change, stimulation

robin 1

The orange chest on the robin adds life to the overall grey robin.

Yellow

– happiness, warmth, optimism, hunger, intensity, frustration, anger

image_55097880dfb9a 217618-generic-happiness

Brown

– reliability, stability, sadness, warmth, comfort, security, natural

10-infant-photography-coocooned-child

1-spring-garden-table-decor1

Green

– natural, cool, growth, health, envy, tranquillity, harmony, calmness

1440x900-subwoofer-the-nature-green-color-hd-good-for-your-eyes

green-ads-wwf-lungs

Blue

– serenity, cold, uncaring, wisdom, loyalty, truth, focus

il_570xN.481050419_jd8k 3475fa1a807d6c8be75076ca1e9c6a93

The soft tones of blue create a very calm and relaxing image

Purple

– royalty, wealth, sophistication, wisdom, exotic, spiritual, mystery

6995278-flowers-wisteria-purple-nature

gold_royal_purple_abstract_fractal_art_zazzleperfectposter-r4b23acc042bc4ae3b902a19d38d0843b_ilb22_324

The purple gives the pictures a richness that would have otherwise been missing

Adapted from the Art Therapy Blog:

http://www.arttherapyblog.com/online/color-psychology-psychologica-effects-of-colors/#.ViY2F34rLIU

Thanks for reading! ^-^

Project 2: Nursery Rhyme

Our task: to reinterpret and re-imagine three traditional nursery rhymes — Hey Diddle Diddle, Humpty Dumpty and The Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe. All three are rhymes we were probably familiar with since childhood. For me, I might even have even been belting it out as a young child, way before I knew what the words meant.

Below are the rhymes, along with their traditionally lively, and often comical, illustrations that I grew up with. The phrases which I explored more deeply for this project are in bold.

There was an Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe by William Wallace Denslow
There was an Old Woman who Lived in a Shoe by William Wallace Denslow

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children, she didn’t know what to do;
She gave them some broth without any bread;
Then whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.

Hey Diddle Diddle by Randolph Caldecott
Hey Diddle Diddle by Randolph Caldecott

Hey diddle diddle,

The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed,
To see such sport,

And the fork ran away with the spoon

 

Humpty Dumpty by William Wallace Denslow
Humpty Dumpty by William Wallace Denslow

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.


1) There was an old woman who lived in a shoe;


I first began with “There was an Old Woman who lived in a Shoe”. Below is one of my first few attempts, which admittedly leaves much to be desired.

There was an old lady who lived in a shoe
There was an old woman who lived in a shoe

I had intended for a strong diagonal to run through the image, to achieve the balance of one’s home, yet hint at the trouble that crops up in the later verses regarding her many children. The shoe to woman ratio is 1:1, since the words used were ‘an old woman’ and ‘a shoe’. However, the kaleidoscopic effect did not achieve what I originally intended.

There was an old (asian) woman who lived in a shoe
There was an old (asian) woman who lived in a shoe

Then came the idea to change the context of the nursery rhyme. Adding a Japanese twist to it, a rather more comical image of an elderly lady at the ‘door’ of her geta house appeared. It was the beginning of a number of lightbulbs! And boy, can I just say changing the rhyme’s originally context is such a fun idea?

Sadly, the above image is unable to hold sustained interest. It is far too plain and lacks the principles of design that can hook someone’s attention and make them ask, ‘Why? What? Whaaat?’.

 

There was an old (asian) woman who lived in a shoe
There was an old (asian) woman who lived in a shoe

Meet Oba-ue, who lives on the outskirts of modern, cosmopolitan Japan. She’s a traditionalist through and through, insisting on living no-where else but in a set of geta, a pair of Japanese wooden slippers — a family heirloom.

Legend has it that her great-great-great-great-great….great-grandfather had been ordered to create of this set of geta as soon as possible to intimidate the restless clans nearby, claiming that a god as tall as a mountain had decided to protect the village. Great-great-great-great-great….great-grandfather was such a talented craftsmen, he finished it within a night. Unfortunately, he was a little too excellent. The sudden appearance of geta of unimaginable proportions sparked rumours of a terrifying, vengeful mountain god in their village. And what should have been meant to scare off enemies (which it did) ended up scaring their own people too. It didn’t take too long before most of the villagers escaped to live elsewhere.

…Or so the story goes in my head. Yes, the story was completely made up. Did I manage to catch you?:) A small background story spiced things up quite a bit for me!

Moving on to discuss the design of the piece. The geta towers over the elderly lady, and is a size which is more liveable (compared to the first version). Just as the Japanese, and many Asian cultures are, people who are our seniors in age are to be respected. Similarly, the difference in size creates a sense of hierarchy, giving more importance to the aged geta that served as the family’s home for generations.

The mostly black image is to convey the rather stark image of an elderly lady living alone on the outskirts. She might be feeling the weighty chains of age slung around her shoulders, clinging to her limbs; or simply feeling lonely living all by herself, perhaps even missing her children who have all grown up and moved away to start their own families.

The halftoned silhouette of the cityscape creates depth, blurring out the background to bring focus to the foreground. It also emphasises the physical distance between the old lady and everyone else.

However, what was lacking was a sense of movement. And something to, perhaps, tie the elderly lady to the faraway city. It’s less depressing that way.

There was an old (asian) woman who lived in a shoe 3
There was an old (asian) woman who lived in a shoe 3

Version 3 is much more interesting because of the added elements that run from the foreground to the background, unifying the whole image. If you look a little more carefully, ‘Tsuku Bus’ or ‘ つくバス‘ in Japanese is seen. It is a bus-stop sign. There is also a road that swirls past the house, heading for the city.The bus-stop sign was warped, a reflection of how so many societies have morphed under their ‘I’ve got it all together’ façade. The warped sign and the queer looking geta work together to build up an alternate world where such peculiarity may be a common sight.

Version 4 is a revision of 3, to achieve greater balance and unity.

There was an old (asian) woman who lived in a shoe 4
There was an old (asian) woman who lived in a shoe 4

2) She had so many children she didn’t know what to do;


She had so many children she didn't know what to do 1
She had so many children she didn’t know what to do 1

Confusion, regret, steadfastness, duty

The child is repeated very many times, first in the background, and second in the frame around her head to show that just that one child can be the source of a headache. The radial nature of the composition naturally draws attention to the lady’s head; almost forming a halo. Maybe those children weren’t her actual blood children, but instead orphans whom she kind-heartedly took into her home, even beyond her means.

Which may, or may not, be such an excellent thing to do after all…

However, I wanted her to have a more despairing take to the situation she had on her hands, instead of calmly knitting away.

She had so many children she didn't know what to do 2
She had so many children she didn’t know what to do 2

The inward swirl that warps everything caught in it and scrunches it all into the poor lady’s head. Now there is a sense of despair belying her calm exterior. The swirl also serves to sharpen the focal point to the centre of the lady’s head, where all the thinking, decision making and dilemmas originate.

 


3) The cat and the fiddle,


 

The cat and the fiddle
The cat and the fiddle

‘The cat and the fiddle’. Illustrations often depict the cat playing the violin like a virtuoso, capturing the hearts of so many people all over the world. Who can resist the pure bundle of cuteness of a kitty playing the violin?

But…can they? The kitties to the left found another way to play it.

I chose a symmetrical design for this piece, because I thought the hinting at a fiddle (see the sound holes) in the background was interesting. And since a fiddle is symmetrical, the image became likewise. More sound holes are repeated and help to frame the kittens, who helped to frame the implied fiddle, that once again brings the eye to the ‘stands’ the kittens stand on, then the kitten and the fiddle…again, in circles.

Although I found this piece rather cute, it is quite a literal interpretation. And the other ‘cat the the fiddle’ pieces proved to be more eye-catching.

 

The cat and the fiddle 2
The cat and the fiddle 2

Here is another piece of a magical cat who seems to be controlling the air? Oh, wait a minute. Do you mean like sound waves through the air?

The repetition in the piece, as well as the sense of depth and movement because of the receding swirls is more entertaining than the first.

 

 

The cat and the fiddle 3
The cat and the fiddle 3

The Cat the the Fiddle was a very common bar/pub/inn name in the English landscape in those days. Hence, I chose to use mounted animal heads, a common feature in many bars/pubs/inns in the UK. These heads frame the sign of the bar/pub/inn, which I often think to be in the shape of a shield. Instead of ‘The Cat and the Fiddle’ in text, an image of a falling cat and fiddle in negative space is used. Both images exceed the boundary of the shop’s sign, to show that the line ‘the cat and the fiddle’ may be more than just a bar/pub/inn; paying homage to the original illustrations of a violin virtuoso feline or maybe even a magical kitten.


4) The cow jumped over the moon


The cow jumped over the moonThe appearance of the Asian twist again! Sparked by the ‘牛’, meaning ‘cow’ in Chinese that someone had so brilliantly placed in the photo-bank! This piece was clearly lacking in movement and excitement that the line conveys.

 

The cow jumped over the moon 2
The cow jumped over the moon 2

In Asian terms, the moon symbolises femininity, and according to Chinese folklore, is the residence of Chang’er. Hence, I chose to use Chang’er to represent the moon. (Just a fun tidbit: the cow also symbolises femininity, though with the nuance of fertility and a nurturing behaviour) 牛 is at the golden third. And is stretched and arched to give the appearance of leaping over Chang’er, who tries to run away in shock. Chang’er is placed just off the golden third, leaving her hardly any active space in the direction she seems to want to move to, blocked by the boundaries of the box. Oh dear, Chang’er has been cornered, and the cow successfully completed his mission to jump over the moon.

The cow jumped over the moon 2
The cow jumped over the moon 2

The positions of the elements were kept, but the contrast was increased to make them stand out more. The blur in the Lady of the Moon’s movements are also more apparent. I particularly like how the cow is so much larger than Chang’er, and yet seems so intent on leaping over her despite her protests. Chang’er doesn’t look like she has given up hope though. She might have a trick up the sleeves she has in abundance.

 


5) Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall


Traditionally, Humpty Dumpty is depicted as an egg sitting on the wall. An arrogant egg, no less, who mocks everyone who passes beneath his feet. However, there have been cases when he was depicted as a rotund boy instead. This gave me a little more room for interpretation, because Humpty Dumpty could have been a person. What sort of person could he have been though?

The last half of the rhyme goes as such:

All the King’s horses and all the King’s men;

Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

From this, I infer that Humpty Dumpty (if he were indeed a person), had some sort of relationship to the King and his men. In those days, (assuming the medieval era) kings do not pay attention to the likes of commoners. Neither would they invest the time and effort of their men to ‘put Humpty together again’. Evidently, Humpty Dumpty had to be of high social class, narrowing down the kinds of people to just two. Humpty Dumpty was either a noble or a knight.

Returning now to investigate the first half of the rhyme:

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall;

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

It would have been rather awkward if a grown man, whether noble or knight, to sit on a wall all day. He would have become the laughing stock of the kingdom. Perhaps ‘wall’ refers to something more than just any wall. A noble or knight would have probably been living in or protecting a city. Given the turbulent time of the medieval era, fortifications were common. Knights, to whom the safety of the city was entrusted, would have very likely been on guard, watching for hostile signs from the vantage point on the high walls that surround the city. Hence, my Humpty Dumpty is a knight.

Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall
Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall

The lines all seem to bend and fold toward the knight (Humpty Dumpty). It is symbolic of the knight’s social status — the city deferring to him, almost bowing; and also to his importance to the city — it rose and fell according to the knight’s strength and will. The knight stands erect and proud, and is illuminated by a loose ‘S’ shaped shaft of light.

The image seems slightly imbalance, as if it will The swirls of mess at his feet can be the mess of war, the river of blood he shed to protect the city; and also the the foretelling of his downfall.


6) Humpty Dumpty had a great fall


How would a knight ‘fall’?

He could fall by combat, fighting to protect what was precious to him.

Or he could fall from honour. A fall from grace.

The latter appeals to me more, because there so many more ways to explore. Was he to be naive, a womaniser, a drunkard, gambler, money-face, corrupt or power-hungry?

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall 2
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall 2

Went with ‘corrupt’ and ‘power-hungry’. The hand is very large and takes a large proportion of the image, and yet almost –just almost– blends into the background. It’s rotting flesh is barely visible, but visible enough to give the piece an interesting texture. Savagely grasping a ball (like those of mystics that medieval periods often feature) which reveals the walls of the city. The areas in contact with the hand are darker than the rest, as if the contamination of the knight’s corruption was spreading throughout the city. The white parts that are ‘untouched’ as of yet is the only hope left. It is reminiscent of the white that surrounded the knight originally in ‘Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall’, where the knight guarded the city with his might. He had been their hope. But no longer. He has become the very thing that squashed hope out of existence.

Below are a few of the trial-and-error ‘Humpty Dumpty had a great fall’ before deciding on the above:

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall 1
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall 1
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall 3
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall 3
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall 4
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall 4

 


 

Apart from being extremely nostalgic, this was a really really fun project to do:) I loved taking a twist on the traditional nursery rhymes. All the conspiracy theories as to what the rhymes/riddles actually meant were simply fascinating. It really brought me back to anchor myself in their time period (especially the Humpty Dumpty one —it’s my personal favourite). How different the world was then. Their priorities, beliefs, social hierarchy and even their superstitions we so easily dismiss in this day and age. (Did you know they used to think that if someone could swallow a whole piece of bread without chewing or choking was a sign that they were innocent? It’s one of the milder ‘ordeals’ to prove one’s innocence and sincerity. There are others that involve fire, boiling or freezing cold water, and even poison. They were all recognised as what we know as a ‘trial’ in the law sense. Only that there weren’t witnesses to vouch for you; only you and the object that can take your life.)

Going off tangent… It really reminded me of how mankind has a history and culture that evolves over time. We build on what our ancestors have done, we try to learn from their mistakes, and make our own; and those that come after us do the same.

In terms of skills, I feel that this project has made me more sensitive to the subtleties of design. In particular to the static-ness and movement; and the hierarchy achieved through size. There’s still much more to learn though.

Hasta luego!

 

Beginning Project 2: Nursery Rhyme

–The Principles of Design–

Balance

In art, balance refers to the state of visual equilibrium in its design. This equilibrium can be found symmetrically, asymmetrically or radially.

Try running an imaginary line vertically through the centre of the image below and you’ll find that the Batman logo makes for an impressive example of symmetrical balance.

Batman logo
Batman logo

On the other hand, the following images do not have that imaginary line

An example of asymmetrical balance
An example of asymmetrical balance

 

Another example of asymmetrical balance
Another example of asymmetrical balance

And yet, they still seem to be rather ‘stable’ in the visual sense. Why is that so?

First, let us analyse the size of the objects in the image. Taking the first example, one large square balances off many much smaller squares. The large square is also closer to the pivot than the smaller squares. This conforms very nicely to the rules in physics and thus, just as we tend to associate larger objects with a larger mass and therefore greater weight, so does a larger object carry greater visual weight, allowing it to ‘balance’ the much smaller weights in the image.

The second image is much more interesting, I feel. The triangle looks like it is just about to tip to one side, but is still somehow upright. Following the above principle, you’ll realise upon dividing the image into halves, the left has one big triangle and one small triangle (placed slightly further from pivoting point); the right has two big triangles stacked on top of one other (placed very close to the pivoting point). Thus the composition works, because the visual weight of the dissimilar triangles are balanced.

There are more way to play with asymmetrical balance by varying the following:

Value. Darker values carry more weight than lighter values.

Colour. Brighter and more intense colours carry more weight than muted colours.

Texture. More complex textures carry more weight than simple textures.

Shape. More complex shapes carry more weight than simple shapes.

Moving on, radial balance is achieved when all the elements radiate out from the centre into the surrounding, distributing visual weight evenly throughout the circle it forms. These elements guide the eye to the epicentre from whence they came, making the centre the focus. As such:

An example of radial balance
An example of radial balance

 

Hierarchy

The importance of the elements in relation to one another. Typically, in good design, the viewer is led by order of significance of the elements: from the element of most importance to least importance

The School of Athens Raphael 1509-1511 Fresco
Raphael
1509-1511
The School of Athens
Fresco Apostolic Palace, Vatican City

Using a famous artwork, Raphael’s School of Athens, a hierarchy is very distinct even though most of the figures are of the same size. This is achieved by the deliberate framing using the arches overhead, and the brightest part of the painting being above the heads of the two men in the centre. This makes the two figures (who are already in the centre if that was a big enough clue) stand out amongst their counterparts.

Hierarchy can also be presented through clever use of proportion. Generally, the larger object will capture most attention at first glance, and also present itself as the most important figure in the whole piece. This can be seen in Romanesque Art (example below), where Christ, the most important figure in Christianity, is the largest in size, compared to the angels and saints that surround him. Hence, in doing so, the artist establishes that Jesus Christ is above, and more important than the angels.

Master of Taüll Apse of Sant Climent de Taüll Catalan fresco Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya
Master of Taüll
Apse of Sant Climent de Taüll
Catalan fresco
Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya

Similarity and Contrast

Similarity is vital for uniformity. However, when elements are too similar, the focal object may blend into the background, which is generally not desirable (unless the artist chooses to do so intentionally to prove a point). Hence, some contrast is necessary to emphasise or point to the focal object. Such as:

An example for similarity and contrast
An example of similarity and contrast

What catches the eye first? Was it the orange/red triangles?

Above is an example of contrast in colour and texture. The vibrantly coloured triangles really stand out against its monochrome background. And its flat colour, free of elaborate texture, makes it pop out even more. Contrast is very useful in adding variety and interest!

Unity

The synthesis of all the elements in the design: their ‘together-ness’, which supports the whole design to make it what it is.

Built upon: similarity, repetition, continuation, rhythm, perspective

An example of unity
An example of unity

The chess pieces above form a cohesive image due to the repetition of chess pieces of the same size throughout the piece. The focal point is the clear chess piece, where it breaks the pattern of an all-black assembly.

Another example of unity
Another example of unity

Here, we see again a repetition of elements. The basic block of four dots is pasted similarly throughout the piece. The eye can follow the ‘movement’ of the block of dots, which forms something similar to a ‘M’, an example of how continuity can create a sense of unity.

The last example of this post for unity
The last example of this post for unity

Finally, perspective. This whole piece is basically sewn together by the thread of road that snakes from the foreground all the way to the back, guiding the eye through the most important parts of the image. In doing so, the piece is seen as a whole, not separate objects by name of ‘land mass’ and ‘sky’, but a landscape. A whole.

 

Phew. That’s about it for today, I think. There’s still a lot out there to learn though, so…all the best! :>

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