Art fundamentals

1. Art fundamentals USAD 2012-2013

2. Line, Shape and Form • Line • Most basic element of art • Can have different visual characteristics- thin, thick, dark, light • Implied line- a line created by perception of interrupted marks or edges • Shape • The two-dimensional area of an object, e.g. a square • Form • the three-dimensional area of an object, e.g. a cube • Organic vs. geometric shape and form • Geometric- precise, regular, hard-edged • Organic- rounded, irregular, based on nature, expressive of movement and rhythm • Space • Positive space- usually the objects represented in an artwork; the figure • Negative space- space around an object; also called the ground

3. Perspective • Creating the Illusion of Depth on a Two-dimensional Surface • Linear perspective • Aerial perspective • Overlapping of objects • Size of objects • Placement of objects in the picture plane • Use of detail • Linear Perspective • Based on the fact that parallel lines appear to converge and vanish at the horizon • Aerial Perspective • Based on the fact that objects further away appear lighter and less detailed

4. Color and Texture • Color Theory • Hue: refers to the names of colors on the color wheel • Neutrals: black, white, and shades of gray • Value: lightness or darkness of a hue • Intensity: brightness of a color • Local color: the undistorted color of objects, e.g. a red apple • Arbitrary color: color unrelated to the actual color of the object being depicted • Optical color: the appearance of a color as distorted by human perception • Texture • Actual texture: three-dimensional texture • Visual texture: the illusion of texture on a two-dimensional surface

5. Composition • Rhythm • Repetition of line, shape, color or texture that produces a sense of movement in the work • Repetition • Motif- a single element of a pattern • Pattern- repetition of motifs or elements such as line and color • Balance • Symmetry- balance around a central axis (horizontal or vertical) • Approximate symmetry- slight variations around a central axis • Asymmetrical balance- objects are not organized around a central axis but arranged to create balance through variations in color, density, texture • Focal point • Where the viewer’s eye tends to rest in a composition • Proportion • The relative sizes of objects in a composition • Scale • the relation between the size of the human body and the artwork

6. Drawing • Drawing Techniques • Shading- a technique used to create gradations of light and shadow • Hatching- using parallel lines in one diagonal direction to create light and shadow • Cross-hatching-Using parallel lines crossing each other • Stippling • Placing small marks close together or further apart to modulate light and shadow • Drawing with ink • Washes created by adding water to the ink can be used to make translucent layers • Pastels • Came into use in the 18th century; popular for portraiture • Must be sprayed with a fixative to prevent the fragile surface from being damaged

7. Printmaking • Printmaking Basics • Method for making multiple original works • “matrix”- surface upon which the image is created • Ink applied to the plate is transferred to paper to create an image • Relief printmaking • Ink is applied to the raised parts of the plate • Woodblock, lino-cut • Intaglio printmaking • Ink is worked into the incised parts of the plate • Engraving, etching • Lithography • A waxy crayon is used to draw on a the plate (stone, zinc, or aluminum) • Ink sticks to the drawing but not to the plate • Allows for a very spontaneous effect • Screen printmaking • A screen is treated to make some parts impervious to ink • Ink is pushed through the open areas of the screen

8. Painting • Basic materials • Pigments- natural or synthetic grains of colored material • Binders- a medium that holds the pigment together and helps it adhere to the surface, e.g. linseed oil, egg yolks, wax • Solvents- a substance used to thin the paint • Fresco • Powdered pigments mixed with water are applied directly to a plaster wall • Tempera • Egg binder • Quick-drying, matte colors are not easily blendable • Oil • Slow-drying, workable surface can be applied thinly (glazes) or thickly (impasto) • Encaustic • Ancient wax-based paint applied to a surface with hot irons • Gouache and watercolor • Both water-based; gouache is opaque, while watercolor is transparent • Acrylic • Versatile quick-drying synthetic paint

9. Photography and Sculpture • Photography • Still photography, film, video • Sculpture • Relief- sculpture carved from a flat surface • Freestanding- sculpture in the round • Kinetic- sculpture that moves • Techniques • Additive- process of adding material to form a sculpture • Subtractive- process that begins with a hunk of material that is selectively removed to create the sculpture • Cast- process of making a mold into which molten metal is poured • Metal- variety of fabrication techniques, including welding, bending

10. Mixed Media, Performance, Folk Art and Craft • Mixed Media • Artwork made from a variety of materials or media • Collage: two-dimensional mixed media work • Assemblage: three-dimensional mixed media work • Introduced to high art circa 1912 by Picasso and Braque • Performance • Live, movement-based art, usually preserved in documentary photographs or video • Folk art and craft • Pottery, jewelry, fibers, glass, wooden objects • Clay techniques: pinching, coiling, throwing, hand-building, slab construction • Fiber techniques: weaving, dyeing, quilting • Glass: glassblowing, stained glass • Wood: furniture, boxes, boats, homes

11. Architecture • Construction Techniques • Post-and-lintel: simplest form of construction involving two supporting posts and a horizontal member • Arch: alternative to post and lintel construction that introduces a rounded or arched opening • Vault: use of an extended arch to form a roof covering a space • Dome: arched roof structure resembling half of a sphere • Iron: During the Industrial Revolution, used for the Crystal Palace (1851) and the Eiffel Tower (1887-1889) • Steel and concrete: modern building method characteristic of skyscrapers and other large buildings