Symmetric Line Design Instructions

1. Symmetric Line Design Instructions

2. Vocabulary • Design • The organization, plan, or composition of a work of art. An effective design is one in which the elements and principles have been com­bined to achieve an overall sense of unity. Since the nineteenth century, this term has also been ap­plied to the production of at­tractive and well crafted utilitarian objects. • Balance • A principle of art, it refers to the way the art elements are arranged to create a feeling of stability in a work.Balance can be symmetrical, or formal, or it can be asymmetrical, or informal. • Symmetrical balance • A way of organizing the parts of a de­sign so that one side duplicates, or mirrors, the other. Also known as "formal bal­ance," it can be observed in Albers' painting entitled Hom­age to the Square: "Ascending". Symmetrical and asymmetrical are the two kinds of balance, which is a principle of art. • Line • An element of art which refers to -the continuous mark made on some surface by a moving point. It may be two-dimensional (pencil on paper), three-dimensional (wire), or implied (the edge of a shape or form). Often, it is an out­line, contour, or silhouette. • Geometric • Refers to mechani­cal, man-made shapes such as squares, rectangles, circles, spirals, and bands. Also, re­fers to a period in ancient history when decorative patterns made from these shapes were used on pottery. For example, the earliest Greek vases were decorated with bands of sim­ple geometric patterns cover­ing most of the vessel.

3. Expressive Lines • Vertical Lines • Static, Inactive. Appear at rest. Artist use them to show peace, dignity, poise, stiffness, and formality. • Horizontal • Peace, quiet, rest and stability. Feelings of permanence or solidarity. Content, relaxed and warm. • Curved • Curved lines express activity, The less active the curve, the calmer the feeling. Curved lines also suggest luxury. • Spirals • Spirals wind around a central point. They are hypnotic. • Diagonal • Diagonal lines express instability, tension, activity, and excitement. They sometimes make the viewer uncomfortable. • Zigzag • Zigzag lines create confusion. They are extremely active and evoke feelings of excitement and nervousness.

4. Color Schemes • Analogous colors • Colors that are next to each other on the color wheel (Figure 2.3) and are closely related, such as blue, blue-green, and green. • Warm colors • Colors often as­sociated with fire and sun and suggest warmth. These are colors which contain red and yellow and appear on one side of the color wheel opposite the cool colors. • Complementary colors • Colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel, such as red and green, blue and or­ange, and violet and yellow. When complements are mixed together in the right proportions, they form a neutral gray. • Monochromatic • A color scheme that uses only one hue and different tints and shades of that hue.

5. Expressive Colors Green Green is refreshing, renewing and calming. Approximately 32 percent of the cones responsible for seeing color in your eye are green cones, as green is the prominent color in the natural world. Green is useful for a wall that serves as a backdrop to accessories, as it is a color that will produce its effects without being conspicuous. Orange and Red While orange and red are different colors, they are close in hue and related in emotion stimulation. Orange stimulates activity, appetite and encourages conversation. It bursts with joyfulness and can be a stimulant. Use these colors in entrances, dining, living and play rooms. Pink Pink calmly nurtures, reassures and soothes, while reminding us of a comforting maternal embrace. Use in living rooms, children's rooms and bedrooms. The color pink is thought to suppress the appetite, so use sparingly in kitchens. Note that you don't need to paint an entire room pink; accents in decorations or flowers can provide the same effects. Yellow The color yellow can stimulate mental activity, promote feelings of wellbeing and happiness. Yellow stands for confidence, shines optimistically and invigorates with energy. Use this color in home offices, kitchens and dining rooms, but avoid sleeping areas (especially infant's bedrooms). Color is also classified according to temperature. Half of the color wheel is classified as warm and the other half as cool. Colors associated with red and yellow are considered warm. Warm colors advance in a space. Cool colors are associated with blue and tend to recede. Visual temperature may also be affected by intensity (Nielson & Taylor, 2007). Purple The favorite of past royalty, purple is confident, dignified and purposeful. Purple is the combination of red and blue, providing a balance of heightened awareness mixed with a calming relaxing effect. Use in living rooms and bedrooms and use light lavender-like purples in bathrooms as well. Blue The blue of water and sky produces the well-known relaxing and calming effects inherent in both. These effects were confirmed in Krakov's experiments. The color blue can ease tension and encourage gentle communication. Use this color in areas of reflecting and thought, but avoid in areas where activity is encouraged (such as the kitchen and home office).

6. Materials • 9x9 paper • 18x18 paper • Ruler • Compass • Pencil • markers

7. Begin with a 9X9 sheet of paper and create a line design using the three lines listed above. More lines may be added, but it is required to have at least the three lines included in your design. You may want to add lines that create a certain feeling or emotion. These lines may be found on page 77 of the “Art Talk” text. After you complete at least two different 9X9 designs, choose the design you wish to create a final your final Symmetric Line design.

8. Here is an example of a 9x9 line design

9. Optional: You may want to rotate your design in the mirror so that the center changes. This will give you alternate views of what your design will eventually look like if you use a different center of the 9x9 design. You may use two mirrors facing each other at a 45 degree angle and set your 9x9 design on the table top where the two mirrors meet. This will give you an idea of what your design will look like once all the tracing is complete.

10. Now take a piece of 18X18 paper and tape the 9X9 paper to the back of the 18X18 paper. 18X18 Paper 9X9 paper

11. Flip the 18x18 paper back over so that the front side is facing up and trace the 9X9 design to the front of the 18X18 paper.

12. After tracing the design on the front of the 18X18 paper, turn the 18x18 design back over so the back side is facing up. Flip the 9X9 design so the design mirrors the first design you traced on the 18X18 paper

13. Return the design back to the front side do the second tracing of your design.

14. Make sure all the lines line up. The two designs should now show the first stage of symmetry.

15. Repeating the previous steps, flip the design once again to create the third mirror design.

16. After tracing the third design, flip the design one more time so that all the lines are symmetric with one another.

17. Add Color The final step is to add color using markers or colored pencils. The colors should follow a specific scheme (warm, cool, primary, secondary, intermediate, analogous, complimentary). The colors should also be done so that the colors are symmetric as well as the lines.