Composition for Visual Artists | Week 6: Shape as Visual Component

[New Masters Academy]

We are pleased to share with you a 10-week long class brought to you by Art Mentors. In this class, renowned Disney Art Director and Instructor Bill Perkins will teach composition for artists. In this 6th lesson, Bill will discuss how shapes can be used in a composition to create directional force and movement throughout a piece. He will then demonstrate how shapes can be categorized between major and minor keys to create a sense of dominance and subordination.

Materials

• Prismacolor Ebony Pencil
• Conté Drawing Pencil – Sepia

[Josseline Jeria]

Hi, the reference file of the document that goes along with this course does not work. It doesn’t load past the first page. Would it be possible to reupload the document or have it fixed? thanks.

[BrittO]

The breakdown of the direction forces amid the shapes in this segment is so outstanding that I must watch Instructor Bill explain it at least three more times. My intuition is driving me immeasurably. I feel that mastering how to use shapes, as well as perspective, tone, and lines, to guide the viewer’s eyes and create focus will make my sequential illustration masterly. Thanks, Instructor Bill.

[Romel Madray]

One of the books mentioned include Composition By Arthur Wesley Dow.. I was reading the above and trying to understand the exercise will link in below the second page I think I can only upload one image at a time. If anyone can show me a working example of what the author is referring to in terms of space division I would appreciate it

[Romel Madray]

This is one of the books mentioned by the instructor. If someone has read the book composition by Arthur Wesley Dow and Can explain the exercises please provide an example. Alternatively, if there are lectures by the lecturer that refer to this space division and principles of space division as exampled in the book, please let me know

[Meghana Kamath]

Hi Guys,

I’m Meg and I started taking this course a while back but then came back to the lesson about your “design matrix”, mainly because I have not fully understood that… I was wondering if someone here could explain it to me please?

My current understanding of it right now is that your design matrix is your basic light and shadow patterns… But where I’m getting confused is how exactly you determine these light and shadow patterns? And will my design matrix depend on whether I’m doing NOTAN or Chiaroscuro?

 

I know these are quite a few questions but I was hoping someone could just explain it as I’ve been stuck on this for a while now…

Thank you so much!

[Romel Madray]

Hi Meghana , with regard to the design matrix, it is made in three ways line, notan or charisoruo. Your design will then depend on which one of these you find suitable. Regarding light and shadow patterns, just search for the shadows and the rest will be in light, remember that there are different types of shadows and just find them all. You can use a two value system or a three value system or even more depending. But i would personally just use 2 then graduate on wards depending of how deep I want the shadows to go. The design matrix is just the preliminary step to assess how you want to move on in the design

[totte]

Hey Romel, unless I’ve misunderstood your question – take a graph paper and jot down symmetrical structures made up by rectangles like in the examples on page 39. Line (and shape) divides spaces.

As for principles on space division, I refer to the not-very-helpful ending paragraph on page 28. 🙂

If you happen to know the definition of “Good Spacing” I’d very much appreciate you sharing it. I bought the book years ago but never managed to make much sense of it.

[Romel Madray]

There are some good ideas in the Athur Dow book but the author kinda takes a philosophical slant and really just goes off into a tangent without defining things. Kinda Airy- Fairy in the ether.

Good spacing according to him ” Appreciation of fineness of relations must always govern the method and form of composition” whatever that means.

With regard to the Arthur Dow book and what I was asking, I think its really designing a theme (picture) based on the rectangular shapes of No 29a and No 29b. However in the picture there are intersecting shapes and shapes within shapes, which makes it unclear. Then he goes into another tangent with an Example, which basically talks about a some Roman column and furniture, without really pointing to how this is relevant to image making or even pictorial design or the interaction of shapes.

The next chapters talk about landscapes without any reference to the rectangular organization of space.

I think I might suffer reading through it and probably not understand what the heck he is saying. A lot of people tout this book on you tube but if you read it it is confuffulling (just made my own word there)

[Meghana Kamath]

Hi Romel,

Thanks so much!

I think I’m working up the design matrix to be more than it needs to be… I.e. I was thinking that our design matrix should highlight the focal point, direction of light etc. which I don’t see how I can do with a 2/3 value system…. From what I’ve understood so far, if I’m choosing to do NOTAN then my matrix design should be a simple breakdown of the light versus the dark and if I’m doing Chiaroscuro then it should be a breakdown of light versus shadow… Correct me if I’m wrong!

Thank you so much again Romel!

[Romel Madray]

Yup, that’s what I think and you can layer over. However, layer over too much and in equaal quantities you get muck , according to Bill.

The direction of light i believe would be highlighted by the form unless you are explicit stating that you want to create a certain mood or lighting situation. But with a 2/3 value system you can actually show form but in my view its limited. For example draw a box you will have three planes showing, white, black and grey, it will show form but to make the form stick you will need a shadow. That’s how i think of it anyway. I may be completely off key but that was my takeaway from the class on the notan, charisorio and line.

Still struggling to understand “passages” and how they work, if you have any take on them will appreciate

[Meghana Kamath]

Hi Romel,

I understand what you mean… It’s not impossible achieving form with 2/3 values but to make it stick, it needs that shadow. Thank you so much for your help.

As for the passages, I haven’t reached that part of the lecture yet – however when I do get there, I will surely share my thoughts with you.

 

[Nata]

I love this course, and Bill is an incredible teacher. I do think the Peter Pan scenes of the Native American Tipis shouldn’t continue to be used as an example, as this scene in the movie is horribly racist and dated. Something to consider, and an easy thing to cut out in order to make this content more inclusive.

[Author]

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