Test 1 Flashcards
Four Important skills for learning to draw
- perception
- manual
- compositional
- conceptual
Perceptual skills
learn how to see
Manual skills
learn to control materials
Compositional skills
learn to be aware of organizing the elements, work through several design options through preliminary
Conceptual skills
learn to think through and give form to visual ideas
Creativity definition
recombining existing elements in unique ways, resulting in a new object, image or idea
- not making something out of nothing
- motivated by some need
Stages of creativity
- inspiration - conscious formation of a problem or goal
- incubation - conscious mind rests, subconscious takes over
- illumination - sudden emergence of a solution to the goal, Ah-Ha!
- resolution - giving final form to the idea
Design definition
organization or arrangement of design elements to give form to a visual idea
- composition
Format definition
refers to the shape and dimensions of the drawing
Thumbnail sketches definition
small, quick, preliminary organizational line drawings that investigate a range of possible compositional alternatives
- concentrate on composition, layout, spatial organization
- not a mini drawing
Organizational line drawing definition
a light, simplified sketch which concentrates on mapping out general size and location relationships between forms and the drawing’s compositional structure
- observing relationships
Pentimenti definition
light, preliminary marks which serve as a tentative underdrawing
- record of the drawing process
Subject matter definition
that which is depicted in the drawing
Style definition
Characteristics of form which are consistent that make a work identifiable
Content definition
meaning inferred from the form and subject matter of a visual work
Gesture drawing definition
a quick, spontaneous, all-encompassing statement of form
- usually referred to when working from a living model
- builds from the inside out
Variations of gesture drawing
- linear gesture drawing
- continuous line gesture drawing
- blind gesture drawing
- mass gesture drawing (broader stick of medium used to block primary shapes)
- tonal gesture drawing (broad planes of shadows blocked to indicated simplified light)
- continuous movement gesture drawing (record movement through time and space)
Contour line drawing definition
line drawing which describes the edges of forms
- including both exterior and interior visible contours (sides and labels)
Cross-contour line drawing definition
line appear to go across or around an abject to indicate the turn of its form
Planar analysis drawing definition
describe the three-dimensional structure of forms in which complex curves are generalized into major planar shapes or facets
Tonal drawing definition
emphasizes contrasts in tone to describe shape, volume, texture, space or the effects of light and shadow
Tonal drawing techniques
- hatching (use of masses strokes, roughly parallel)
- cross-hatching (use of intersecting hatched lines)
- stippling (use of masses dots)
Continuous tone drawing definition
drawing with smooth gradations of tone
- strokes are blended, layered, overlapped
Wash drawing definition
drawing which incorporates a wet medium
Medium (pl. media) definition
specific material used by artist
- dry and wet
- more than one -> mixed media
Metalpoint
the ancestor to the modern graphite pencil
Pencil grades
Light/Hard -> Dark/Soft
9H, 8H, 7H, 6H, 5H, 4H, 3H, 2H, H, F, HB, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B
Compressed charcoal
- charcoal mixed with a clay binder
- graded like graphite
- better than vine for lines, sharp edges, and dense blacks
- requires fixative
- comes in pencils and sticks
- harder to erase
Vine charcoal
- burnt willow without binder
- soft, medium, hard grades
- more easily smudged, blended, and erased than compressed
- more brittle
- requires fixative
Chalks and soft pastels
- stick and pencil forms
- blend and mix easily
- easily smudged
- better on rough surface
Crayones (wax) and oil pastels
- easily blended and mixed
- easily smudged
- not easily erased
- better on rough surface
Colored pencils
- wax bloom somtimes develops in dark spots (fogging)
- soft = verithin
Blending stomps and tortillions
pointed, rolled paper for blending
Chamois
animal hide used for lifting vine charcoal
Art gum eraser
yellowish eraser that erases soft markings, may fail to remove heavier lines
Plastic stick eraser
denser white plastic eraser that comes in a string pull or pencil
Pink pearl eraser
pink rubber eraser (can leave marks)
Dry cleaning pad
cheesecloth sack filled with powder to gently remove dirt and smudges
mahlstick
dowel used as bridge to stabilize hand from smudging
India ink
black carbon in stick and liquid form
- waterproof or non-waterproof
Sumi ink
solid block or stick, traditionally rubbed with water on ink stone
Bistre
prepared from a brown tar solution created by boiling wood soot
Sepia
prepared from a protective brownish-black fluid contained in squid sacs
Steel pens
- wide range of separable nibs
- nibs numbered 0 (broad) to higher numbers (narrower)
Speedball nibs for steel pens
A = flattened square shaped
B = flattened round shaped
C = chisel shaped
D = flattened oval shapped
Bamboo reed pens
creates variable line and dry-brush effects
- better for short bold marks
Bamboo brushes
offers greatest range of flexibility
Brushes
- Small (lower number) to large (higher numbers)
- soft (flexible) to bristle (stiff)
Shapes:
- Rounds - round, pointed tips
- Flats - flat, squared tips
- Brights - short flats
- Filberts - flat, rounded tips
Support definition
surface material upon which a drawing is made (typically paper)
Acid-free papers
made of either 100% cotton rag fiber or have been chemically treated to have a neutral pH
-better because more permanent, less likely to discolor, less likely to become brittle, less likely to deteriorate
Tooth definition (paper)
the texture of the paper
Weight definition (paper)
thickness and density of paper
- indicated by lbs
Ply definition (paper)
number of bonded layers to make up paper
Sizing (paper)
diluted glue either mixed with paper pulp or applied externally to a finished sheet of paper
- inhibits paper’s absorbency
Ground (paper)
coating material used to prepare a surface and to make it less absorbant
Sketch definition
rapidly made freehand drawing that’s not usually made as a finished work
-emphasizes essentials
Drawing definition
more finished, refined work than a sketch
- in this context -> final composition
Doodle definition
an unfocused or unconscious drawing made while a person’s attention is otherwise occupied
Gesture drawing definition
a drawing technique used when sketching from a live model
- attempts to capture a pose very quickly and the movement
Format definition
the first and most important shape of your drawing
- since it is the shape/space you are composing within
Drawing stages
- Use viewfinder to make thumbnail sketches
- how you plan to organize, design or plan an image on the page - Organizational line
- choose best thumbnail
- lightly block in version of thumbnail on scaled paper
- focus on simplified primary shapes - Correcting primary chapes with sighting and measuring
- compare relationships of size and sizing - Secondary shapes and proportions within objects
- not the smallest details
- develop the primary shapes - Details
- Line quality and final presentaion
Perceptual grid definition
very light vertical and horizontal lines across your drawing that correspond to what was sighted across the subject
- to check and adjust positional relationships between shapes
Proportion definition
size relationship between parts of a whole
Elements of design
- line
- shape and volume
- value
- texture
- color
- space
- movement
Line definition
a path left by a moving point
Types:
- actual = visible marks
- implied = suggested
Shape definition
describes a two-dimensional area defined by visible boundaries
Volume definition
three-dimensional and occupy real space
- illusion in drawing
Positive vs negative shape
positive - the shapes of objects that occupy space
negative - empty space that surrounds positive shapes
Geometric shape definition
shapes created by mathematical laws or measurements
- man-made shapes
- circles, squares, etc.
Biomorphic shape definition
shapes based on life forms that are often curvilinear and irregular
- organic
Anthropomorphic shape definition
biomorphic (organic) shapes that are based upon the human form
Value definition
relative lightness or darkness of a surface
- white to black
Value functions
- expressive - underscore emotive content
- compositional - provide a structure and to organize the surface
- descriptive - create a convincing illusion of what was observed
Chiaroscuro (kee-ah-roh-SCOOR-oh) definition
refers to the gradual blending of light and shade to create a three-dimensional illusion
- translates to “clear-obscure” or “light-dark”
Six categories of light (think ball)
Top to bottom
- highlight
- light
- halftone
- shadow core
- reflected light
- cast shadow
Value patterns
- HOW LIGHT OR DARK the value is your seeing in a particular area
- what are the SHAPES of each of these values
- what types of EDGES do these value shapes have
Texture definition
the tactile quality of a surface or its representation
Types:
- physical - real texture of a surface, experienced from touch
- visual - illusion of a physical texture
Trompe l’oeil (tromp loy) definition
visual texture illusion to an extreme
- translates to “trick the eye”
Papier colle’
collage using torn and pasted paper
frottage
rubbings are made of physical textures or reliefs
Color definition
visual sensation caused by the spectural composition of light
- hue, saturation, value
Hue definition
specific wavelength of light that we identify with common names
- color wheel
- ROYGBV
Hue classifications
- 3 primary = red, yellow, blue
- 3 secondary = orange, green, violet
- 6 tertiary = mixes of primary with adjacent secondary
- warm = red, yellow, orange
- cold = green, blue, violet
Value definition
relative lightness or darkness of a color
- gray (tone)
- white (tint)
- black (shade)
Saturation definition (chroma)
relative brightness or dullness of a color
Subtractive mixture definition
any time two different pigment hues are mixed together, the result will ALWAYS be duller than the original pigment hues
- complementary colors will dull each other more than colors near each other on the color wheel
Monochromatic scheme
uses only one hue, plus tints, shades, and tones
- concentrates primarly on value graduations of a color
Analogous scheme
three or four hues that are next to each other on the color wheel which share a common denominator
- unity of color in a drawing
- ex. yellow, yellow-green, green (all share yellow)
Complementary scheme
uses only two hues that are directly opposite one another on the color wheel
- greatest range of intensity
Triadic scheme
uses three hues that are equidistant from each other on the color wheel
- ex. orange, violet, green
Achromatic definition
work that uses only black, white, and gradations of gray
- without color
Structural color
imitates how color is influenced by atmospheric conditions outside
- referred to as atmospheric perspective
- closer forms are darker, warmer, brighter, etc. compared to farther forms
Glaze definition
a transparent layer of color applied over a form that’s been modeled in light and shade
Stages:
1. model a form monochromatically
2. apply fundamentals of structural color
- light in value and warm in hue = highlight and light areas
- medium in value and warm in hue = halftone areas
- medium in value and cold in hue = reflected light areas
Space definition
in the environment, understood as area
Volume/distance definition
can be measured in height, width, and depth (three-dimensional space)
Principles of design
- unity (harmony)
- variety
- balance
- proportion and scale
- dominance (emphasis)
- movement
- economy
Unity/Harmony definition
appearance of oneness or cohesiveness in design
- uniformity of visual characteristics or through the repetition of a design element
Rythm definition
repetition of accented elements in design
- aspect of design principle unity/harmony
- also an aspect of design principle movement
Motif definition
a shape that dominates a design through its repetition
Variety definition
appearance of dissimilarity between elements in a design
- adds interest and contrast
- can result in chaos if not counterbalanced with unity
Balance definition
appearance of equilibrium in visual weight between elements in a design
Pictorial balance types
- symmetrical/formal
- asymmetrical/informal
- radial
Proportion definition
size relationships between parts of a whole
Types of drawings that emphasize proportions
- Elevations = seen from one side on a vertical plane (outside)
- Plans = arrangement of spaces within, seen from above horizontal plane
- Cross sections = Vertical plane after cut has been made across it (inside)
Scale definition
the ratio between the dimensions of a drawn form to those of the actual subject
Dominance/emphasis definition
certain elements in a composition are given more importance while others are subordinated
- establishes order through a hierarchy between dominant and secondary elements
- moves our eye around a composition and encourages us to pause on focal points
Movement definition
the organization of elements that direct the eye continuously through and around a composition
Economy definition
establishes order and clarity in a design by paring it down to essential elements
- eliminating elaborate details that can cause fragmentation or confusion
- abstraction
Ellipses definition
symmetrical shapes that can be divied equally by a major and minor axis
- axes always bisect each other at midpoints and are perpendicular
View:
- less foreshortened (round)
down
- foreshortened view at eye level (flat)
down
-less foreshortened (round)
Surface patterns on cylindrical forms
- horizontal lines appear to bend or hook around the circumference
- vertical lines appear to get closer together (symmetrically) as they progress toward the sides
