Lui Hsiao Hui (Tressa) / 0342003
Design Principles / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Topic 3: Repetition and Movement
LECTURES
Week 3: Friday 16/4/2021
In Dr. Jinchi's pre-recorded lecture, we were taught four more design
principles: repetition, movement, hierarchy and alignment. As usual after
this lecture, I did some visual research on these design principles below.
Week 4: Tuesday 20/4/2021
Dr. Charles demonstrated this week's design principles to us using
watercolour. At the start of the class he also mentioned that while it is
important to know the definitions of each design principle, we should have
our own interpretations and definitions of the principles as we are the
designers/artists. I thought that was really insightful and interesting.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. TWO designs, one for repetition and one for movement.
2. Upload both designs in PDF file in your blog.
3. Send your blog link here.
4. Your blog must be in your actual name for easy identification.
Make sure it has:
a) Visual research
b) Idea exploration
c) Feedback from lecturer
d) Final design outcome (pictures must be neatly
cropped and must not be shadowy/blur)
e) Brief reflection for the week
Materials: Watercolour, soft pastels
VISUAL RESEARCH
Repetition
Fig. 2.1 Design by C. P. Silver (@cpsilver.xyz)
Repetition in shape (circles). The way it's arranged creates the illusion
of movement, some are overlapped and closely knit together, while some are
spaced out further (good use of space), indicating the circles are moving
away from each other.
Fig. 2.2 Design by Cristian Iacob (@c.icb)
Repetition in shape (stars and ovals). Variation in the scale of the stars
and arrangement creates the illusion of movement.
Fig. 2.3 Illustration by Refael Idan Suissa (@irefaels)
The illustration is repeated, sort of becoming like a pattern. Although
the moon isn't the exact copy, it still counts as repetition because it is
of the same colour value, scale and object.
Movement
Fig. 3.1 "Amarelo" collage by Roger Mattos (@linearcollages)
Repeated pattern (lines) creating the illusion of movement. This draws
attention to the girl highlighted in the yellow circle - emphasis. This
collage is quite psychedelic too. The artist also used the rule of thirds as
the elements are placed in the center.
Fig. 3.2 Design by Ryan Su (@studio.ryan)
Lines creating the illusion of movement. When the lines are placed very
close to each other it gives the illusion of difference in colour value -
darker when placed very close, lighter when placed far apart.
Fig. 3.3 "Forced changes" art by Malena Bozzini (@malenabozzini)
Distortion in the painting creates a movement effect as if the subject is
moving from left to right.
Fig. 3.4 "Corrupted" art by Allen Williams (@i_justdraw)
Viewers would be drawn to the character's eyes and strong expression, then
follow the shape/contour of the horns.
Hierarchy
Fig. 4.1 Design by Meindl Taxer (@meindltaxer)
Hierarchy: what's more important. Contrast in subject and scale, creating
emphasis and showing a level of hierarchy. The placement also guides
viewers to look at the most significant object first - large circle, small
circle and then the figure.
Alignment
Fig. 5.1 Design by Alina Maria Rybacka (@alina_maria_r)
Fig. 5.2 Design by Matthew Lumb (@_mattlumb)
Fig. 5.3 Design by Meindl Taxer (@meindltaxer)
PROGRESS AND IDEA EXPLORATION
1. Repetition
Fig. 6.1 Repetition sketches, Week 4 (18/4/2021)
My first idea for repetition (left sketch) is to paint repeated humanoid
silhouettes. The first figure would be standing straight, while the
other two leaning against the first. The concept behind this idea is
reliance and support. I wanted to relate my work with personal issues as
a form of self-expression.
While sketching my first idea, I thought about how the slouching figures
looked very sad, which reminded me of the tarot card "Three of Swords".
Ironically, it's also very fitting because there are 3 figures in the
sketch. After this revelation, I created the second sketch. This time I
think it portrays the design principle repetition much stronger because
the elements are repeated more than the first idea. I proceeded with
this idea because of the symbolic meaning, how personal it is to me and
I think it's also a better and clearer representation for repetition.
Inspiration - Repetition
Fig. 6.2 Tarot Card "Three of Swords"
When upright, the Three of Swords represents pain. Whereas, when
reversed it represents negative self-talk, releasing pain, optimism,
forgiveness.
Final Outcome - Repetition
Fig. 6.3 "Sisyphus", Week 4 (20/4/2021)
Medium: Watercolour. Repetition in subjects - souls/human figures
and swords. I left the background empty for stronger contrast and
the use of negative space. Besides that, this painting shows a
sense of visual hierarchy - the difference in scale and
positioning of different subjects, as well as movement -
diagonal alignment/leading line.
This piece is about the repetition of pain and obstacles in life, hence
the title "Sisyphus". I related this piece to my personal life and it is
very meaningful to me. Some may interpret the yellow figure as the only
person who survived, while others may perceive the yellow figure and
blue souls as the same person - perhaps the blue souls are his old self
life has killed.
In the Greek myth, Sisyphus was punished for cheating death twice by
being forced to roll an immense boulder up a hill only for it to roll
down every time it neared the top, repeating this action for eternity. I
thought it was very fitting for this piece as it represents repetition,
and my intention of the yellow figure is to show how we constantly climb
back up just to be struck down again by obstacles in life (swords).
Symbolism in colours:
- Red longswords: Brutality, pain, obstacles, harsh reality.
- Blue souls: Past-selves, all the parts of the persona that's killed,
sadness.
- Yellow climbing figure: Hope, new soul/self, try again.
Fig. 6.4 "Sisyphus" with the use of the rule of thirds
I actually subconsciously drew out the composition within the rule of
thirds. I only realised this when I loaded the scan into Photoshop to
apply the grids. I'm quite surprised at how close in accuracy the
subjects are aligned with the guidelines. The only thing I think I
should improve on is the alignment of the first sword - it would look
better if it's tilted a little more to the left. Overall, I think
there's a good use of space and composition.
Alternate Version
Fig. 6.5 "Sisyphus" red version, Week 4 (20/4/2021)
A red and black version which is more of my style. This version gives
off a different vibe, it is more striking and suits the symbolic
expression best in my opinion.
2. Movement
Fig. 7.1 Rough collage - digital sketch, Week 4 (18/4/2021)
Originally, I thought of creating this piece for repetition because of
the repeated hands, but I think it suits movement better. I took
reference photos of my own hands and created a quick, rough collage in
Photoshop. Fig. 7.1 shows the composition I'm going for.
Fig. 7.2 Painting progress, Week 4 (18/4/2021)
For the background colour, I wanted it to be mint green but diluted
watercolours aren't as vibrant, so I tried using forest green. However,
I didn't like how it looked. It wasn't creating good contrast so I
decided to cut out the hands and paste them on black paper.
Final Outcome - Movement
Fig. 7.3 "You know you need me", Week 4 (20/4/2021)
Medium: Watercolour. Repetition in subjects - hands. There's also
emphasis on the single hand because of the surrounding
negative space (black background). Additionally, all of the hands are differentiated by
contrasting primary colours.
The story behind this piece is about giving and taking, somewhat also
related to reliance and support which was my repetition piece. My
interpretation of the hands above is that they are the takers, while the
lonely hand at the bottom is the giver who never gets the same treatment
in return.
Fig. 7.4 "You know you need me" - flipped upside down
The odd thing is when the painting is flipped upside down, the giver
suddenly has a sense of authority and status because of its top placement,
and it is alone. To me, it looks like it's being picky, choosing which
unfortunate soul to help. I think it's interesting that meanings can
change by just flipping things upside down. Or perhaps it's just me
reading into things too much.
Fig. 7.5 "You know you need me" with the use of the rule of thirds
Curved leading line. I painted the bottom, top left and right hands red as a way to frame
the movement, sort of like a curved v-shape, so it draws viewers' eyes
to follow the movement of the artwork.
PDF FILE
Fig. 3.4 Exercise 3: Repetition and Movement - PDF, Week 4 (20/4/2021)
FEEDBACK
Dr. Charles mentioned that I have a keen eye for creating artworks. For the
repetition painting, the yellow figure doesn't stand out much, he suggested
maybe painting the outline of the figure instead or perhaps use a different
colour but it may not suit the concept. Besides that, the third sword is cut
off, which Dr. Charles preferred to have it not cut off. He also agreed with
me and found that the red version of repetition is much stronger because of
the contrast. For the movement painting, he said it definitely shows
movement, and he suggested combining both flipped and unflipped painting
together at the hands which I thought was a clever idea. Overall there's a
good composition in the final outcomes.
REFLECTION
I really enjoyed this week's exercise. It's also been months since I've
used watercolours so it was a good practice. I had fun coming up with
ideas and implementing the design principles in my work. I'm particularly
very pleased with my repetition artwork because I got to express
myself.
Comments
Post a Comment
be nice