[Back to SYLLABUS] [Art-is INDEX] [^^up to HOME page]Art Studio 42: Design
NOTE: Unless otherwise stated, quotations are by artists, and usually include at least one of the areas for which they are known. NOTE: If you are new to art (and art materials), on idea would be to carefully print this out and put the pages into a binder and as you learn each material (or not), put your notes and sketches in with these sheets. -- Share and enjoy! See also: [Art Materials] [Art Technique] [Art Terms] [Art THINGS] (sort of a catch-all)Art Studio 42: Materials
NOTE: Time as a material is treated in MATERIALS. -[here]- On this page: {Intro} {Geometric Terms} {Surface} (often ignored) {Point} {Line} {The 2d Object} polygon concave / convex {The 3d Object} {The 4d Object} (time) {Shape} {Amorphisosity} {Organical-ness} {Geometricity} {Intro} {Surface} (often ignored) {Statically Projected Images} {Texture} {Colour} {Point} {Line} {The 2d Object} {The 3d Object} {The 4d Object} (time) NOTE: Motion and such are treated in MATERIALS: -[here]- {The Appearance of Time} {Frames} eg sequential frames displayed side-by-side on a wall {Slide Show} {Short Film} {Looped Film} ie: it is clearly looped since it is short enough for us to notice. {The Featurette} including docuementaries {Feature-Length film} {Multiple Images} {Shape} {Shape - intro} {Amorphisosity} {Organical-ness} {Geometricity} {Arrangements} {Linear} {Lattices} {Fractal} {Random} {--- D E S I G N ---}Intro
Geometric Terms
In this section: {Conic Sections} {Geometric Constructions} {Plane} {Planes of Orientation}Conic Sections
If a cone (eg, of light) is projected and then a plane is sliced thru it, it will form the so-called conic sections which (as Isaac Newton was first able to show ALGEBRAICALLY) are all relted to simple formulae. These had been know to ancient civilisations as well The axis of the cone determines its orientation with respect to the slicing plane. If the plane is perpendicular, then the intersection is either a point (the tip of the cone) or a CIRCLE. As the plane moves along the axis - maintaining it's perpendicularity to the cone's axis), it slices out an increasingly larger circle. If the angle of the plane is not perpendicular to the axis of the cone, but it is not parallel to either the side of the cone or parallel to the axis, it will form an ELIPSE. When the plane is parallel to the side of the cone, the intersection is a PARABOLA (pr: pahr ahh boh lah). When the plane is parallel to the axis of the cone, the intersection is a HYPERBOLA (pr: hi per boh lah). GEOMETRICALLY, a cone is formed by the axis, and a line passing thru the *arbitrarily* chosen vertex of the cone. The angle between the AXIS and the GENERATING LINE is assumed to be more than zero and less 90 degrees. The generating line is rotated about the axis keeping it's angle with respect to the cone CONSTANT and the only point of intersection the vertex. This in fact creates TWO cones (one above the other) - appearing as if there is a MIRRO PLANE thru vertex, perpendicular to the axis. This REFERENCE PLANE is clearly unique and often used by mathers as a starting point. If we step back a bit from the vertex, drawing a line from the vertex out to a safe distance. We can then construct (see: GEOMETRIC CONSTRUCTIONS) a line perpendicular to this path we have taken. A plane can not be passed thru that line so that it forms an angle (our old friend the DI-hedral angle) with the reference plane of the cone. As we tilt the plane upward, it goes from being co-incident (over-lapping) the reference plane to cutting out an elipese thru the cone. As we increase the tilt upward of our slicing plane, it reaches a point where it is parallel to the side of the far side of the cone, and forms our parabola. As we continue tilting the slicing plane higher and higher, it forms a very wispy and lengthy parabola. Finally, when the slicing plane is standing on end (perpendicular to the reference plane), if forms a hyperbola above us, and a mirror image of it below us - these paired hyperbolas are identical and unique for the given distance of the line thru which we placed our slicing plane. As we continue to tilt the slicing plane back (it's angle now GREATER than 90 degrees, we will see below us in the other "lim" of the cone, it forming at first a wispy and lenghthy parabola, then the "normal" parabola when the slicing plane is now parallel to the near side of the cone (on the top where we are standing), and then as we continue flipping it outward, the slicing plane forms elipeses, and finally comes to rest again co-incident with the reference plane. We may repeat this act an infinite number of times. NOTE: No known fractals are created by this process.Geometric Constructions
Using the familiar compass, we can draw a circle. However, a push pin with a loop of string around it and an pencil/pen can be used to make a circle as well. Based on the idea that the distance of the points on the circumference to the centre is a constant for any given circle. However, if two push pens are located some distance apart, and a loop of string (say about 3 times as long as the distance apart as the push pins) is used, then the pencil/pen draws out an ELIPSE. It is possible to construct the other CONIC SECTIONS as well; ie, the parabola and hyperbola. Using a protractor, we can construct any triangle that we wish to with accuracy only limited to our technique. These are simple "geometric tricks" that we can take advantage of. google: "geometric construction" "pentagon" etc.Plane
(geometric term) A flat surface formed by a line and a point not on that line. The intersection of any two lines forms a plane as well. Geometrically, a plane is a purely 2d (two dimensional) surface. See also: {Conic Sections}Planes of Orientation
(geometric term) A plane can be: Horizontal (flat), Vertical (standing on end) Skew (aka "askew) - anything else. Geometrically, planes extend into infinity. As such only PARALLEL planes do not cross. When two planes intersect, they do so and form a "di-hedral angle". In the case of the walls of a room, the dihedral angle is 90-degrees. Since this is "normal" we tend to see it as soothing, expected, etc. So strong is this *learned* way of seing that a "shrinking room" may be constructed where the floor geometry is NOT a rectangle. Also, refer to such a room in -[Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory]- (1971) version). Note as with lines the sharper the angle of intersection, the more TENSION is emotionally produced, since these are interpreted parallel to the idea of a knife blade, etc. Also, similar to the juxtapostion of 2d shapes, size, extent, colour, etc are analogous as well.Surface
(often ignored)Point
Line
The 2d Object
NOTE: Refer to {Geometric Terms}, above. polygon concave / convex
The 3d Object
Refer to {Geometric Terms}, above.
The 4d Object
(time)
Shape
Amorphisosity
Organical-ness
Geometricity
Intro
Surface
(often ignored)Statically Projected Images
Texture
{
Colour
Additive and Subtractive Colour Theories of Colour How the (human) eye sees Colour Wheels
Point
Line
The 2d Object
geometric terms polygon concave / convex
The 3d Object
The 4d Object
(time) NOTE: Motion and such are treated in MATERIALS: -[here]- Time is (oddly enough *not* as the SF author used in the title of one of his books "Time is the Simplest Thing) - ie, it's not simple at all. We can FORCE time to seem existant by simply using either text or conventions (eg, an hour glass symbol), etc. This is also an important point (known in film work as "mise en scene" (lit: placed in the scene). When we simply put an object into the thing (thing hyper-medial collage here, or a placard, etc). A placard with the words "But, then" "Come the next day" As well, as showing an actor getting out of bed, yawning and stretching indicates the passage of time. Of course, so used to the idea of a "sequence of events", that we can hardly escape the implications of time where none exist. For example, a series of wall-mounted pictures of an area or event might indicate a flow of time as one walks down the line; we disucss this idea more fully below, in talking about {frames}.
The Appearance of Time
(snap shot vs evidence of time) vanitas
Frames
eg sequential frames displayed side-by-side on a wall
Slide Show
Short Film
Looped Film
ie: it is clearly looped since it is short enough for us to notice.
The Featurette
including docuementaries
Feature-Length film
Multiple Images
{-------------------------------------------------} {--- ---} {--- S H A P E ---} {--- ---} {-------------------------------------------------}Shape
See also: {Arrangements} In this section: {Shape - intro} {Amorphisosity} {Organical-ness} {Geometricity}Shape - intro
In general, there are TWO WORLDS of shapes: organic (also refered to as bio-morphic (bio=life-type-things) (think amoeba's, flower petals, leaves, human and other type beings) geometric (think rigidly straight lines, triangles, perfect circcles, etc) Of course these can be inter-changed, combined, juxtaposed, etc ad infinitum. For example, the sun-flower (obviously organic) has at its seed-core those wondrously beautiful spirals that Archimedes's studies gave his name to. And of course most human-made "huts" in jungles, the arctic, etc revolve around the circle as the most efficient way of enclosing an area, heating/cooling it efficiently, etc. In-between are the GREY areas: Amorphous shapes; think clouds.Amorphisosity
NOTE: Refer freely to: {Random Arragmenents}, below. Amorphic literally means "without change/shape/form". Probably the best example of this is smoke in a room, a large water spill on the floor, etc. In these cases of course, we know that the PHYSICS of the objects determine the shapes and forms of the things. One of the best examples, is the MENISCUS of liquids - that is their tendency to try to form sphereical (and thus MINIMAL ENERGY SURFACES - physics-speek). You can fill a glass of water to just *slightly* overflowing - forming a CONCAVE meniscus. In the case of a mercury thermometre it forms a CONVEX meniscus. Note: Mercury is extremely toxic - the phrase "Mad as a Hat-er" (eg, "Alice in Wonderland") derives from the way that mercury was used in treating hat -[felt]- Thus, even in the seemingly amorphous world of the liquid are (naturally) sub-atomic forces trying to impose geometric order on it. As regards such things as crystal growths, they too can branch out amorphously (google: "rock garden" "crystal garden"). One of the best SF books on this is "The Veils of Azlaroc" by Fred Saberhagen. In which he explores (and has much inspired my own SF stage design) a world of ORGANIC GEOMETRICITY. -[blurb here]- Some of the great masters of amorphousosity include: -[Joan Miro]- (pr: whahn mee-roh) -[Yves Tanguy]- (pr: eev tan gway) Remember that in both cases, it's mainly the b/g's (back/ground) images that form the amorphous part of the works. In the case of Tanguy, he often uses elements that appear life-like (biomorphic figures), as well as things that appear to "read" as rocks or other in-organic objects. The limits of these two ranges are something like: organic: a photograph of a flower ... a painting of an amoeba in-organic: a photo of diamond ... a drawing of a rock in (eg) a impressionistic styleOrganical-ness
Geometricity
Arrangements
Once we have our whatever it is: In this section: {Linear} {Lattices} {Fractal} {Random}Linear Arrangments
Lattices
the square array triangular, circular, diamond tile-ingsVolumetric Arragnements
Fractal Arrangements
Random
Note: Refer freely to: {Amorphisosity}, above.
