ARTS 111 | Design I     

Introduction

Markmaking

Line

Components of Art

Composition

Shape

Figure/Ground

Texture

Value

Value - Gamut

Space

Perspective

More Perspective

Still More

The end of Perspective

Color ~ Hues

Color ~ CMYK

Color ~ HVS

Atmospheric Perspective

Color Schemes

Color Interaction

Repetition

Typography

Gestalt

Shape

A Shape is a two dimensional area with identifiable boundaries.

A Shape is a perceivable area. Shapes can be created by line and by changes in color, value and/or texture, etc.  These changes define at least the edges of the shape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Categories of shapes

Shapes can be described by a variety of terms (it is not uncommon to use terms from more than one category):

 

Objective, representational, realistic, naturalistic
Shapes imitating real things.Objective shapes may be completely accurate, naturalistic.
OR
Subjective, abstract	Henri Matisse
Partial-abstraction or semi-abstraction... Partly representational but simplified and/or rearranged. Subjective shapes have been changed by the character of the artist. They are often baseds in reality, but reflect the perspective through which the artist views reality.
OR	Joan Miro  (Spanish, Catalan, pronounced Jwan mr-OH)
Nonobjective, Non-representational, complete abstraction
Imaginary shapes… created by the designer

 

	Josef Albers
Geometric
Mechanically drawn lines: squares, rectangles, triangles, circles, polygons
OR
Biomorphic, Organic, Freeform	Georgia O'keefe
Shapes often based on forms of nature, which are frequently rounded, irregular and curving... growing.

Shapes can be curvilinear, rectilinear or both.	Charles Demuth

Actual Shapes	Charles Sheeler
OR
Implied   Shapes	Josef Albers
OR
Amorphous Shapes Shapes without shape!	Wilhelm De Kooning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Defining shapes

 

Shapes can be defined by line.	Charles Sheeler
Value (the relative lightness or darkness of a color) can define a shape. Strong contrasts in value within a composition may define the boundaries of forms.	M.C. (Maurits Cornelis) Escher
Color can define a shape	Romare Bearden
Texture can define a shape	Vincent van Gogh
Shapes are frequently defined by a combination of these.

 

More shape-intensive images:
Fernand Leger	Fernand Leger	Henri Matisse	Georges Roualt	Katsushika Hokusai
Helen Frankenthaler	Helen Frankenthaler	Georges Braque	Pablo Picasso	Victor Vaserelly

 

 
    
 


    

Assignments

On a sheet of Bristol board, use pencil and lightly create a 3 x 3 grid (9 squares total), each square is 2.5” ...allow some space between each square to allow for labelling…… Outline grid squares with black marker and/or India ink... Erase pencil lines… And illustrate each of the following shape terms...with fine tipped black marker and/or India ink... No color... noe pencil... Use a ruler and compass when appropriate.

1. Representational
2. Abstract (Same shape as #1, but abstracted)
3. Non-objective
   
   
4. Geometric actual, curvilinear 
5. Geometric implied 
6. Geometric filled, no outline, non-curvilinear
   
   
7. Organic/Freeform outlined
8. Organic/Freeform defined by texture, no outline
9. Organic/Freeform filled, no outline

Title the whole page "SHAPES" and label each grid square with the above names.

 

Homework Assignment

Just like lines, shapes exist in nature and human environments.
Take your digital camera (cell phone, iPod, Canon PowerShot) outside and photograph some shapes in your surroundings. Take shots of some “natural” shapes… and some “manmade” shapes. Back “home” review your images and select the “best” six or more images. Print them out and format them. Cut the images to the formatted shape and glue them into your sketch book. Title the images “Shapes” plus anything else you might want to add to the title.