Principles of Design

Charity T. Garcia, LPT, MAT-Soc.Sci.

Instructor
 Principles of Design
These are art composition techniques
which have been proven and used by both
fine and graphic artists to communicate
ideas and concepts effectively.
Fine artists make art for personal
expression. Graphic artists make
commercial art.
 Contrast
To create depth and dimension, combine light
and dark colors; smooth and rough textures; and
large and small shapes.
A landscape watercolor painting “Dream City
Banaras 1” by Prafull Savant, an artist from
India. Notice the use of dark and light colors:
 Harmony
Harmony happens when elements of art like
form, color, and theme unite.
Edvard Munch’s The Scream displays harmony in art because the
screaming figure's head, hands and curled body is
in harmony with the wavy forms of the fjord (pronounce:
“fyord”; means water inlet) , mountains, and the clouds.
The Scream is famous for it is so universal in its
meaning. Anyone can look at it and feel
something. Edvard Munch (Norwegian;
pronounce: edvard mungk) painted it to
represent a moment of existential crisis in his
life (a time when one questions his/her
existence and purpose in life).
 Balance
4 types:
– Symmetrical: each half of the artwork is identical or very similar
that you can draw a line through the art and compare each side
– Asymmetrical: when each half is different but still looks
balanced; large focal point on one side with many, less
recognizable focal points on the other sides but still balanced
– Radial: elements spread out from a central point and are evenly
spread
– Crystallographic: a.k.a. “mosaic” balance; involves creating a
grid pattern and achieving balance by repeating elements of
equal weight all over; harmony in repetition
 Symmetrical Balance
(Da Vinci’s 15th-century mural painting The Last Supper)
 John or Mary?
Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, ignited
a conspiracy theory that the figure sitting on
Jesus’s right hand side is actually Mary
Magdalene, not the disciple John as many would
have us believe. But before Leonardo da Vinci,
there were hundreds of “Last Suppers”. He had
to copy the last suppers before him, and John
looked like a woman.
 Asymmetrical Balance
The Creation of Adam by Italian painter
Michelangelo (15th century painting):
Van Gogh’s Starry, Starry Night (1889) is also asymmetrical. Most
modern art is asymmetrical. Modern art includes artistic work
produced from the 1860s to the 1970s.
 Radial Balance
(best example: mandala art)
Mandalas, meaning "circles" in Sanskrit, are spiritual
and ritual symbols in Hinduism and Buddhism,
representing the universe. The circular designs symbolize
the idea that life is never ending and everything is
connected. Creating mandala art is a form of therapy for
both adults and children. Mandalas have been shown in
clinical studies to boost the immune system, reduce
stress and pain, lower blood pressure, promote sleep
and ease depression. It is through the process of creating
round, symmetrical images that healing happens.
Crystallographic Balance
 Rhythm and Movement
Rhythm is created by using one or more
elements of design (lines, shapes, colors…)
repeatedly to create a feeling of organized
movement.
 Unity and Variety
Variety is the use of different visual elements
throughout a work, whereas unity is a feeling
that all the parts of a work fit together well.
These do not have to be opposites, as a work
filled with variety might also have unity.
 Emphasis and Subordination
Emphasis is defined as an area or object within
the artwork that draws attention and becomes a
focal point. Subordination is defined as
minimizing or toning down other compositional
elements in order to bring attention to the focal
point.
Andrew Wyeth’s “Christina’s World”
Christina’s World was inspired by Wyeth's neighbor Anna
Christina Olson and the title Christina's World is
courtesy of Wyeth's wife. It is world-famous because the
painting appears to be more of a psychological landscape
than a portrait, a portrayal of a state of mind rather than
a place.

Anna had a degenerative muscular disorder which meant

that she could not walk from roughly 30 years old. She
was firmly against using a wheelchair, so she would crawl
everywhere. Wyeth was inspired to create the painting
when he saw her crawling across a field while he was
watching from a window in the house.
 Scale and Proportion
Scale is the size of one object in relation to the
other objects in a design
or artwork. Proportion refers to the size of the
parts of an object in relationship to other parts
of the same object.
Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" (drawn in year 1490) is a
perfect example of proportion in the human body. Da Vinci
used this figure as a study of the proportions of the body.
His precise representation examined what people thought
was the perfect male body at the time. The same perfection
is seen in Michelangelo's "David" statue. In this case, the
artist used classic Greek mathematics to sculpt a perfectly
proportioned body. The perception of beautiful proportions
has changed over the ages. In the Renaissance, human
figures tend to be plump and healthy (but not obese),
particularly the women because it implied fertility. Over
time, the shape of the "perfect" human body changed to the
point where we are today when fashion models are very
lean. In earlier times, this would have been a sign of sickness.
Sandro Boticelli’s The Birth of Venus (14th
century painting)
Based on Greek mythology, Venus, the goddess
of love and beauty, arrived on land at the island
of Cyprus, born of the sea spray and blown there
by the winds. The goddess is standing on a giant
scallop shell, as pure and as perfect as a pearl.
 The Golden Ratio
The golden ratio has been used by artists to
locate aesthetically pleasing areas to place
subjects and distribute weight in paintings. The
Golden Ratio can help create a composition that
will draw the eyes to the important elements of
the photo.
 Techniques in Using the Golden Ratio

One technique is to use the “eyes of the

rectangle" to position your subjects. These
"eyes" are indicated in blue below:
Another option is to segment your painting into
nine unequal sections using the golden ratio.
The ratio of the columns is 1: 0.618: 1. Likewise
for the rows. You can then use this diagram as a
tool to ensure there is balance throughout your
composition. The application of the golden
section and the rule of thirds is basically the
same.
In this painting by Georges Seurat, the golden
ratio appears to have been used throughout the
painting - to define the horizon, to place points
of interest and to create balance in what would
appear to be a very active scene.
Georges Seurat also seems to have used the
golden ratio in this painting. Notice the
positioning of the jetty, the sail mast and the
horizon.
Other Examples of The Golden Ratio
 The Rule of Thirds
In photography, this rule indicates that you
should place key elements of your scene at one
or more of these areas in a photo.
Who would have thought art and maths could
have such a close connection? Luca Pacioli (a
contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci) went as far
as saying:

“Without mathematics, there is no art.”

 Depth and Perspective
Perspective is a technique that enables artists to add
the illusion of depth to a painting or drawing. One
that strongly gives depth to a scene is overlap. If one
object in a scene overlaps or obscures another, then
the partially hidden object must be further from the
viewer. But there are many other techniques for
indicating depth in a flat artwork. For example,
distant objects can be shown smaller, brighter objects
appear closer to the viewer, shading can give the
illusion of contour and shape, and objects in the
distance can be shown with less detail.
 Perspective Lines and Vanishing Points for
Showing Depth and Perspective
The vanishing point is the single point on the horizon where all
lines on the ground level seem to meet together. The horizon line
is the place where the land and the sky meet. The octagonal or
converging lines are the lines that meet at the vanishing point.
Vincent Van Gogh’s painting Bedroom in Arles
(the lines of course are invisible)
Raphael’s The School of Athens painting
(made in the 15th century)