Art and Design A comprehensive guide for creative artists - Aaltodoc

Principles of design
Principles of design enable artists to organise and arrange
compositions of artworks in aesthetically pleasing ways.
Jirousek (1995) defines, “principles as concepts used to
organise or arrange the structural elements of a design.”
Here is a brief analysis of how principles of design can be
cleverly put to use by creative artists:
Contrast is a principle of design used to create differences
between tones, colours, texture, images—within a work of
art. Bellamy (2004, 52) is more enlightening: “A design using
full chroma colours will have emphasis on hue contrast,
where as weak chroma throughout will neutralise contrast.”
In Vincent van Gogh’s painting; Wheat fields with Ravens,
high contrasts of yellow were used to bring forward wheat
fields in an easily noticeable way against a dark blue sky.
Emphasis is a principle of design used by creative artists
or designers in their art works to indicate parts of a design,
which—express exceptional importance. It can be done
by using colours, shapes, textures as well as other basic
elements of design to make a particular section of the
artwork noticeable or prominent.
Occasionally, emphasis happens in an area chosen to reveal
a centre of interest or a focus point of a successful design.
Perspective is a point of view that appears—to enlarge
or extend from the actual size into space. It is the optical
illusion/effect of distance—in the right impressions of
height, width and depth.
Other creative artists explain perspective as an angle of
vision depicting foreshortening. Ashwin (1982, 184) notes,
“Fore shortening” is the “optical shortening of forms when
viewed end on.” Hence, the closer you get towards the
object, the greater the effect of the angle of vision during
foreshortening. Leonardo da Vinci painted the Last supper. It
shows perspective using converging lines on Christ.
Artistic objects depicting perspective appear in such a way
that—from the position of view, objects appear large and
they disappear—turn into small and smaller delineations
as they recede from the viewer’s eyes on a two dimensional
surface.
Ashwin (1982, 97) asserts, “our ability to interpret and
appreciate foreshortened drawings is to some extent
dependent upon the circumstances of a prevailing ground
... ” Obviously, then, creative artists or learners should be
encouraged to rely on existing ground level to successfully
draw and achieve depth on flat surfaces by using
perspective in the following ways:
a. Standpoint is a perspective, which operates properly
with linear. Digolo & Mazrui (1988, 23) assert, “in
linear perspective, the objects in the foreground are
drawn bigger and distinct ... in the middle ground,
objects become smaller and less distinct while ... in
the background” they get “smaller and only faintly
suggested.” That is to say, to sketch a standpoint
perspective. It is important to rely on parallel lines
converging to a single vanishing point of an object.
b. Birds-eye/view is a level of perspective that is
translated as a general view seen from above. “Looking
down ward” (Lidwell et al. 2010, 39).
Bird’s eye is also referred to as a three-point
perspective. This type of perspective is typical for
portraying maps and landscapes. To sketch birds view
scenes creative artists make use of high grounds.
Tables showing
various
inclinations of
perspective
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