Image Essay # 7

For this image essay, I will talk about figure ground reversal. Figure ground reversal is an arrangement in which positive and negative shapes alternatively command attention. It is also known as positive and negative interchange. We have talked about this in one of our assignments where we had to choose a word and make the figure ground reversal in the image. Most images that have figure ground reversal are in black and white, to show the positive and negative colors. An artist by the name of M.C. Escher does a few works that contain figure ground reversal. The image that I am showing is one of his works. In the image, we see black and white lines across the top, bottom, and sides with the center containing no stripping. The top half of the image is white and the bottom image is black. In the top white half, the artist creates his bird shapes using black and the birds are also going, from top to bottom, more detailed to less detailed. In the bottom half of the image, Escher creates his fish shapes using white, since the background is already black. The fish are, from top to bottom, going from less detailed to more detailed, which is opposite from the top.

Image Essay # 6

For this image essay, I will talk about curvilinear shapes. A curvilinear shape is a shape whose contour is dominated by curves and flowing lines. Images with shapes that contain the curves create a more dynamic image. The curves in the shapes tend to create motion or a change in the motion if the viewer follows the curved lines. Having the curves creates a rhythm for the viewer to follow. In the image I am showing, the whole center of focus of the piece is the white shape that is full of curves. The white piece creates a very dynamic flow, and the viewer’s eyes tend to follow the line as it curves into different directions. It creates almost a maze type of effect, and the viewer would most likely try to find the beginning of the image and try to follow it around to see if there is an end. The curvilinear shapes keep the viewer’s eyes moving at all times which is a good thing to do. The artist would not want the viewer’s eyes to stay in one place and not notice the rest of the image. It also creates layers and shadows are apparent, and that gives it a good indication of depth.

Image Essay # 5

For this image essay, I will talk about rhythm. Rhythm in an image is very important. Rhythm is the movement or variation characterized by the regular recurrence and the patterned, recurring alternations of contrasting elements. An image that has a good rhythm gives the viewer’s eyes to move around the image and look around. A person creating a good art piece would not want their viewer’s eyes to stay in one spot, unless that is the intent. The viewer’s eyes must make its way around the image to be able to see what the artist is doing. In my image that I found, there is a lot of circular motion that moves the viewer’s eyes around. It seems to start from the lower right hand side of the image and moves toward the top left and then over to the smaller circles on the top right. In the beginning there are also two rectangular shapes that help the eye move towards the top left side of the image. Even if that is not the way everyone sees the movement, the circular shapes create sort of an explosive feel. That makes the viewer’s eyes to move around the image instead of just staying in one particular area.

Blog Entry # 5

For this blog assignment, we are to blog about an artist in our major. From what I had to choose, I chose Dave McKean.

1. Dave McKean has contributed a lot for digital arts by showing off different styles of images for a lot of mainstream things which includes CD covers, book covers, graphic novels, and also short comics.

2.Dave has illustrated a lot of different comics and other forms of media. The fact that he uses a lot of different forms of media makes him stand out. He does paintings, line-art, photography, digital manipulation, and typography. He uses his many talents to make himself known, and to put it oout in the publice for people to see.

3.What impresses me the most about this artist is even though he failed to find work as a comic artist, he met a few people and started to do work with them and became popular. He got something out of failing and that is good to see. Failing is not always a bad thing, it just opens up more oportunities. I also like some of his works he did for the comic book series called "The Dreaming." A lot of his works seem surreal and that gives it a freaky but interesting feel to the works.

4. In one of his works for the comic book "The Dreaming," he had an image with a face with buildings on top and bottom. The face seems to be the most dominant object in the image. It is the biggest and it is easilty distinguished. From the face he seems to have made some skyscrapers rise up from the top of the head and that sort of makes the buildings subordinate to the face. In another work of his from his tarot series, he had one titled "Space" and the human figure is the most dominant object and it looks as thought it is in torment and stressed. The form is dominant compared to the little human figure hanging on the side and also the birds in the sky.

5. In most of Dave's works he seems to manipulate the human forms. In some images there is a normal head, but the body that is attatched is manipulated and sometimes distorted to make the image more interesting.

6. After seeing some of his works, I think that he works with a lot of abstract ideas. I like working more with abstract ideas as well and it seems that most of the digital manipulations he does on his works make it very interesting. Also, the fact that a lot of mainstream media use his works makes it even more interesting.

Image Essay # 4

For this image essay, I will talk about focal point. The focal point of an image is a singular point or area of points that attract the most attention; having the most visual weight in a composition. The focal point draws the viewer’s eye to the object or image that the person who is creating the image has created. In the image that I have found, the focal point of the image is pretty easy to find. The focal point is pretty much directly in the center of the image. The work seems to be a painting and the object in the center is sphere shaped and seems to be on to of whatever is in the background of the image. The background seems to be composed of brush strokes of different colors. The colors that are mainly used in the image are orange, yellow, green, and black. All of the colors in the background used in the brush strokes seem to merge into the center of the image. That is exactly where the sphere is and the brush strokes help move the viewer’s eyes to the center. The flow of the brush strokes helps a great deal to get the viewer to the center of the image.

Image Essay # 3

For this image essay, I will talk about definition. We had the word definition come up a lot during different lectures and assignments. Definition is the degree to a shape is distinguished from both the ground area and from other shapes within the design. Clearly defined shapes tend to advance while blurred shapes tend to recede. In the image shown, there is a background that is mostly green with some yellows and white and in the foreground there is a massive object that is pink. The pink object has some shapes that look like eggs. The egg shaped objects look somewhat metallic and gives off a reflection of the background and of other parts of the object that is below. The definition used to define the separate objects is clearly used well. The use of the reflection of different things off the egg shaped object and shadows separate the object from the background. The image also shows that the egg shaped objects in the front are crisper and is more defines. The egg shaped objects toward the back seem to recede into the background and tends to blur a bit with the background, which makes this image a pretty good representation of definition.

Image Essay # 2

This week, we have talked about broken pattern. Broken pattern is a point at which a perceptual structure of a pattern is broken, then becoming an area of focus. Broken pattern is also a part of the six principles of Gestalt. Having repetition and broken repetition helps a composition flow better. In the image that I am showing, it has a building with several windows. All of the windows are pretty much the same. The eleven windows all have glass around them and in the center there is a square hole that does not contain glass. The one exceptional window, which breaks the pattern of the glassed windows, contains no glass and is partly covered up by a cardboard or wood looking board. Having a broken pattern from the glassless window makes that the area of focus. The viewer tends to shift their focus to the window without the glass because it is different from the rest of the windows. When a viewer sees something different from the rest of the image, they will usually turn their focus in that direction. That can be very useful for the person who is trying to show someone what they want the viewer to look at.