The Grand TraditionThe Basics

The Rules of Art"I would chiefly recommend, that an implicit obedience to the Rules of Art, as established by the practice of the great Masters, should be exacted from the young Students. That those models, which has passed through the approbation of ages, should be considered PERFECT AND INFALLIBLE guides; as subjects for their imitation, and NOT THEIR CRITICISM. I am confident that this is the only efficacious method of making progress in the arts; and that he who sets out with doubting, will find life finished before he becomes the master of the rudiments. For it may be laid down as a maxim, that he who begins by presuming on his own sense, has ended his studies as soon as he has commenced them"

(Sir Joshua Reynolds, Discourse One, 1769)

What is Entertainment?

Entertainment allows you to escape yourself.

You

Escape

What is Art?

Art makes you look into yourself and ask the hard questions.

You

The HARD Question

BeautyUnity With Variety

Below we have two same-size rectangles, both of which have had two lines drawn through them.

The rectangle on the left is divided evenly, yielding us four panels of the same size and shape while the one on the right creates four differently shaped panels. Both images achieve unity, with the panels seeming to belong properly with the whole, but only one has variety. The first image is much less visually stimulating to our eyes and as a result does not hold our attention as long as the second image which has something for our eyes to explore.

The images you create should hold your viewer's attention, should give them something to explore. A good notion to remember is, "Anything in the center is boring" so if your design does not require it be in the center, then it should not be.

This is as good a time as any to introduce the concept of Dominance. Design is an act of premeditation, there is a goal in mind, and to achieve our goal we need to focus on that which brings us closer to doing so. You will hear over and over again that, "something MUST be dominant." This is especially true when part of the goal is that your idea be understood as quickly and as clearly as possible.

Although the images above are simple, it is clear that no one panel is dominant in the first image, and that the large rectangle clearly dominates the second.

"There is only room for one big idea in a design." -Scott Kuntz

Beauty

Beauty

The Aesthetics of Beauty

The Greeks believes that things can only exist in one of three states:

Simplicity

Beauty

Ugliness

Yes, I am sure many of you are going, "Huh, what is beautiful about a rectangle?" well, think about the words you might use to describe the first two images. The square might be described as even or balanced, but we quickly run out of words with which to express what we see because it really is just a simple object. The rectangle however gives us more opportunity for description with words such as sleek, slender, long, stable, sturdy, resting, etc... which, when compared to the simplicity of the square, might be considered beautiful.

So now we get to the Ugliness of the third image, and once again I hear the question clearly, "Isn't that just another rectangle?" Yes, it is, but for the Greeks Ugliness was the state of not being Beautiful or Simple, and our third image is certainly not the same as either of the first two.

Mommy, Daddy, Baby

50%35%

15%

Narrative FocusOr, Where You Want the Audience to Look.

Narrative Focus is paramount to connecting with your audience. Manipulating your viewer by playing the on the nature of the human eye By understanding the nature of how the EYE works.

Contrast

Shadow Midtone HighlightHighlightHighlight

Shadow HighlightHighlightHighlight Midtone

Point of Maximum Contrast

The Human eye is controlled by contrast. Making your narrative focus The POINT OF MAXIMUM Contrast is key to controlling the viewers attention.

The Golden Ratio

Place your subject in the Golden Ratio.There our four points on the plane.

The Golden Ratio is where the eye Naturally rests and is a powerfulDevice in controlling the Narrative Focus of your viewer.

The PrinciplesLine

Shape

Value

Texture

Direction

Size

Color

Horizon Line Position

Choosing the horizon line position is crucial for creating the proper emotionalResponse for the viewer.

High Angle position places the viewer above the subject. This will give a sense That the viewer is dominate.

The Eye level position places the viewer and subject on equal terms.It allows the viewer to connect with the subject.

Low Angle places the view below the subject, allowing the subject to appear dominate.

High angle placement puts the narrative focus On the ground plan and looks down on the subject.

Eye level focus the viewer on the Foreground. But it should never be CENTER.

High Angle places the NarrativeFocus in the sky plane. It forces the Audience to look up at the subject.

High angle placement puts the narrative focus On the ground plan and looks down on the subject.

Eye level focus the viewer on the Foreground. But it should never be CENTER.

High Angle places the NarrativeFocus in the sky plane. It forces the Audience to look up at the subject.

Avoid Tangents

Emotional Quality of Line

Line is key to creating the proper emotional response in your viewer. IT can give the perfect subtext to the overall idea you are showing.

Vertical Line: this line transmits the idea of stability, honor, power, strength, and awe.Perfect for showing a strong company image that is stable for the long haul.

Horizontal Line: this line evokes the idea of peace, calm rest and quietude. This can be a nice contrast to a dynamic sequence to help Cleans the pallet. Oblique Line: this suggest motion, movement clash action and combat. This line can be used to emphasis a dynamic moving changing company.

Emotion of Line

Vertical Line evokes the idea of Power, Strength, Stability, and Awe.

Horizontal Line evokes Peace, Calm, Rest, and quietude.

Oblique Lines are Action, Movement, Combat and Action.

Vertical Line evokes the idea of Power, Strength, Stability, and Awe.

Horizontal Line evokes Peace, Calm, Rest, and quietude.

Oblique Lines are Action, Movement, Combat and Action.

Line Can Be used to Create Composition

Choosing the Best Angle

Choosing the best angle to shoot a subject is related to it’s shape and ultimately its Silhouette.

A Silhouette is the most instantly recognizable characteristic of the thing or the action. This is crucial in audience recognition factor.

Typically a Good Silhouette is shot from an angle that shows the most sides. It is an Angle that gives the best impression of depth.

One side only tells part of the story.This could be a cube or a rectangleIt is a BAD Silhouette.

Turning the object to show 2 sidesIs better but it still does not yieldThe results needed and is a BAD silhouette.

Showing 3 sides is the best solution.It shows depth and clearly is a GOODSilhouette.

This Image Says It AllSilhouette is IMPORTANT

A good silhouette is one that shows the most instantly recognizable characteristic of the thing or the action.

Shape Can be Used to Build Composition

Value Keys

Shadow

Midtone

Highlight

Highlight

Hig

hlig

ht

Plane Oriented Value Patterns20% of all the greatest Masterworks of Painting are one of these six patterns.

Highlight

Highlight

FOR DEPTH

Area Oriented Value Patterns75% of all the greatest Masterworks of Painting are one of these four patterns.

FOR CENTER OF INTEREST

Surface Value Patterns5% of all the greatest Masterworks of Painting are one of these two patterns.

FOR INTREST

Color Takes Credit for What Value Accomplishes

Value Study is the Key

TextureDetail is the Property of Texture. It is important to know how the EYE works to understand Detail.

Detail is a relatively small area of sparkle or activitySurrounded by a large non-competitive mass.

The 3 Visual Textures Hard/Smooth

Rough

Soft

DirectionKnow HOW the EYE works! Use the Marker of TRUTH!

DirectionKnow HOW the EYE works!

Direction

Direction

Direction

SizeSize is related to BALANCE

SizeSize is related to DOMINANCE

6 Visual Pressures

Newtonian Color Wheel 1666

Isaac Newton allowed sunlight from a small, circular hole to fall on a prism, producing a rainbow of color. Although the production of a rainbow by a clear crystal was known to the ancients, it was Newton who showed that the colors did not originate in the crystal, but rather were components of sunlight. This array of colors he called a spectrum. Here is how the great man explained it:

“And so the true Cause of the Length of that Image was detected to be no other,than that Light is not similar or Homogenial, but consists of Difform Rays, someof which are more Refrangible than others.”

Other people had played with prisms before. What Newton did next, however, had no precedent. He passed the emergent spectrum of colors back through another prism and recovered the pure white he had started with. Further, Newton tried to disperse each of the spectrum's seven colors, but he found them to be pure.

Years later, in Opticks, Query 29, he gave the following mechanism for the fact that the colors refracted from the greatest amount (violet) through blue, green, yellow, orange (which he does not mention) and to the least amount (red):

"Nothing is more requisite for producing all the variety of Colours, and degrees of Refrangibility than that the Rays of Light be Bodies of different Sizes, the least of which may take violet the weakest and darkest of the Colours, and be more easily diverted by refracting Surfaces from the right Course; and the rest as they are bigger and bigger, may make the stronger and more lucid colours, blue, green, yellow, and red, and be more and more difficultly diverted.”

Once Newton had categorized the Visual Spectrum, he then joined the two ends of the color spectrum together to show the natural progression of colors. In his initial color wheel he chose seven major colors to relate to the seven planets and seven musical notes of the diatonic scale: red (C), orange (D), yellow (E), green (F), blue (G), indigo (A), and violet (B). He then twisted this straight bank of the spectrum into history's first color wheel. Since that time other basic hues have been added, based upon the Red, Yellow Blue (RYB) Primary Color Model.

Newton

Faber Birren

Faber Birren

Color Harmony & Beauty

Natural Order

Value 2

Value 5

Value 6.5

Complementary Colors

Complementary ColorsAre complements becauseThey mutually intensifyOne another without changing the apparent cast.

Simultaneous ContrastNever use colors in EQUAL PROPORTIONS. This creates an effect that actually will HURTThe viewers eyes.

HighlightHighlight

Correct Proportions

The HUMAN EYE sees more warm colors then cool colors. A little warm goes a long way.

Warm Colors AdvanceCool Colors Recede

Warm Colors AdvanceCool Colors Recede

Color Schemes

Color Schemes

Color Schemes

Color Schemes

Color Schemes

Color Schemes

Color Schemes

Color Triangle & The 7 Color Forms

Color Triangle & The 7 Color Forms

Artist Sequences

Monet

Artist Sequences

Rembrandt

Artist Sequences

Turner

Artist Sequences

El Greco

Artist Sequences

Davinci

The Law of Field Size

Artist Sequences in Photoshop

MonetPCTINT

Shade

TONE

BB

W

Gra

y

Artist Sequences in Photoshop

RembrandtPCTINT

Shade

TONE

BB

W

Gra

y

Artist Sequences in Photoshop

TurnerPCTINT

Shade

TONE

BB

W

Gra

y

Artist Sequences in Photoshop

El GrecoPCTINT

Shade

TONE

BB

W

Gra

y

Artist Sequences in Photoshop

DavinciPCTINT

BB

W

Gra

y TONE

Shade

The Final Warning

And be assured, that if this power is not acquired whilst you are young, there will be no time for it afterwards.

There is one precept, however, in which I shall only be opposed by the vain, the ignorant, and the idle. I am not afraid that I shall repeat it too often. You must have no dependence on your own genius. If you have great talents, industry will improve them; if you have but moderate abilities, industry will supply their deficiency. Nothing is denied to well directed labor: nothing is to be obtained without it!

Book Listhttp://www.amazon.com/Discourses-Art-Mellon-Studies-British/dp/0300073275/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365705547&sr=8-1&keywords=Discourses+on+art

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Color-Faber-Birren/dp/0887400965/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365705604&sr=1-1&keywords=faber+birren

http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Color-Traditions-Theories-Harmony/dp/0887401031/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365705629&sr=1-3&keywords=faber+birren

http://www.amazon.com/Color-Perception-Art-Faber-Birren/dp/0887400647/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365705629&sr=1-4&keywords=faber+birren

http://www.amazon.com/Painting-Light-John-Alton/dp/0520089499/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365706108&sr=1-1&keywords=Painting+with+Light

http://www.amazon.com/Hawthorne-Painting-Dover-Art-Instruction/dp/048620653X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365706137&sr=1-1&keywords=Hawthorn+on+Painting

http://www.amazon.com/Watercolor-You-Can-Tony-Couch/dp/0891341889/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365706265&sr=1-1&keywords=watercolor+you+can+do+it

http://www.amazon.com/Watercolor-Dover-Instruction-John-Pike/dp/0486447839/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365706414&sr=1-1&keywords=john+pike+watercolor

http://www.amazon.com/Watercolor-Dover-Instruction-John-Pike/dp/0486447839/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365706414&sr=1-1&keywords=john+pike+watercolor

http://www.amazon.com/Film-Directing-Shot-Visualizing-Productions/dp/0941188108/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365706457&sr=1-1&keywords=Film+directing+shot+by+shot

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Illustration-Andrew-Loomis/dp/1845769287/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365706489&sr=1-1&keywords=creative+illustration+andrew+loomis

http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Scenery-Landscapes-Jack-Hamm/dp/0399508066/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1365706702&sr=1-2&keywords=jack+hamm+drawing+books