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Monday, August 10, 2009

Why Design?

We continued with design fundamentals in the Hithergreen class today. I teach the elements and principles of design set forth by Maitland Graves in The Art of Color and Design more than 50 years ago and taught by Edgar A. Whitney, with a couple of my own modifications. We're discussing two elements or principles each week. For homework, the students will bring in pictures--ads, photos, or artwork--that show the elements or principles at work. The students are taking this seriously. At critique they were more aware of today's topics: line and shape. These sketches illustrate the two elements of design. Next week we'll cover value and color. The New Creative Artist includes an chapter on design, including formats and more(pp. 78-101). (See column at right for a link to the book.)

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2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ms. Leland, I enjoyed this posting. I've been studying Maitland Graves' and Edgar Whitney's books as a recommendation from artist Mike Bailey. I was delighted to see you mention the same authors.
I like both paintings. I am particularly struck by the boldness of the abstract.

Thank you.

2:18 PM  
Blogger Nita said...

You're welcome. I've been teaching the elements and principles of design since before my first book was published in 1985. They are in all of my books now, because really believe artists need more instruction in design than they're getting. I enjoy Mike's work and used several of his pieces in my last book, Confident Color. He has a great article in the October Watercolor Artist magazine. I appreciate your writing.

3:48 PM  

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