Tag Archives: design element

A Different Perspective: The Art of Regina Silveira

I recently came across the work of the Brazilian artist Regina Silveira. Looking at her art I found myself thinking about presence and absence, and  how we perceive and understand the world. Dreamlike, her installations and sculptures transport the viewer … Continue reading

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Nothing is Something: The Importance of Negative Space (Part 3)

This is the third and final post in a series about negative space in artwork. The first post discussed negative space in two-dimensional artwork. The second post discussed negative space in architecture. You can read the posts here and here. … Continue reading

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Design Exercise: Emphasis and Value

Today I thought I’d offer you a useful design exercise centered around value and emphasis•focal point. For those of you who have a copy of our book Design: A Beginner’s Handbook I suggest you review chapters 3 (shape), 6 (value), … Continue reading

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Nothing is Something: The Importance of Negative Space

As we discuss in chapter three of Design: A Beginner’s Handbook negative space is the area around and between the objects in a composition. Negative space is not just stuff left over after items have been sized and placed, it … Continue reading

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Design Exercise: Trompe l’oeil Texture

Those of you who’ve read Chapter 5 of our book Design: A Beginner’s Handbook know that trompe l’oeil is a type of visual texture that involves extreme realism. In fact, the term trompe l’oeil translates as “to fool the eye.” Artists … Continue reading

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Letting Your Eyes Feel the Texture

Let’s look at and compare the work of two artists we include on our Pinterest boards. Both artists use clay and both emphasize the element of texture. At first you might think their work would be similar in appearance but … Continue reading

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Connecting the Dots

Whether called dots or points, you can’t get much more basic. In our book, Design: A Beginner’s Handbook, we start with dots – an easy way to guide the reader into the elements and principles of design. Some books skip … Continue reading

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