NOTES ON VISUALS

THE PURPOSE OF ART Support a business Self expression Share the beliefs of a group Brighten up a dull environment Send messages Tell a story Ask the viewer to enjoy its message

SYMBOLIC INTERPRETATION OF COLOURS Value is the lightness or darkness of a colour. Hue identifies a colour. Intensity is the brightness or dullness of a colour.

Red: passion and love, life, danger or anger Black: evil, death, or elegance Green: jealousy, energy, wealth, nature or new beginnings Yellow: cowardice, energy, or caution White: purity Blue: calm, sad, or order

Pink: calm, soft, or femininity Brown: earth or nature Purple: royalty or Jesus’ crucifixion

LINES A line begins with a dot and creates a path as it moves. They may be gentle, harsh, delicate, or rough. Straight lines indicate order. Jagged lines suggest objects like broken glass, sawteeth, or lightning. Curved lines indicate motion or softness.

Lines that move in vertical directions seem strong; horizontal lines seem calm or stable; and diagonal lines seem unstable.

HARMONY Harmony is the quality that binds the details of the visual together. It is created by balance, simplicity, and repetition.

SHAPE A space enclosed by a line. Organic shapes are found throughout nature. Geometric shapes are found in things made by people.

SPACE AND TEXTURE Space is the distance between two points. Texture refers to how the surface of something feels or looks.

BALANCE Symmetrical balance occurs when items are the same on either side. Approximate symmetrical balance changes from one side to the other are slight. Asymmetrical balance is no pattern but balance is present due to the repetition of colours, size, and lines. Radical balance occurs using the notion of a circle or wheel.

THEME Theme is the message a reader interprets after analysis of the visual.

MOVEMENT AND REPETITION Movement is meant to show activity in a picture. Physical movement is activity such as skating and running. Compositional movement is created by repetition.

UNITY Unity is as important in composing art as it is in daily living. Unity is created by proximity (creating groups of objects), similarity, and continuation (creating a flow of vision from one object to another).

PROPORTION Concerns the size relationships between parts of an artwork.

EMPHASIS/DOMINANCE Occurs when one element in an artwork, or a combination of elements, attracts more attention than anything else in a composition. Emphasis is usually a focal point.

POSSIBLE VISUALS Drawings Paintings Prints Photographs Film and video Computer art Cartoons Editorial cartoons Posters Mixed media

“Conscience” by Samantha Green

“Time” by Samantha Green

“Foot in Mouth” by Ross P. Kettle

“Journey Begun” by Sylvia Bendzsa

“The Run-Terry Fox”

“Migrant Mother” by Dorothea Lange

Image of the Holocaust

“I Want You For the U.S. Army” by James Flagg

“What’s Been Lost” by Banksy