Digital Design Notebook
Last edited September 30, 2008
More by Ted Curran »

Inkscape tutorial: Elements

This tutorial will demonstrate the elements and principles of design which are normally taught to early art students in order to understand various properties used in art making. This is not an exhaustive list, so please add, subtract, and combine to make this tutorial more comprehensive.

An example image

Elements of Design

The following elements are the building blocks of design.

Line

A line is defined as a mark with length and direction, created by a point that moves across a surface. A line can vary in length, width, direction, curvature, and color. Line can be two-dimensional (a pencil line on paper), or implied three-dimensional.

An example image

Shape

A flat figure, shape is created when actual or implied lines meet to surround a space. A change in color or shading can define a shape. Shapes can be divided into several types: geometric (square, triangle, circle) and organic (irregular in outline).

An example image

Size

This refers to variations in the proportions of objects, lines or shapes. There is a variation of sizes in objects either real or imagined.

An example image

Space

Space is the empty or open area between, around, above, below, or within objects. Shapes and forms are made by the space around and within them. Space is often called three-dimensional or two- dimensional. Positive space is filled by a shape or form. Negative space surrounds a shape or form.

An example image

Color

Color is the perceived character of a surface according to the wavelength of light reflected from it. Color has three dimensions: HUE (another word for color, indicated by its name such as red or yellow), VALUE (its lightness or darkness), INTENSITY (its brightness or dullness).

An example image

Texture

Texture is the way a surface feels (actual texture) or how it may look (implied texture). Textures are described by word such as rough, silky, or pebbly.

An example image

Value

Value is how dark or how light something looks. We achieve value changes in color by adding black or white to the color. Chiaroscuro uses value in drawing by dramatically contrasting lights and darks in a composition.

An example image

Principles of Design

The principles use the elements of design to create a composition.

Balance

Balance is a feeling of visual equality in shape, form, value, color, etc. Balance can be symmetrical or evenly balanced or asymmetrical and un-evenly balanced. Objects, values, colors, textures, shapes, forms, etc., can be used in creating a balance in a composition.

An example image

Contrast

Contrast is the juxtaposition of opposing elements

An example image

Emphasis

Emphasis is used to make certain parts of their artwork stand out and grab your attention. The center of interest or focal point is the place a work draws your eye to first.

An example image

Proportion

Proportion describes the size, location or amount of one thing compared to another.

An example image

Pattern

Pattern is created by repeating an element (line, shape or color) over and over again.

An example image

Gradation

Gradation of size and direction produce linear perspective. Gradation of color from warm to cool and tone from dark to light produce aerial perspective. Gradation can add interest and movement to a shape. A gradation from dark to light will cause the eye to move along a shape.

An example image

Composition

The combining of distinct elements to form a whole.

An example image

Bibliography

This is a partial bibliography used to build this document.

Special thanks to Linda Kim (http://www.redlucite.org) for helping me (http://www.rejon.org/) with this tutorial. Also, thanks to the Open Clip Art Library (http://www.openclipart.org/) and the graphics people have submitted to that project.

Converted from DocBook source by tutorial-html.xsl. Last update: Sat Apr 30 20:07:01 GMT 2005
AlterNet: Troy Davis Deserves a New Trial
www.alternet.org/module/printversion/100313

Troy Davis Deserves a New Trial

By Amy Goodman, King Features Syndicate
Posted on September 25, 2008, Printed on September 29, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/story/100313/

Troy Anthony Davis was scheduled to die by lethal injection Tuesday. Two hours before the state of Georgia was to execute him, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay until Monday. It had earlier agreed to hear Davis' case on Sept. 29, but Georgia set his execution date six days before the hearing.

Davis was charged with killing Mark MacPhail, an off-duty police officer, in Savannah, Ga., in 1989. Davis had gone to the aid of a homeless man who was being pistol-whipped in a parking lot. Seeing the gun, he said he fled. MacPhail, working security nearby, intervened next, and was killed. Davis, an African-American, claimed his innocence, but was found guilty and sentenced to death. Since his conviction, seven of the nine non-police witnesses have recanted their testimony, alleging police coercion and intimidation in obtaining their testimony. By coming forward and recanting, they face serious repercussions, possibly jail time. Some have identified a different man as the shooter. This man is one of Davis' remaining accusers.

In July 2007, Davis faced his first execution date. Just a day before he was to be executed, the Georgia Pardons Board granted a stay of execution for up to 90 days. Then, Davis' attorneys argued before the Georgia Supreme Court for a retrial or for a hearing to present new evidence. The requests were denied, by a 4-to-3 vote. In the same period, the U.S. Supreme Court was weighing whether death by lethal injection constituted cruel and unusual punishment (the court ultimately allowed its use).

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider Monday whether it will take on Davis' case. If it decides not to, he very likely will be executed.

Among Davis' defenders is former President Jimmy Carter. He said: "This case illustrates the deep flaws in the application of the death penalty in this country. Executing Troy Davis without a real examination of potentially exonerating evidence risks taking the life of an innocent man and would be a grave miscarriage of justice." Georgia Congressman John Lewis also supports Davis. I spoke with Lewis at Invesco Field in Denver, just before Barack Obama's acceptance speech. It was 45 years to the date after the March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

Lewis recalled that historic day: "We were in Washington, more than 250,000 of us, black and white, Protestant, Catholic, Jews, people of different background, rich and poor. ... In many parts of the South, people could not register to vote, simply because of the color of their skin. And we changed that."

Yet this week, in light of Davis' plight, Lewis told me: "In spite of all of the progress that we've made as a nation and as a people, we still have so far to go. The scars and stains of racism are still deeply embedded in every corner, in every aspect of the American society." He went on to say, when I pointed out that Sen. Obama himself supports the death penalty: "It is troublesome. You know ... someplace along the way, some of us must have the courage to say -- and I'm moving closer and closer to this point -- that in good conscience, I cannot and will not support people who support the death penalty. I think it's barbaric, and it represents the Dark Ages. .... I don't think as human beings, I don't think as a nation, I don't think as a state, we have the right to take the life of another person. That should be left for the Almighty to do."

The death penalty is a noxious and racist practice. According to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, of more than 3,300 people on death row in the U.S., over 41 percent are African-American -- more than three times their representation in the general population. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, since 1973 there have been 130 people exonerated -- people wrongly sentenced to death -- in 26 different states, including five exonerated on death row in Georgia. Evidence even suggests that at least four innocent people have been executed in recent years. There is no physical evidence in the Troy Davis case. After the stay was announced, Davis asked his mother to have people pray for the MacPhail family, and to keep working to dismantle this unjust system. He told her he wouldn't be fighting this hard for his life if he were guilty. This is a case of reasonable doubt. Troy Davis deserves a new trial.

Amy Goodman is the host of the nationally syndicated radio news program, Democracy Now!

© 2008 King Features Syndicate All rights reserved.
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3 Principles for Online Community Building (on Blogs) : Circular Communication
www.circularcommunication.com/3-principles-for-onl...

3 Principles for Online Community Building (on Blogs)

If you have ambitions beyond communicating to people and actually want to communicate with people these three principles will help you when starting an online community. Since this is a blog have I chosen the blog as an example, but it could also be a mailing list, a message board, etc. Remember that nothing is set in stone and that planning everything isn’t possible. Change is everywhere and only the flexible survive. Nonetheless or maybe exactly for this reason you need a backbone, a foundation, a root or whatever you want to call it and these principles can in my opinion serve as just that. They will help you set up the essentials and plot out the course, but in a way that allows you to develop, grow and expand.

Design for growth and change

Every successful community starts out small, simple and focused. Some remain in that state because they choose to, but others do so because they do not have the necessary prerequisites for organic growth. Most communities are meant to grow, adding breath, depth and complexity in response to the members changing needs and wants as well as the changing conditions of the environment. Ensuring that your community can grow and change is not as simple as it sounds and thinking about it should therefore be one of the first things you do as it influences a lot of the basic decisions you have to make when starting a community. If you simply get the idea and implement it you risk having to start from scratch more than once because you chose the wrong approach, the wrong platform or the wrong design to name a few examples.

For a blog this would mean finding a name that is precise enough for people to know what it is about, but broad enough to be able to cover eventual adjustments of your subject or subjects. Whether you pick a free service or set up your own script should you consider where you want to go and what you want to do. Setting things up and then realizing that the feature you depend on the most isn’t available for your platform can be avoided by thinking ahead. The same goes for your design. It has be constant enough to be recognizable and useable over time, but it also has to be flexible enough for you to add features and ads for example without having to redesign from the ground up.

Create and maintain feedback loops

Helping you design for growth and change when you get off the ground is the feedback from the community. When building a successful online community you will constantly have to balance your efforts and those of your members. Regardless of how well you plan, organize and manage the community you will run into problems if you do not listen to the ideas, suggestions and needs of your community. With feedback loops built in will you not only benefit from feedback on what you are doing right and wrong, but also on what you could or should be doing instead or in addition to your current efforts. Do not forget that it is a balance act though. Simply implementing everything that people want is as bad a solution as not listening at all. Everything have to work together in harmony for the community to develop and you as the community builder is the only one who can ensure that it does.

On a blog this would mean enabling comments and actually reading and responding to them, making sure people can contact you in at least one other way if they don’t want to comment publicly (or alternatively allowing commenting without asking for personal information) and encouraging feedback in what topics you cover and not least how you post. Asking questions, soliciting comments and suggestions and generally signaling openness will help you a lot. Sadly do I not see much feedback when visiting blogs and I think these bloggers are really missing out on something. Staying on topic (while never making your blog or subject the topic), providing answers (never asking questions) and not to blog too much about yourself and your thoughts are perhaps all good ideas most of the time, but if that’s all you ever do then you may very well find yourself flying blind and maybe even solo at some point.

Empower your members progressively

Even if you are the community builder and designer you alone are no community. To actually get something you have to give up something. In this instance what you have to share is power. Obviously you will be the one contributing and influencing almost everything to begin with, but just as obvious is it that this is no lasting formula for community growth. You will have to define the initial purpose, features, design and tone, but as the community grows your influence should diminish as the that of your members grow. You will still be the formal owner, but if no one else feels ownership then the community will cease to evolve and will never mature.

There are two ways that this could work on blogs. One progression were to add contributor profiles to the about page, highlighting people who contribute with the most or best comments, promoting people who comment to actually write posts as well, etc. All more inward oriented activities, but as I see it effective nonetheless. An even more progressive way would be to add guest bloggers and thus draw people from other communities into the blog. This can also be done with linking exchanges in one form another with other blogs and communities. Again could you argue that you aren’t empowering your members, but at best creating new ones. However, if you consider how strong these new members are will it inevitably mean that the power is distributed, which is the point. The community have to start defining itself at some point and if you can help that along while growing and expanding it, why not?

The principles themselves are from the book “Community Building on the Web” by Amy Jo Kim, while their interpretation and adaption is mine.

Suggested further reading: Choosing the Domain Name for your Blog, Choosing a Blog Platform, A Primer for Building Online Community, The Three Dimensions of Blogging: The Vital Combination Every Blog Must Have, Blogger. Know Your Readers — 10 Traits, Blog Relationships: Are You Listening To Your Readers?.

BloggerCon post mortem 2: Blogging and empowerment

Second post-mortem piece on BloggerCon, trying to dive into the hype and document why I think blogs are revolutionary.

Most of the discussion at BloggerCon, at least on Day One, focused on ways that blogging and the lowered threshold of entry to self-publication facilitated a more empowered, more aware population. I heard an emergent theory of blog empowerment that goes something like this: voice, connection, power. (For background on this piece, read my strawman definition of blogs from the conference.)

Blogs providing voices

By providing a central place for the blogger’s work, the blog collects everything the blogger writes in one place, in a chronology. By reading the blogger’s past writing, we can discover that the blogger has held the same opinion over time, or has changed it; who the blogger likes, whom he or she distrusts; what subjects engage the blogger’s energy; and (by following links back to the blogger) who has opinions about the blogger’s work. By providing this ongoing trail of words, this rich back history, and links, the blogger creates an online voice with history, chronology, evolution, and context.

More importantly, the act of posting thoughts in a blog on the Internet (as opposed to in a private document) enables others to hear that voice. If the blogger’s words are heard, and others enter into dialog, the blogger has ceased to be a passive observer of the Internet and has instead become a creator of it. This enables people—whether 12-year-old confused adolescents, 24-year-old software programmers in cubicle farms, 30-year-old Iraqi translators in Baghdad reporting from inside a war, or sixty-year-old grandmothers with a passion for presidential politics—who might never have written anything before to be read around the world.

In education, blogs are being used as teaching aids to help students, from elementary school through graduate programs, to learn to express their thoughts, read and evaluate other sources, and to enter into dialog. Seminarians who blog learn to take responsibility for their daily thoughts and actions. Business students who blog learn how to cooperate with others in loosely distributed groups to have open and constructive discussions and defend their views. Students in impoverished nations who find gaps in curriculum ffor their native languages are encouraged to fill the gaps with their own writing.

Blogs mediating connections

A big conference theme was blogs as mediating transformative connections. By providing alternative outlets for publishing commentary on other materials on the web and for relating first-hand experience, blogs enable individuals to publish opinions and other material that might not otherwise be published—this is empowerment by publishing.

Blogs written by individuals inside institutions also, through their personal nature, offer the readers of those blogs a connection to the institution at an individual level that they would not experience otherwise. This empowers them through connecting them more closely to that institution and enabling them to better understand the institution. This is empowerment by access.

Finally, when the blogger outside the institution publishes a comment and a link to the work of the blogger inside the institution, and the institutional blogger reciprocates with a link, a relationship develops between the two, the outsider and the institution, that helps the outsider to understand, and in some cases affect, the institution. This is empowerment by relationship.

In journalism, the effect of this empowerment is to greatly expand the power of the non-institutional observer of events, formerly only a reader or consumer of journalism, to create and publish his own version of events, to enter into dialog with the institution that published the first version, and occasionally—as in the case of Trent Lott—to change the tone of the institutional coverage and affect the course of events.

This is an expanded version of Jim Moore’s thesis of the Second Superpower, because in this scenario blogs empower the people inside the institution as well. By providing voices to the powerless, and by giving a voice in the same sphere to individuals inside institutions, greater understanding between the two parties can be reached, opinions can be formed and shaped, and change can be effected.

At the conference, Chris Lydon, Doc Searls, and others observed that this is a process that has been going on for a long time, since the printing press became available to Tom Paine as a means of disseminating his thoughts on political theory. Dave Weinberger posited that blogs put the nail in the coffin of “objective voices” and help to expose the myriad of overlapping subjectivities by which individual thoughts become part of the public record, shape policy, and create history.

Me? I think there’s a lot of promise. I think a lot of conference attendees were right to point out that blogging is a limited empowerment that presupposes a level of access and literacy that are by themselves pretty empowering. But there is something about the way this particular method of communication has shaped up that gives me hope.

BloggerCon post mortem 1: What is a blog?

I’ve been sitting on a few short responses to BloggerCon since last Sunday. I’m not pleased with them yet, but if I sit on them any longer they’ll get even staler, so here goes.

What is a blog?

BloggerCon started by taking an explicitly technology neutral view of blogs, one that discussed the implications of blogs rather than what they were. On Day One (the only day I attended), there was no discussion of the construction of blogs and fundamental operations of blogging. A brief definition, then:

Blogs are personally published documents on the web, with attribution and date, collected in a single place, generally published with a static structure to facilitate incoming links from other sources, and updated with some regularity and frequency from every few days to several times daily. Blogs are generally understood to be subjective, with no authority other than that lent by their author generally. Many blogs consist of links and commentary—comments about something or some entity with a web presence, links to enable the reader to discover the original object being commented on and explore it for themselves. Bloggers leave link trails, hyperlinks back to the subjects of their commentary, and the link trails enable others to go beyond the blogger’s subjective opinion and find the original source so that they can evaluate it and form their own opinions.

Blogging thus differs from general web pages in frequency, intent and practice. Rather than claiming authority, blogs assume subjectivity and let the reader make up his own mind. Rather than a collection of documents that define an object on the Internet—for instance, a company, a university, a person’s family tree—blogs are glosses on those objects, marginal annotations that unlike other forms of web comments such as the “sticky note” feature in IE have permanence of their own on the Web. Unlike a threaded discussion group (web board or Usenet), where there are generally no authoritative methods to find a prior message and no central record of a person’s contributions and opinions, blogs host the author’s comments in a single place, at a personal address, and in a chronology so that others can review the blogger’s thoughts and comments in one location. By keeping a permanent record of the blogger’s writings in a central place, a blog implies a certain amount of accountability for the author’s words and opinions; in other online communities, this accountability is generally left up to the community to enforce.

How to Make a Podcast Feed from Blogger
google.about.com/od/googleblogging/ss/podblogger.h...

How to Make a Podcast Feed from Blogger

By Marziah Karch, About.com

Teens and media: a full-time job - CNET News
news.cnet.com/Teens-and-media-a-full-time-job/2100...
For teens, consuming media is a full-time job.

According to a study released this week, Americans aged 13 to 18 spend more than 72 hours a week using electronic media--defined as the Internet, cell phones, television, music and video games. Because teens are known for multitasking, their usage of devices can overlap.

BitTorrent as a Book Publicity Tool - Tools of Change for Publishing
toc.oreilly.com/2008/03/bittorrent-as-a-book-publi...
thesitewizard.com: Tips on Improving Your Google Search Engine Ranking (Revisited)
www.thesitewizard.com/archive/google.shtml
Creating a Podcast With Blogger and FeedBurner
www.garagespin.com/archives/creating-a-podcast-wit...

Creating a Podcast With Blogger and FeedBurner

Podcasting-News.jpgPodcasting News wrote up one of the best, most idiot-proof guides for creating a podcast. The step-by-step instructions use screenshots to illustrate how to start podcasting using Blogger and Feedburner.

It doesn't get much easier than this...especially if you aren't very tecnikal. And Feedburner includes iTunes support. Nice!

'Giving voice to the voiceless': How the Internet can fulfill public radio's mission
www.ojr.org/ojr/stories/050721junnarkar/

'Giving voice to the voiceless': How the Internet can fulfill public radio's mission

Q&A: Murrow Award-winner and Web pioneer Jay Allison talks with OJR about helping the public to use audio to tell its stories online.
Vitaly Friedman's Notebook: 25 Best Free Quality Fonts
www.alvit.de/blog/article/20-best-license-free-off...
Green Blogs, New Media, and Social Change | Max Gladwell
www.maxgladwell.com/2008/08/green-blogs-new-media-...

Green Blogs, New Media, and Social Change

August 1st, 2008 · 4 Comments

Before activists and organizations can consider how to target and use blogs, they should first learn to listen and join the conversation.

Our week began at Social Media Club (SMC), where the denizens of Web 2.0 media and marketing gathered to discuss and shape the way forward in this brave new world. On Wednesday, we attended another panel discussion billed as “L.A. Blogs, Green Blogs; New Media and Social Change,” which was organized by Green L.A. and Liberty Hill Foundation. Despite the seeming overlap, the contrast between these events could not have been more stark. At SMC so much preaching to the proverbial choir prompted this analysis. While at Green L.A., an informal poll revealed that fewer than 20% of the room used instant messaging. The following goes to show how important perspective and point of view can be when it comes to said analysis.

Seven social change Bloghers you should be reading ... | BlogHer
www.blogher.com/node/17110
Seven social change Bloghers you should be reading ...

Last month of I did a roundup of nonprofit technology bloghers.  This month I took a quick trip through our Blogher Blogroll for Ngos and Social Change and wanted to point you to a few social change bloghers you might enjoy adding to your reader.

Gmail - MAT 640 - tedcurran@gmail.com
mail.google.com/mail/?account_id=tedcurran%40gmail...
North Texas Institute for Educators on the Visual Arts
www.art.unt.edu/ntieva/artcurr/aes/aes0.html
AESTHETIC QUESTIONS


What is Art?

  1. Can an object be considered as art today if it was not considered to be art at the time it was created?
  2. What conditions must be met for something that has a function to be considered a work of art?
  3. Must art be beautiful?
  4. Must art communicate something or be about something? Should art tell a story?
  5. Must art be made by hand?
  6. What about objects that are mass produced?
  7. Must a work of art be made by an artist?
  8. An artist picks up a piece of driftwood from the beach and displays it in a gallery - is it art?
  9. Under what conditions is photography art and when is photography not art?
  10. Can an object be art if the person making it did not intend for it to be art?
  11. Must a work of art express feelings or emotions in order to be considered art?
  12. Is art an imitation or an interpretation of nature?
  13. Does art have to look "real"?
  14. Can furniture be art? Clothing? Serving utensils? Greeting cards? Musical instruments? Tapestries? Quilts? Under what conditions are these objects art or not art?
  15. What about the materials utilized in making a work of art? Can found objects be sculpture?
Questions About the Value of Art
  1. Can only art experts say what the true meaning a work of art is?
  2. Who can say what is good or bad art?
  3. Must a work of art have good craftsmanship to be considered a good work of art?
  4. Must the viewer understand the artist's intention?
  5. How is it decided if something is art or not?
  6. In order to be "good" art, must the work imitate reality?
  7. Can a work of art be both beautiful and ugly?
  8. Must art be enjoyed?
  9. Should all works of art be judged by the same criteria?
  10. Can a work of art be good if it did not take a long time to make?
  11. Who decides the value of art?
  12. Must good art be pleasing?
  13. Are works of art made a long time ago more valuable?
  14. Is the monetary value of a work of art important in determining the aesthetic value of the work?
  15. Does the materials utilized in making the work affect the value of the work? Is a bronze sculpture of more value than a sculpture made with neon lights of found objects?
  16. What criteria affect the value? Size, craftsmanship, age, media, the fame achieved by the artist, training of the artist, artistic intentions, etc?
  17. Should form always follow function?
The Nature of Art and the Relationship to Society
  1. Is it appropriate to alter a work of art if it is offensive?
  2. Should offensive art be banned from public exhibition?
  3. What is the affect of age or time to a work of art?
  4. What about WHERE the work is - in a museum or stored in an attic?
  5. Can a work of art have different meaning for different peoples? Do different people have different interpretations about the same work of art?
  6. Must a work evoke an emotional response is the viewer?
  7. What contemporary works of art will become masterpieces? What criteria should be met?
  8. Must a work have a social message?
  9. Is there only one true meaning of a work of art?
  10. Did cavemen think of their paintings as art?
  11. Is the meaning of a work that which the artist meant it to be or what it means to the viewer?
  12. Are artifacts from past cultures (which weren't meant to be art at the time they were made) art now for a different culture?
  13. Is it acceptable to use a work of art and change it for use in advertisements? How far can an advertising artist go in appropriating images from other artists?
  14. Imagine that a museum has just acquired a Hopi Kachina doll. The Hopi people want it back because it is sacred to them. Is the doll more important as a piece of art, or as a religious symbol for the Hopi?
Compiled by Connie Newton
Glossary of Fine Art Terms and Definitions
www.bluemoonwebdesign.com/art-glossary.asp

Art Glossary: A - F

Learning what words mean as they are applied to art can be an tremendous help in learning how to paint and about the world of art in general. The list of art terms and their definitions included in this art glossary is in no way exhaustive. This will be an ongoing lesson as new terms and definitions are added.

DevX: Project Cool
www.devx.com/PROJEcTcOOL/
Project Cool: Web Development Basics
With dozens of demos and hands-on tutorials, Project Cool is a great resource for Web developers and designers. Whether you're building your first Web page, researching a specific client-side technique, or making your first foray into CSS or XML, you'll find the information to get the job done here.
Copyrights
Copyrighting
Web Fonts Basics - How to use fonts and type more effectively on your web site from efuse.com
www.efuse.com/Design/web_fonts_basics.html
 
  

BasicsContent GraphicsColumnsStylizerFusion


webtype


Web Type 101, a primer

by Daniel Will-Harris

While you may never consciously notice the typefaces used on a Web page, they subconsciously affect the way you feel about the page.

Type matters

While you may never consciously notice the typefaces used on a Web page, they subconsciously affect the way you feel about the page. They can be formal or casual, modern or traditional, serious or friendly, cool or warm.

With the exception of a few icons in the background, this Web site's design is all type, and yet, because it uses a distinctive typeface (GM Nanogram), it gives the entire site a friendly, warm, hands-on kind of feeling.

Yet getting distinctive typefaces onto a Web site isn't straightforward—you really have to know what you are doing. But don't worry, I'm going to tell you how. First, some background.

Type on the Web:
What you see isn't necessarily what they get

Imagine if the only color you could see on the Web was magenta. Just magenta. Nothing but magenta. All the time. Imagine how dull that would be.

Well, that's exactly how the Web started when it came to type. You could display Times. And only Times.

In the beginning of the Web, there were words…but not typefaces. The only typographic constant was Times New Roman under Windows and Times on the Mac. But even that wasn't sure because the user was in complete control of the fonts they saw. Unless, of course, you sent your text as graphics, such as GIF files (graphic information format—along with JPG, one of the two standard graphics formats on the Web—to read more about graphics on the web, click here).

The Web was revolutionary not only in the way it distributed information, but in the fact that it was the only text-based medium where designers and authors had no control over how the text looked. Browsers added audio and video long before they even considered adding font control.

Next came the <font face> tag (something you use if you're writing HTML by hand instead of using a program such as NetObjects Fusion that does it for you), which allows site designers to specify what font the browser should display.

Sounds good, but there's a trick—that font has to be installed on the viewer's' systems in order for them to see it. Realistically, this means that you can really only specify a few typefaces—the ones you are fairly certain will be on the viewer's computer. This can be confusing, because you'll see the fonts on your computer, but others won't see them on theirs.

These "Web-safe" faces are:

Windows

Times New RomanTimes New Roman: a serif type that looks like something you'd see in a newspaper or magazine. It´s specially hinted so it´s easier to read on-screen, but Microsoft´s free font Georgia is really a better typeface for the screen.

ArialArial: a sans serif (meaning without serifs—the little doohickeys at the ends of each letter) face that has a streamlined, more modern look, but isn't necessarily easier to read on screen because it's on the narrow side and can look very light in smaller sizes. It's also incredibly boring and looks far too much like the type used by the IRS and other tax agencies, so it can have negative subliminal connotations.

Mac

Times: This face is similar to Times New Roman, but it isn't as carefully designed for on-screen viewing. In particular, it has no italic version, so the Mac just electronically slants the type. This looks terrible and is difficult to read, which is why many Mac people complain if you use italic on your site. But this can be corrected by showing them where to download the superior, easier to read Times New Roman, for free.

Helvetica: a sans serif face similar to Arial.

IE3 and IE4

Both these browsers come with two special fonts, designed for easier on-screen reading.

VerdanaVerdana: An extremely easy-to-read sans serif face that's included with the Internet Explorer. If you have this font installed or are using the Internet Explorer, you'll see this paragraph (as well as the headings on this site) set in Verdana. If not, you'll see Tahoma (a face almost identical to Verdana that comes with Microsoft Office), Arial, or Helvetica. If you don't have this font, you can download it for free:

Comic SansComic Sans: This face is informal and friendly, which is great for some sites, but not professional enough for others. If you're using IE, you'll see this face now, if not, you'll see Times New Roman or Times. If you don't have this font, you can download it for free, click here.

Free fonts for the screen

Microsoft offers two more fonts designed for easier on-screen reading. If you do nothing else, download Georgia and you'll find the Web much easier to read.

GeorgiaGeorgia: This serif face is much easier to read on screen than Times New Roman because it was designed for the screen, whereas Times was designed for paper (in the 1920s!). Georgia has excellent italics that are easy to read and attractive. If you have Georgia installed, you'll see all the body text of this site set in it. If not, you'll see Times New Roman or Times. Download Georgia for Windows or Mac:

TrebuchetTrebuchet is another screen-friendly sans serif face from Microsoft. It has more character than Verdana, but isn't quite as easy to read in smaller sizes. Download Trebuchet for free.

To learn how to install these fonts on your computer, and set your browser to display them, click here.

Facing fonts

When you use the <font face> tag or choose a font in your editor, you have to realize that your site visitor may not have the font you want, even if it's a common font such as those listed above. Because of that, the <font face> tag allows you to specify a list of fonts to use in case the visitor's computer doesn't have the first one. For example, when you specify Georgia, as we've done on this site, you can tell the visitor's browser that if it doesn't have this face, it should display Times New Roman, or Times, or even a generic "serif" or "sans serif" face.

You do this by adding HTML that looks like this <font face=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif>. Always list fonts by the easiest to read first. For serif faces, this should be: Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, Serif. For sans serif faces, it should be: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Sans. Serif and Sans should always be the last resort because browsers can get confused and display difficult-to-read faces.

When you select a font in NetObjects Fusion, Fusion automatically creates a <font face> tag with a list like this. If you want to customize this list, double click the file called fontmap.txt located in your \NetObjects System folder to edit it in Windows Notepad or a Mac text editor.

Other faces, other formats

While using one of the above faces is almost a necessity, it's also limiting. Typefaces are an important way to give your site character, personality, style, and distinction. So what do you do? Create graphic files or use new font embedding technology.

Graphic text

Many sites you visit (including this one) use graphics for text banners, buttons, and even headings within articles. These files can be small and download quickly, and they can give your site the kind of "identity" that makes it stand out in the ever-growing mass of Web sites.

The key is to use graphics files only for a few words at most. Don't use them for an entire paragraph of text unless it's absolutely necessary for the style of your site, as it was in this example. And if you do, make sure to include all the text in your ALT tag. Without an ALT tag, before the graphics load (or if graphics are turned off) all your visitors just see empty boxes. Not good. With ALT tags, they'll be able to read your text even before the graphic loads.

Creating graphic text

Don't be afraid, you don't have to be an artist to create graphic files, you just have to have some software.

First, if you're using NetObjects Fusion, it will automatically generate text in graphic buttons and page banners, using any font installed on your system. This allows you to create stylish page headings—automatically. That's how they're created on this site—all automatically. This can save hours creating all these individual graphics—and since they change automatically if you rename the page, you don't have to worry about your graphics being out of date.

Graphic text automatically generated by NetObjects Fusion 

Fusion tip: You can create custom type graphics for headings at any time, right within Fusion. Choose the picture tool, then go to the NetObjects System folder and select the file called "dot_clear.gif." Choose "stretch" on the Properties Palette and drag the handle to make a GIF the size of the text you want. Select the "Effects" tab from the Properties Palette. Check "Enable Text in Element" and click on "Settings". Enter your text and adjust the typeface and size. You can use any TrueType font—you can even rotate the text in 1 degree increments. Don't forget to change the "alt" tag. When NetObjects Fusion publishes the site it automatically creates a GIF with your special typeface—so your site visitors see what you intended. Easy. Automatic. No other web creation software can do this for you.

If you want to create custom text graphics, the best software for text are vector programs, meaning they work with lines, curves, and other objects (as opposed to "Photo" programs that work with pixels or dots).

For the simplest, point-and-click text graphics, look at XaraWebStyle and NetStudio. Both programs are template-based, which means you choose from a series of pre-designed type styles, and insert your own words, select your preferred colors, etc. Both are inexpensive and easy to use.

If you use Windows and need more creative control, there's nothing better than CorelXara. This $89 program lets you create perfectly anti-aliased (meaning smooth) text (and graphics) and save it to the most compact files. I used Xara to create the graphic text and other graphics on this site.

If you're professional using a Mac (or Windows), you'll want to look at Macromedia Fireworks. This program provides a lot of power, plus some built-in effects for type. Adobe offers ImageStyler, its Web-specific vector program that uses an interface similar to Photoshop.

Whatever program you use, make sure your graphics files are:

anti-alias off--text looks rough 

anti-alias on--text looks smooth 

  • Anti-aliased
  • —this makes the type appear smoother on screen. Make sure to anti-alias your type to the background color of your page, or it will have an unattractive "halo" effect. If you want NetObjects Fusion to automatically anti-alias the banners and buttons it creates, you need to add special software to your computer.
    If you're using a TrueType font and Windows (and if you aren't sure what you're using, you probably are—you can tell if it's TrueType by going into your word processor and pulling down the font selection box—usually on a toolbar under the menus. If it has a small "tt" logo to the left of the font name, it's TrueType, if it has what looks like a tiny printer, then it's Type 1):
    Go to the
    Microsoft TrueType font site and download a program called the "font smoother." Install this software. Your computer graphics must be set to 16-bit or higher. For more information about setting your display properties, click here.
    If you're using Type 1 fonts: Run ATM (Adobe Type Manager). Click on the Settings tab, then click on the Advanced button. Click on "Smooth font edges on screen." You do not need to be in 16-bit graphics mode for this to work, but if you aren't, it can slow down type appearing on your screen.
  • Optimized GIF —unless you're combining text with a photo or illustration with a lot of colors, choosy types choose GIF. Use the fewest colors you can, and save to a lower color depth (such as 4-bit or 16 colors) and your files will be smaller.
  • Always include ALT tags—you want to make sure people can read your text, even if they can't see your graphics. ALT text is also important because it can be indexed by Web search engines—allowing people to find something on your site they might not if it was only in a graphic. It's also important for the vision impaired. Hold your mouse over the graphic that follows to see the ALT text appear.

The ALT text for this picture lets you know the picture shows the typeface Georgia. ALT text lets people know what will be in a picture before it appears--or if they have graphics turned off. It also lets search engines index what otherwise would not be indexed. 

For more information about the basics of Web graphics, click here. For more advanced information about creating web graphics, click here.

Sending fonts with your page

If you want to use the latest type technology, Bitstream's TrueDoc allows you to send fonts with your Web page. These fonts are displayed by both Internet Explorer 4 and Navigator 4, but won't appear in older browsers.

You can use this technology for free, using the fonts provided on the TrueDoc site, or, if you want the power to send any font you choose, you can purchase Bitstream's Dynamic Fonts for Web Publishing package.

Click here to see a sample of a web page with embedded fonts.

To read more about TrueDoc, click here.

If you decide to order Bitstream's WebFont Wizard, tell them you read about it in eFuse and you'll get a 25% discount.

Microsoft offers an alternative embedding system, but it only works for those using Internet Explorer, and it's not a secure system, so I don't recommend it.

Line Lengths

One of the most important ways you can make type easier to read on-screen is to control the length of each line of text. Lots of sites just let text run from one side of the screen to the other—and for those who have high-resolution screens, this can result in lines of text that are so long they're very difficult to read.

You can control the length of your text by creating HTML tables that are specified in pixels, rather than in percents. A good width for a line of text is between 60-70 characters, and this translates roughly into a table that's between 350 and 500 pixels wide.

In NetObjects Fusion you simply create a text box that's the width you want. If you want to know the actual dimensions, look on the bottom of the Fusion window and you'll see a box that says w:450 h:1200 (or the dimensions of the object you've selected).

Does that leave a lot of blank space on-screen when someone is viewing a page on a monitor at 800x600 or 1024x768? Yes. But is it easier to read that text? Yes. And the easier it is to read your text, the more likely someone is to read it. That's why this site, and good sites that have a lot of text, have a lot of blank space on the side—because that space "costs" nothing, and it's more important to make your text readable than it is to fill every inch of the screen.

"Special" characters

Most Web sites still use "typewriter" characters for quote marks, apostrophe's, and em-dashes (—). That's because, until fairly recently, it was difficult (if not impossible) to specify the real "typographic" versions of these characters. But using the real characters makes your site look more polished and professional.

' This is a typewriter apostrophe.

typographic apostrophe
This is a typographic apostrophe.

" This is a typewriter quote mark. "

open quote typographic This is a typographic opening and closing quote mark. close quote typographic

-- This is a typewriter em-dash.

em-dashThis is a typographic em-dash.

<font face="Georgia,

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Dreamy, Magical and Lighting Effects Photoshop Tutorials
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About nine years ago, when I started The Photoshop Roadmap, tutorials were all about special effects. In fact, no matter how ugly, any kind of effect was well received, because designers and artists were starting to discover the Web as an invaluable source of inspiration.

As time went by, the need for more complex, better looking and usable effects began to prevail. Tutorials writers replied with a new wave of awesome, eye catching well designed tutorials with loads of cool ideas inside them.

Some of these new wave of tutorials can be found in previous selections I made, such as The Best 80 Photoshop Text Effects on the Web, 100 Wonderful Photoshop Photo Effects Tutorials, A Complete Guide to Digital Makeover in Photoshop, 70 Horror, Blood and Gore Photoshop Effects and Brushes and Grunge and Dirty Photoshop Tutorials, Brushes and Textures. The titles pretty much explain the content of these articles.

For this article, I collected perhaps the newest trend in tutorials: Dreamy, magical and lighting photo effects.

A quick visit to sites like PSDTuts, Tutorial9 or Abduzeedo, will confirm this new trend where dreamy compositions or impressive lighting effects are catching everyone’s attention.

To keep this article into a manageable size, I only selected photo effects related tutorials, leaving outside all illustrations or text effects tutorials. All the tutorials contained in this article, are based on photos.

41 Nicest Photoshop Photo Effects [Photoshop Tutorials]
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Looking at how powerful Photoshop can be in terms of photo editing, it’s probably not important if you suck at taking photographs or being labeled an amateur photographer. As long as you picked up a couple of Photoshop photo editing skills, it will still impress those who sees it.
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(The Only) Ten Things To Know About CSS

AKA, “Secrets of the patented JM3 Gasbag Model™” - a getting-started list to make sense of CSS. [2,547 diggs and counting.]

  1. The Point of CSS is to use clean, simple HTML in your page, then write CSS “rules” that style the objects on your page. The page stays clean and looks cool, and your HTML page works on both mobile devices and regular browsers. That’s the point of CSS.
    But The Art of CSS is quickly and easily referring to the right objects in your page from your CSS rules. The act of matching CSS rules to HTML tags is like a conversation: both sides need to be clear and in sync with each other, or they’ll talk over each other and you’ll get a headache from all the yelling.
  2. General or Specific Matching: suppose you want to style an <h1> header in your page. You can choose how general or specific your style is applied:
    • to style all <h1> tags, use css rule h1 {…
    • to style all tags in a certain place, e.g. for <b>’s inside <p> tags, use css rule p b {…
    • to style all <h1> headers of a certain kind, add class=”myheader” to the <h1> tags you want to style, and use css rule .myheader {…
    • to style just one <h1> header, add id=”myheader” to the <h1> tag you want to style, and use css rule #myheader {…

    You can combine the above rules in different ways, too;
    to style all <h1> tags of type "barleymash" inside of forms of type "magicform", use css rule form.magicform h1.barleymash {…

  3. Target acquired: Because getting the matching rules wrong can waste so much time, use this trick: until your rule is for sure matching up, don’t use any CSS properties other than color: red; It’s quick to type and easy to spot. As soon as you see the text go red in your HTML page, you know your rule is matching. Then and only then, now that you know your rule is matching the right part of your document, then delete color: red; and write your rule. EZ.
  4. Master the patented JM3 Gasbag Model: a CSS layout is like a big bag of objects. each of those objects can exert forces (Think gas jets. Like your layout is farting at you.) Mostly the forces “push” out (margins, padding, and float are all properties that “push” objects around.) By altering CSS rules, you adjust the forces. Viewing your page in a browser just shakes the bag, and things will settle where the forces direct them. This is the secret of CSS - manage the forces, and the objects will balance. Fight the forces, apply too many properties at once, all fighting against each other and your objects will jostle around, poking holes in the bag and in each other, and your page will leak all over the place. No fun.

    Gasbag Example 1: to center something, set margin-left: auto; and margin-right: auto; This works because you balance the opposing forces on the left and right, so the element is held perfectly centered like a ball held between two magnets

  5. Gasface Corollary 1: the JM3 Gasbag Model only applies when using the default CSS rules of “relative” positioning. It’s also possible to use something called “absolute” positioning, where you position each little box by giving it specific coordinates. don’t do this. it will take you a long time and your layout will look terrible if the amount of text or graphics ever changes. Only weird print designers use this :-)
  6. Rule A - Divs and Spans: The lingua franca of CSS are two tags called <div> and <span>. Neither <div> nor <span> tags have a default appearance; other than the fact that <div>’s are boxes and <span>’s are “inline” within text, they’re just generic tags for applying styles to.
  7. Rule B - Divs are boxes, <span>s are text: <div>s are boxes, and have height, width, and alignment that you can can play with. By default, the height of a <div> is the height of its contents (text or images or other <div>s)
    <span>s are for “markup” within text. these are called “inline” elements, because they only make sense “in a line” of text.” Tags like bold (b), italic (i), underline (u) etc. are all <span> / inline elements.

    Don’t use <div>s (boxes) to markup text, and don’t use <span>s for boxes, and your layout will go much easier.
  8. Global, Local, or Intimate: you can apply CSS properties at three levels: across multiple HTML pages (via a file named something.css), on a single page (in a style block), or to a specific tag within a page (via the style=”…” attribute within a tag). When you FINISH a layout, it’s good to move all your CSS code into a separate CSS file so you can share it globally. But while you develop and test your code, it’s easier to just put the CSS rules in a style block inside the HTML page - then you’re not switching back and forth between two files as you’re write the code.
  9. Keep it clean: writing clean HTML these days is really easy. But even people who consider them self e1337 CSS HAX0Rs often don’t write very clean, efficient CSS. Efficiency doesn’t make the page load faster, it just makes your code easier to work on.
    Three tips:
    1. condense rules like (font-family, font-size) or (margin-left, margin-right) into single-line rules: margin: 0px 10px 10px 10px;
    2. stack your classes: no one EVER uses this trick; you can apply as many css classes to a single tag as you want, just put spaces between the names, like <h1 class=”exciting warning”> will apply both the class exciting AND the class warning. this saves TONS of duplication in your CSS. (i don’t know why no one uses this trick. it’s great. when you see someone’s stylesheet that has dozens of lines like:

      .redtext {
      font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
      color: red;
      }

      .bluetext {
      font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
      color: blue;
      },

      that's a sign that they probably don't know this trick.

    3. use commas to apply the same CSS rule to many HTML tags at once: p, b, i {… will apply the … style to paragraphs, bold, and italic text in one line.
  10. Hacks are stupid. You don’t need them. Many CSS tutorials teach that to make a page work in multiple browsers, that you need to learn various “CSS hacks”. All this stuff is crap. You don’t need any of it.

CSS starts out being a pain for everyone. Don’t worry. You’re not stupid, CSS is. Don’t think you need to memorize all the properties, either — use Got API’s handy cheat sheet. And have fun.

eHarmony.com - 5 Worst Websites - TIME
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Understanding Layers in Photoshop

This post on Understanding Layers in Photoshop has been submitted by Jodi Friedman of MCP Actions. MCP Actions offers customized one on one photoshop training, photoshop actions, and photo editing for photographers. To see more Photoshop tips and tutorials visit her blog at http://www.mcpactions.com/blog.

One of the most important keys to learning and mastering photoshop is using layers.

Why work on layers at all?

  • They do not destroy your original photo.
  • You are working on top of or on copies of that photo.
  • You will have more control.
  • You can use blending modes to change the way layers interact.
  • You can change the opacity of any effects.
  • You will have or can add layer masks so that you can work selectively on your photo with any adjustments you make.

There are a number of types of layers that I will discuss today.

Easy rotoscoping

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Latest Photoshop, CS & CS2 Tutorials and Training

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Creating Depth - Adobe Photoshop Tutorial - 1/1/1999
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Here's a really damaged photo that got caught in a downpour eons ago. Half the photo is faded and the other half has severe damage.
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Almost everyone has old photos that need restoration. In this lesson I'll teach you how to restore a bleach-photo that has some problems.
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In this tutorial we will show you how to use the Pen tool in Photoshop CS3.
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How to write an Artist Statement

Writing an artist statement sometimes can be harder than making the actual work.

When faced with a blank page, the best thing to do is write down words that you would use to describe your work. Do the same for the process(es) you use to make your work- list out the processes you use. The next step is to start to link the words into sentences. After you write the sentences, see if you can put them together into paragraphs. If you have several bodies of work you might do this process for each body of work.

It is best to start with a long version of your artist statement, that way you can edit it down to a manageable size. Be careful not to over use "art speak" terms/language and write for an audience who has never interacted with/seen your work. In other words, keep it simple, clear, and straight forward. It might be best to start with a general paragraph about your work and then get more specific regarding your bodies of work (if you are showing several bodies of work in an exhibition or submitting them for a proposal).

Those reading your statement need to understand it the first time they read it. You should also write in the first person, not in third person (ie I made, My work, etc.) You may also want to review past articles and reviews of your work. This info can help in the writing of your artist statement and might provide some quotes to include in your statement. If you do include quotes, you must footnote the source!!

An artist statement should not be longer than one page in length (unless you are have been asked specifically to write a long one!). Some good artists statements have only been 3 to 4 sentences! Have at least one person proof read your statement. It might be best to have two people read it; one who is familiar with your work and one who is not familiar with your work.

We have managed to extract several artist statements from our executive director to serve as examples. You should also start to read other artist's statements when you go to exhibitions to get more examples (ask for a copy of a person's statement you really liked - remember not to plagiarize).

Examples of Artist Statements (3 examples in total):
______________________________

Example #1 explaining all of her bodies of work

Kathleen Bitetti
Artist Statement & Explanation of Bodies of work

Since the early 1990s, my work has involved the creation of conceptually based sociopolitical objects and installations. In 1992 I began stenciling text by hand onto objects. Hand stenciled text/language has now become a very prominent feature in my work and I continue to use the same stencil and medium (graphite) that I used in 1992. In my work, I deconstruct the American dream, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and lullabies that are part of our childhood and adult culture. My work also addresses gender roles/gender assignment, the fragility of family dynamics, domestic violence and the underlying threads of violence and danger that underpin American society. Often times these themes are combined into installations that feature mundane domestic objects, painted pure white and are often embellished with stenciled text. The color white establishes a dream-like surreal quality, suggests notions of purity and safety, and formally unifies the disparate objects in each installation. The texts provide clues to content and interpretation. My "conceptual sculpture weds minimal form with maximal content" (Shawn Hill, "BayWindows" Nov. 14 96 p27).

I usually work on several bodies of work concurrently. I also create site specific temporary installations for indoor sites (I have in the past created temporary outdoor site specific work as well). I often rework a site specific installation into a self contained format that will enable the piece to be shown in a non site specific installation format/ environment. And often times elements from my sculptures, installations, and non site specific work are utilized in my site specific installations. In other words, the various bodies of work inform or cross pollinate each other.

The six specific bodies of work that I am working on concurrently:

"Weary Heads"- a series of ten life size beds. I began the series in late 1994. These beds are beautiful objects, but they are also very dangerous. Both stenciled text/language and pillows with text are prominent elements in the series. These works transform an object, that usually provides comfort, into one that has nightmare qualities.

"Forever Hold Your Peace" In 1992, I began this series of 11 large sculptural components that attempt to reveal the life of a person who is in a battering/ abusive environment. The majority of contemporary art work addressing domestic violence does not show the whole picture of what it is like to live with such violence on a daily basis, nor does it demonstrate the long time line of domestic violence. It is the goal of my work to more fully represent the long nightmare of domestic violence and to show the underlying thread of violence/danger that underlies such relationships.

Lullabies & Fairy Tales are other areas that I am investigating. Several of my works focus on deconstructing these forms of "childhood" entertainment (these themes also make appearances in the other bodies of work).

Pillows Talk- In 1993, I began working with pillows and stenciling text on them. I have created four major pieces that use only pillows (pillows are also an important element in the Weary Heads series).

Site Specific Installation Work- Birds is the most recent example of this work, but Lullaby/Rock A Bye Baby and one version of Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf are also examples.

Works on Paper- My works on paper tend to differ from my 3-D/ installation work. These works are very personal pieces that have been inspired by and made for particular people in my life. Nor are these works minimal in form, color, or content. I often incorporate appropriated images and text into my works on paper and I usually sew these pieces by hand and/or by machine. Like in my 3D/installation works, the text is hand stenciled onto the piece. My works on paper are usually celebratory and often times meant to be humorous.

________________________________________

Example #2 explaining her work in general and specific pieces- notice the similar introductory paragraph!

Kathleen Bitetti
Artist Statement

Since the early 1990s, my work has involved the creation of conceptually based sociopolitical objects and installations. In my work, I deconstruct the American dream, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, and lullabies that are part of our childhood and adult culture. My work also addresses gender roles/gender assignment, the fragility of family dynamics, domestic violence and the underlying threads of violence and danger that underpin American society. These themes are often combined with the metaphors commonly used by those in battering relationships into installations that feature mundane domestic objects, painted pure white and embellished with stenciled text. The color white establishes a dream-like surreal quality, suggests notions of purity and safety, and formally unifies the disparate objects in each installation. The texts provide clues to content and interpretation. My "conceptual sculpture weds minimal form with maximal content". (Shawn Hill, "BayWindows" Nov. 14 96 p27).

The two works, both Untitled 1991, are examples of my earlier work that addressed the overlooked issues of class in American society. Those who are in the lower classes are usually the ones who are "watched like goldfish" and must depend on others for their very survival. The monopoly game pieces are also very important clues to understanding the various facets of our so called classless society.

The piece entitled, Porter Crib 1997, is from a series of 10 beds entitled, "Weary Heads". I began the series in late 1994. These life size beds are beautiful objects, but they are also very dangerous. These works transform an object, that usually provides comfort, into one that has nightmare qualities and is incapable of providing comfort. Stenciled text/language is a prominent element in my "Weary Heads" bed series. The Porter Crib text is taken from a "Christianized" Celtic/Pagan childhood prayer. The prayer is stenciled on tracing paper, thus making it impossible for any infant to lie in the crib with out falling through on to the floor. Children are also at the mercy of others. Presently, I am working on completing two more of the beds in the series. I hope to show all 10 beds in a gallery setting in the future.

________________________________

Example #3 explaining one piece

Kathleen Bitetti
Artist Statement

Birds
These plaster birds were cast from two ceramic birds my mother had in our family home. Interestingly, the two original ceramic birds are exactly the same in every detail, except that one was painted blue indicating a Blue Jay, while the other was painted red indicating a cardinal. I chose to keep my birds white. These birds, in my mindscape, symbolize safety, good luck and purity. All the birds in the museum have been cast specifically for this show and I have placed them all in their specific sites within the museum.

I first made these white plaster birds to be elements in a 1996 site specific installation entitled, Lullaby/Rock A Bye Baby. The installation examined the duality of the lullaby: it is an extremely violent song that is considered a cherished "lullaby" that one sings to soothe children to sleep.

Ironically, while working on these birds for this show, I found out that many people believe that having any birds in their house, living or in any depiction, is a harbinger/cause of bad luck. Thus these birds, like the majority of my work, have conflicting meanings

How to Write an Artist's Statement

From Marion Boddy-Evans,
Your Guide to Painting.
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Tips to help you write a personal artist's statement to accompany your paintings

An artist's statement is a short piece written by the artist to accompany a particular painting or group of paintings. An artist's statement shouldn't be dismissed as insignificant or dashed out in a hurry as it's a vital selling tool, promoting and explaining your work to people looking at your paintings, whether they're potential buyers, exhibition curators, critics, fellow artists, or casual browsers.

At its best, an artist's statement reads easily, is informative, and adds to your understanding of the artist and the painting. At its worse, an artist's statement is difficult to understand or rambles on, is pretentious, and irritates rather than informs (or, even, provokes laughter).

How Long Should an Artist's Statement Be?
Rather make an artist's statement too short than too long – most people simply won't have the patience to read a lengthy treatise and many will be put off before they've even started. Aim at around 100 words or three short paragraphs.

What Should an Artist's Statement Say? An artist's statement should be an explanation of your painting style and subjects or themes. Add a bit about your approach or philosophy if you wish. Mention your education, specifically if you've studied art (the closer you are to the date you left art college, the more relevant this is). Consider mentioning which artists (living and dead) have influenced or inspired you. Mention any significant awards you have won, exhibitions you have participated in, collections your paintings appear in or significant sales you may have made, and painting organisations or societies you belong to. Remember, though, you're aiming to create professional credibility by highlighting your achievements, not providing a full resume. If you don't have a formal art qualification, don't worry, it's your paintings that make you an artist, not your qualifications.

Help, I Find It Impossible to Describe My Work in Words!
It can often be difficult to explain something visual in words – and afterall, you're an artist not a writer! But, as with painting, practise makes it easier and perseverence is essential. You're unlikely to produce a polished artist's statement the first time you try, so be prepared to rework it several times.

Think about how you would describe your work to someone who didn't know you, what other people have said about your work, what you are aiming to achieve in your paintings, your outlook on life. Ask a friend for comments on what you've written (but pick someone you know will give you an honest answer, this is no time for "that's lovely" comments). Write your artist's statement in first person ("I work ..."), not third person ("Mary works ...").

Can an Artist's Statement Change?
Certainly, because you and your work will change. In fact you, should review your artist's statement whenever you need to use it to make sure it's suitable for a particular exhibition, event, or market, not simply print it out again time and again.

Where Can I Find Examples of Artists' Statement?
Many of the paintings submitted to the monthly painting projects, the September 11th Gallery, and the First Painting Sold Gallery have artist's statements, most very specific to a particular painting. Browse through these galleries, or the examples listed below, see what you think works and what not, think about why this is, then apply it to your own artist's statement. Also always look at the artist's statement when you're browsing an artist's personal website.

Digital Story

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Flash Animation

flash video tutorial - Google Video
video.google.com/videosearch?q=flash+video+tutoria...
5 min - Feb 13, 2007 -   (393 ratings)  
. And yeah, the program is Macromedia Flash Mx 6 (sry for the disturbing noises I had a cold)...flash tutorial how beginners animation tha
flash video tutorial - Google Video
video.google.com/videosearch?q=flash+video+tutoria...
59 min - May 13, 2007
Animation Tutorial...Angel of Bacon Flash Animation Tutorial Apologies for the video quality on
Flash-animation tutorial(for beginners) part 1
video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1296770699899109...
. even if two people did with tha race...(F***)...flash tutorial how beginners animation tha cliff race The second half.
with proof i made tha cliff so maybe nobody will want to copy it from me... even if two people did with tha race...(F***)
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From: xefpatterson
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Added: 9 months ago
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Exaggeration for Writers

How to Unleash Your Inner Comedian

By Doug Stevenson

Where did we learn that we have to be serious all the time to be taken seriously? In my experience, it’s just not true. When people laugh, they learn. With this in mind, let’s explore how you can be funnier when you give a speech or presentation.

I’ve coached hundreds of speaker and have come to one simple conclusion: everybody is funny. But most of us have spent years trying not to be funny in professional situations in an attempt to be taken seriously. As a result most people don’t have a clue what their funny looks, sounds and feels like.

The challenge of humor is to be as funny when you are in front of an audience as you are with colleagues and friends at work or at a cocktail party. You must be able to witness your naturally funny behavior in order to bring that “funny” to the platform. That behavior includes vocal rhythms and volume, physical gestures and mannerisms and a sense of joy and playfulness.

Let’s focus on three elements that will make you funnier: comedy writing, exaggeration and playfulness.

Comedy Writing:

Comedy is structure combined with delivery. While delivery is essential, structure is equally important. In fact, when the structure is excellent, almost anyone can deliver the same material and it will get the laugh.

Let’s look at a technique called a “triple”. In this example, I use a triple to illustrate the difference in personality styles between myself and my teenage son.

“My son Bennett and I couldn’t be more different. I’m an extrovert - he’s an introvert. I’m creative - he’s linear. I’m verbal - he’s (hold for two beats) an engineer.”

In a “triple”, rather than using one or two examples to explain something, use three instead. The first two set a pattern and the third breaks the pattern with a humorous twist.

Triples get a laugh because of structure. In the example used above, I always get a good laugh on the word, engineer. Why? Let’s break it down.

First of all, I’m playing off of common knowledge of personality descriptions. Everyone is aware of the personality categories of introverts and extroverts. That example lays the foundation for the “triple.” Introverts and extroverts set up the pattern of opposites. “Creative” and “linear” continues the pattern because creative people are known to be non-linear thinkers.

To aid in this second example I use a gesture with my hands to indicate the difference between creative and linear. On the word “creative” my hands fly all over the place. On the word “linear” I hold my hands in front of me with the palms facing each other about three inches apart. I then move them from right to left as if organizing my socks by the day of the week.

In the third example, when I say the word “verbal”, the logical progression of opposites would be “non-verbal.” By substituting the word “engineer” I have used the ultimate weapon of comedy structure, surprise. It is an illogical, logical substitution. Engineers are non-verbal. Since there are engineers in most business audiences, and since engineers are known be be more cerebral than verbal, the device works.

Where does this kind of structure evolve? In the writing. It happens when you are writing your script and rehearsing their delivery. You may get lucky and discover something funny spontaneously on the platform every once in awhile, but if you want results that you can count on day in and day out, write your comedy.

Exaggeration:

Exaggeration in comedy simply means that you take something to the extremes. Take your idea, gesture or situation and keep going, broaden it - blow it all out of proportion.

There are three forms of exaggeration:

Exaggerating the facts: I tell all my students, “Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story.” What I mean is that embellishment is the backbone of comedy. When you want a laugh, stretch the truth. Here’s an example.

Truth: I fell down a couple of stairs and skinned my knee. Exaggeration: I was walking down a flight of steps and I tripped and went flying through the air. I grabbed for the railing and it came off in my hand. As I was falling forward, a nine foot railing in my hand, I swung around and let go of the railing. It went sailing through the air and crashed through the windshield of my boss’s car. Luckily for me, I only scraped my knee.

Exaggerating vocally: Emphasize emotional states with vocal exaggeration such as volume. Get loud for panic or if something is ridiculous.

Exaggerating physically: I have yet to work with anyone, including high level executives and accountants, who wasn’t able to get a laugh simply by exaggerating a physical or facial reaction. Physical comedy is non-verbal. It takes place in reaction to an inner or outer stimulus.

Physical comedy, whether it’s a gesture, a melodramatic freeze or a facial expression, takes time. You have to deliver a sentence, take the time to fill the next moment with a reaction, and then go on. Without completing the reaction, the bit won’t work. It always takes longer than most non-comedians think – so triple the length of the reaction.

If you observe yourself closely, you may discover that you are more animated off the platform than on it. In other words, you exaggerate naturally, and then tone it down for performance. That’s backwards. Exaggerate and you will get laughs.

Playfulness:

Playfulness is a quality, but also is an ingredient in comedic performance. Funny people have fun while they perform. This attitude of playfulness occurs on two levels. The first level is with myself. The second level is with my audience. When you are playful with your own personality, material and style, it gives the audience permission to laugh along with you. We know this as self-deprecating humor. I call it self-loving humor. Without loving yourself, it is hard to make fun of yourself in a way that creates connection and safety with the audience. Having created a level of safety with your audience, they will allow you to be playful with them, as well.

In conclusion, it’s not true that you have to be serious all the time to be taken seriously. So loosen up and get playful! You’ll be laughing all the way to the bank.

PS: I have two resources that teach The 29 Disciplines of Comedy. The first is a 2 CD set called Get More Laughs. The same two CD's are contained in 21-Step Dynamite Speech System.

Doug Stevenson
http://www.storytheater.net

Storyboarding

Acting with a Pencil -Storyboarding your Movie
www.exposure.co.uk/eejit/storybd/

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Acting with a Pencil
Storyboarding your Movie

Sample storyboards from 'Troops' - an excellent short film set in the Star Wars universe by Kevin Rubio & Co.
Art Director - Eric Hilleary.

Storyboards & Movies at www.theforce.net/troops

Storyboarding?

Storyboarding is the process of producing sketches of the shots of your script. The end result looks like comic book of your film (without the speech bubbles).

Why do it?

It helps you think about how your film is going to look. You can work faster on set and as pictures communicate better than words it will allow your camera crew to move their camera and lights, for producers to foresee problems, for the art department to know which parts of the location are going to be in shot and so on. Even the actors will get a feel of what they are going to be shooting!

So I need to be an artist?

Well you can be, but looking at storyboards by Hitchcock or Spielberg you have to admit that they can't draw. There are professional storyboard artists that can give you results that look better than the final film. However its a good idea to bash them out yourself, it allows you to experiment quickly and cheaply, testing out different versions of how a scene may look and play on camera.

Storyboarding is especially useful for complex visual sequences e.g. elaborate shots or special effects sequences. Sometimes a film only uses storyboards for difficult sequences other times the entire film is storyboarded. The Coen Brothers (Fargo, The Big Lebowski) storyboard extensively, allowing them to shoot just the sequences they require for editing, saving both time and money.

Hang on though, pictures are still, movies move.

Ah! You got me there. There are a few tricks storyboard artists have up their sleeves to illustrate movement - whether its movement within the frame (actors walking) or the frame moving itself (camera panning etc.).

Arrows - Suppose the camera is tracking in, following a bad guy's footsteps. Draw in an arrow pointing into shot to show the camera's movement. Now the hero's head is pulled back by one of the bad guy's goons. Use an arrow to show the movement of the head being turned. What about a zoom in? From each corner draw in arrows pointing to the centre, draw in a new smaller frame to show the end of the zoom. Generally I try and use thick white arrows to show camera moves and thin black arrows to show objects moving.

 

The floating frame - What if you want to show the camera panning to show a cityscape, or following a character as they walk through an airport? There's two options here: 1) Illustrate one shot using more than one storyboard frame showing the key stages of the shot's movement across a number of frames or 2) Draw out the entire scene (e.g.. the horizon of a city) and place a frame on it with an arrow indicating the direction of movement.

Transitions - The storyboard can also include transitions in your film. Write these in the gaps between the frames e.g.. DISSOLVE TO :

This is great but I can't draw!!

Neither can I, so I cheat.

Screen time is filled with people, and figures are painful to draw, getting the correct perspective of arms and legs is problematic. The people in my drawings tend to look like car crash victims with limbs all over the place.

I managed to pick up some really cheap wooden mannequins (they're 12 inch high artists models with joints so you can bend them into shape) that I use for more professional looking storyboards (oh! and did I mention they're fast too?). Over a couple of nights I rattled through the script, breaking the scenes down into shots, arranging the mannequins and shooting stills of them. I used a video camera and grabbed the shots, then arranged them as a storyboard. You could just as equally use a stills camera or draw from the figures (which is a much easier than trying to imagine where hands and legs go in your head).

       

Storyboard Shot       Final filmed shot

Further storyboards and the finished shots from 'RENT'

If you can't get hold of any mannequins try using an Action Man and Barbie and start playing (I'm sure this is how director Todd Haynes got the idea for 'Superstar : The Karen Carpenter Story' - a shot entirely with toy dolls). If your film stars a baldie like Yul Brynner you can always try Lego men.

Now you can add to the images if you want, scribbling on rough faces and expressions or drawing in props and buildings. I left most blank, figuring that this was the actors' job.

You can quickly build up a store of images, and because many shots in films are similar (over-the-shoulder shots, wide shots etc.) you can use pictures again and again for different scenes and different movies.

Here's a few quick methods for producing fast and dirty storyboards.

1. Keep the area you have to draw small. It allows you to draw much faster. The pictures become more like doodles than works of art. Remember the point is to get an idea of how things will look on screen. Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise) is famous for his Ridleygrams - rough, almost indecipherable sketches that outline what he has in mind.

2. Copy up a set of storyboard sheets so you don't have to spend all night drawing screen boxes. Download a storyboard sheet.

3. Sketch in pencil so you can make changes easily, then ink in for photocopying. Feel free to use any medium you are happy with - professional storyboard artists use everything from magic markers to charcoal.

4. Scribble down short notes about what's happening in shot (e.g.. BOB enters) what characters are saying ("Is this it? Is this how...") or sound effects (Roll of THUNDER).

5. An overhead plan view of the location of the camera, actors and light can be helpful if you know the location you are going to be working on.

6. Number your shots so that they can be quickly referred to on the shot list and during editing.

Drawing storyboards is an excellent way to keep motivated, to show you're organised and to let everyone else know what's going on in your head.

Storyboards aren't there to constrain you. Just like the script they are there to back you up during shooting. If everything starts flowing on set let it happen. In the real situation you may see a new angle - go ahead, shoot it. Get the shots you need by checking your storyboard and give yourself the time and freedom to experiment.

Get your pencils acting!

  * The phrase 'Acting with a Pencil' comes from Paul Power - storyboard artist on 'La Bamba'. Pretty apt I think.

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Film directing shot by shot - visualizing from concept to screen - Steven D. Katz - a pretty comprehensive yet approachable textbook that covers storyboarding in some depth. Packed full of excellent advice and some stunning sample storyboards from Ridley Scott's 'Bladerunner', Spielberg's 'Empire of the Sun' and some movie called 'Citizen Kane'.

 UK orders from amazon.co.uk - 'Film directing shot by shot - visualizing from concept to screen'
 USA and International orders from amazon.com -
'Film directing shot by shot - visualizing from concept to screen'


The Big Lebowski : The Making of a Coen Brothers Film - Wow! I really like this and devoured it in one sitting. Much better than the usual sycophantic 'Making Of...' books. The author really tries to dig beneath the surface of the usually monosyllabic Coen Brothers and is pretty successful. Contains an excellent section on how the Coen Brothers storyboard their movies with sample sections of script, storyboards and stills from the movie.

 UK orders from amazon.co.uk - 'The Big Lebowski : The Making of a Coen Brothers Film'
 USA and International orders from amazon.com -
'The Big Lebowski : The Making of a Coen Brothers Film'


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Motivation for Project Managers

Some Ideas for Motivating Students
www.virtualsalt.com/motivate.htm

Some Ideas for Motivating Students

Robert Harris
Version Date: March 2, 1991

1. Explain. Some recent research shows that many students do poorly on assignments or in participation because they do not understand what to do or why they should do it. Teachers should spend more time explaining why we teach what we do, and why the topic or approach or activity is important and interesting and worthwhile. In the process, some of the teacher's enthusiasm will be transmitted to the students, who will be more likely to become interested. Similarly, teachers should spend more time explaining exactly what is expected on assignments or activities. Students who are uncertain about what to do will seldom perform well.

(In a study conducted on one college campus, a faculty member gave a student assignment to a group of colleagues for analysis. Few of them could understand what the faculty member wanted. If experienced profs are confused, how can we expect students to understand?)

2. Reward. Students who do not yet have powerful intrinsic motivation to learn can be helped by extrinsic motivators in the form of rewards. Rather than criticizing unwanted behavior or answers, reward correct behavior and answers. Remember that adults and children alike continue or repeat behavior that is rewarded. The rewards can (and should) be small and configured to the level of the students. Small children can be given a balloon, a piece of gum, or a set of crayons. Even at the college level, many professors at various colleges have given books, lunches, certificates, exemptions from final exams, verbal praise, and so on for good performance. Even something as apparently "childish" as a "Good Job!" stamp or sticker can encourage students to perform at higher levels. And the important point is that extrinsic motivators can, over a brief period of time, produce intrinsic motivation. Everyone likes the feeling of accomplishment and recognition; rewards for good work produce those good feelings.

3. Care. Students respond with interest and motivation to teachers who appear to be human and caring. Teachers can help produce these feelings by sharing parts of themselves with students, especially little stories of problems and mistakes they made, either as children or even recently. Such personalizing of the student/teacher relationship helps students see teachers as approachable human beings and not as aloof authority figures. Young people are also quite insecure, and they secretly welcome the admission by adults that insecurity and error are common to everyone. Students will attend to an adult who appears to be a "real person," who had problems as a youth (or more recently) and survived them.

It is also a good idea to be approachable personally. Show that you care about your students by asking about their concerns and goals. What do they plan to do in the future? What things do they like? Such a teacher will be trusted and respected more than one who is all business.

4. Have students participate. One of the major keys to motivation is the active involvement of students in their own learning. Standing in front of them and lecturing to them (at them?) is thus a relatively poor method of teaching. It is better to get students involved in activities, group problem solving exercises, helping to decide what to do and the best way to do it, helping the teacher, working with each other, or in some other way getting physically involved in the lesson. A lesson about nature, for example, would be more effective walking outdoors than looking at pictures.

Students love to be needed (just like adults!). By choosing several students to help the teacher (take roll, grade objective exams, research bibliographies or biographies of important persons, chair discussion groups, rearrange chairs, change the overhead transparencies, hold up pictures, pass out papers or exams) students' self esteem is boosted and consequently their motivation is increased. Older students will also see themselves as necessary, integral, and contributing parts of the learning process through participation like this. Use every opportunity to have students help you. Assign them homework that involves helping you ("I need some magazine illustrations of the emphasis on materialism for next week; would someone like to find one for me?").

5. Teach Inductively. It has been said that presenting conclusions first and then providing examples robs students of the joy of discovery. Why not present some examples first and ask students to make sense of them, to generalize about them, to draw the conclusions themselves? By beginning with the examples, evidence, stories, and so forth and arriving at conclusions later, you can maintain interest and increase motivation, as well as teach the skills of analysis and synthesis. Remember that the parable method of making a point has some significant historical precedent.

6. Satisfy students' needs. Attending to need satisfaction is a primary method of keeping students interested and happy. Students' basic needs have been identified as survival, love, power, fun, and freedom. Attending to the need for power could be as simple as allowing students to choose from among two or three things to do--two or three paper topics, two or three activities, choosing between writing an extra paper and taking the final exam, etc. Many students have a need to have fun in active ways--in other words, they need to be noisy and excited. Rather than always avoiding or suppressing these needs, design an educational activity that fulfills them.

Students will be much more committed to a learning activity that has value for them, that they can see as meeting their needs, either long term or short term. They will, in fact, put up with substantial immediate unpleasantness and do an amazing amount of hard work if they are convinced that what they are learning ultimately meets their needs.

7. Make learning visual. Even before young people were reared in a video environment, it was recognized that memory is often connected to visual images. In the middle ages people who memorized the Bible or Homer would sometimes walk around inside a cathedral and mentally attach certain passages to objects inside, so that remembering the image of a column or statue would provide the needed stimulus to remember the next hundred lines of text. Similarly, we can provide better learning by attaching images to the ideas we want to convey. Use drawings, diagrams, pictures, charts, graphs, bulleted lists, even three-dimensional objects you can bring to class to help students anchor the idea to an image.

It is very helpful to begin a class session or a series of classes with a conceptual diagram of the relationship of all the components in the class so that at a glance students can apprehend a context for all the learning they will be doing. This will enable them to develop a mental framework or filing system that will help them to learn better and remember more.

8. Use positive emotions to enhance learning and motivation. Strong and lasting memory is connected with the emotional state and experience of the learner. That is, people remember better when the learning is accompanied by strong emotions. If you can make something fun, exciting, happy, loving, or perhaps even a bit frightening, students will learn more readily and the learning will last much longer. Emotions can be created by classroom attitudes, by doing something unexpected or outrageous, by praise, and by many other means.

The day you come to class with a bowl on your head and speak as an alien observer about humans will be a day and a lesson your students will remember. Don't be afraid to embarrass yourself to make a memorable point.

9. Remember that energy sells. Think about these problems for a minute: Why would so many students rather see Rambo, Robocop, Friday the 13th, or another movie like that than one on the life of Christ? Why is rock music more popular with youth than classical music or Christian elevator music? Why is evil often seen as more interesting than good? The answer is connected with the way good and evil are portrayed. Unfortunately, evil usually has high energy on its side while good is seen as passive and boring. We've been trapped by the idea that "bad people do; good people don't." Good is passive, resistant, reactionary, while evil is proactive, energetic, creative.

In a typical cartoon where Sylvester the cat is trying to catch and eat Tweety bird, the cat is highly creative, inventing several ways to get at Tweety. Meanwhile, the guard dog is passive and waits until the cat comes within range before spoiling his plans by beating him up. Here is the unfortunate problem: in the theological scheme of things, the cat is the devil and the dog is God. The cat is admired because of his creative energy; the dog is just a boring policeman. This problem is not new--in the seventeenth century, Milton's Paradise Lost was criticized because Satan was a more interesting character than God, because Satan was the one with the energy.

The lesson here is that we must begin to associate our heroes and our truths with energy. Don't portray Jesus as a wimpy good guy--the "gentle Jesus, meek and mild"; show him as dynamic, exciting, and energetic. Present his turning over the money changers' tables, his power and energy in multiplying the loaves and fishes, and so on. Likewise, make a point to show that evil is often lazy, uncreative, predatory, tired, recycling the same old boring temptations, etc. etc.

Why does heaven sound boring to a lot of kids, while they think that all the really interesting people will be in hell?

Being energetic in your teaching is a motivating factor in itself; adding energy to the ideas you want to convey will further enhance learning and commitment to the ideas.

Ethical Images for Keynote Mavens

Creative Commons Search
search.creativecommons.org/

For a quick intro to Creative Commons, check out this short video, entitled "Wanna Work Together?"

Video available in other formats here.

Yotophoto | Find free photos... fast!
yotophoto.com/

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Camera Shots

Shot Types

There is a convention in the video, film and television industries which assigns names and guidelines to common types of shots, framing and picture composition. The list below briefly describes the most common shot types. Note that the exact terminology may vary between production environments but the basic principles are the same.

Click the images for more details. See below for more information and related tutorials.


EWS (Extreme Wide Shot)

The view is so far from the subject that she isn't even visible. This is often used as an establishing shot.

VWS (Very Wide Shot)

The subject is visible (barely), but the emphasis is still on placing her in her environment.

WS (Wide Shot)

The subject takes up the full frame, or at least as much as possible. The same as a long shot.

MS (Mid Shot)

Shows some part of the subject in more detail whilst still giving an impression of the whole subject.

MCU (Medium Close Up)

Half way between a MS and a CU.

CU (Close Up)

A certain feature or part of the subject takes up the whole frame.

ECU (Extreme Close Up)

The ECU gets right in and shows extreme detail.

CA (Cutaway)

A shot of something other than the current action.

Cut-In

Shows some part of the subject in detail.

Two-Shot

A comfortable shot of two people, framed similarly to a mid shot.

(OSS) Over-the-Shoulder Shot

Looking from behind a person at the subject.

Noddy Shot

Usually refers to a shot of the interviewer listening and reacting to the subject, although noddies can be used in drama and other situations.

Point-of-View Shot (POV)

Shows a view from the subject's perspective.

Weather Shot

The subject is the weather, usually the sky. Can be used for other purposes.

Camera Movement
  Arc
  Crab
  Dolly
  Dolly Zoom
  Follow
  Pedestal
 
  Pan
  Tilt
  Tracking
  Trucking
  Zooming

See also:
Camera Angles
The Rule of Thirds
Crossing the Line (Reverse Cuts)
Dutch Tilt
Talking Head
Pickup Shots
 

accad.osu.edu/~midori/Materials/camera.html
accad.osu.edu/~midori/Materials/camera.html

Elements of Cinematography
Camera
: In film making multiple cameras (multiple camera positions of a single camera) are often used. In editing phase scenes/shots are assembled in a way that the story is told in an effective way. In computer animation, a considerable amount of time is spent on pre-planning (e.g., storyboarding and animatics) so that a maximum amount of fully rendered scenes an/shots will be used for the final animation.

The topics in this handout are:

  • Types of shots -- shot size, camera angle, POV, two shot, over the shoulder shot.
  • 180 degree rule
  • Camera moves
  • Composition rules
  • Safe areas

Types of shots: The followings are types of shots commonly used in film, video, and animation.

1. Shots with different shot sizes. One of the major distinctions among types of shots is the shot size. The shot size identifies how large and area will be visible within the frame. Among the following common shot sizes the distance between the camera and subject varies.

  • Extreme wide shot (EWS) shows a broad view of the surroundings around the character and coveys scale, distance, and geographic location.
  • Wide shot (WS) shows an entire character from head to toe.
  • Medium wide shot (MWS) shows a character usually cut off across the legs above or below the knees. It is wide enough to show the physical setting in which the action is taking place, yet it is close enough to shot facial expression.
  • Medium shot (MS) shows a character's upper-body, arms, and head.
  • Close-up shot (CU) shows a character's face and shoulders. It is close enough to show subtle facial expressions clearly.
  • Extreme close-up shot (ECU) shows only a part of a character's face. It fills the screen with the details of a subject.



extreme wide shot


wide shot


medium wide shot


medium shot


close-up shot

extreme close-up shot

The images are from "The Art of Technique: An Aesthetic Approach to Film and Video Production"
by John Douglass and Glenn Harnden


Notes: Indecisive cut and shock cut
When cutting from a shot to another shot of a different shot size (e.g, from a wide shot to a medium wide shot) while framing the same subject, the difference in image size must be decisive. If the size of the subject does not change sufficiently, you will get the unpleasant effect of an indecisive cut and the audience will perceive it as a mistake or a distraction.

On the other hand, when cutting
from a shot to another shot of a significantly different shot size (e.g, from a wide shot to a close-up shot), you will produce a shock effect which is most likely inappropriate. The usual compromise is to have a shot of a shot size that is inbetween the sizes of the two shots (e.g., from a wide shot to a medium shot, and then to a close-up shot).


2. Shots with different camera angles.
Another one of the major distinctions among types of shots is the camera angle. Changing the camera angle changes the appearance and function of your shot.

Horizontal camera angles. Moving the camera around the subject horizontally while aiming at the subject creates different camera angles below:

  1. Frontal. The frontal angle tends to flatten the three dimensionality of facial features and environments.
  2. Three-quarter front. The three-quarter front angle is more often used than the frontal angle or profile because it shows more depth and volumes.
  3. Profile.
  4. Three-quarter rear.
  5. Rear.


Vertical camera angles
. Moving the camera around the subject vertically while aiming at the subject creats different camera angles below:

  1. High angle. The camera is placed above eye level, looking downward. A high angle shot can make a character look smaller, younger, weak, confused, or more childlike.
  2. Eye level. Most commonly used.
  3. Low angle. The camera is placed below eye level, looking upward. A low angle shot can make a character look bigger, stronger, or more noble. It also gives the impression of height.

high angle


low angle

The images are from "The Art of Technique: An Aesthetic Approach to Film and Video Production"
by John Douglass and Glenn Harnden

Note: Indecisive cut
When cutting from a shot to another shot with a different camera angle (e.g, from a frontal shot to a three quarter front), framing the same subject, the difference between the two camera angles must be greater than 35 degrees. If the difference is less than 35 degrees, and the appearance of the subject does not change sufficiently, you will get the unpleasant effect of an indecisive cut and the audience will perceive it as a mistake or a distraction.

3. POV shots. In a point of view (POV) shot, the camera is placed at the eye position of a character. (Birn, 8.2.4 POV Shots, pages 180-1)

4. Two shot & over-the-shoulder shot

  • Two shot shows two characters.
  • Over-the-shoulder shot is a close-up of a character as seen over-the-shoulder of another person in the foreground.

Two shot

Over the shoulder shot



180 degree rule
If you are using multiple cameras and plan to edit the different shots in a scene into a seamless sequence, an important rule to keep in mind is to place all the cameras on the same side of a line of action. A line of action is a path which your subject is traveling along or an imaginary line between two characters who are interacting. This rule is called "180 degree rule".

Look at the following camera placements:


If Camera 2 and Camera 3 are used, the audience stays on one side of the line of action. These shots are called
"reverse angle shots".



If Camera 2 and Camera 4 are used, the audience crosses the line of action. It's disorienting and confusing.

The images are from "The Five C's of Cinematography" by Joseph V. Mascelli


Camera moves
The camera position is often animated in computer animation for no good reason or no reason at all simply because the virtual camera can be moved easily. If you want to animate realistic and effective camera moves, study popular types of possible camera moves with a real camera. Try the following:

  • Pan. The camera rotates from side to side, so that it aims more to the left or right. The camera does not change the location.
  • Tilt. The camera rotates to aim upward or downward without changing the location. Tilt is sometimes called "pitch".
  • Zoom. The camera's lens is adjusted to increase or decrease the camera's field of view, magnifying a portion of the scene without moving the camera.
  • Dolly. The camera's actual position changes, such as to move alongside a moving subject or to travel closer to a character during a scene. Dolly in moves the camera closer to the subject. Dolly out backs the camera away from the subject. Dolly in and dolly out are sometime called "track".

The image is from "The Art of 3-D Computer Animation and Imaging" by Isaac Kerlow.

Dolly vs. Zoom
The difference between dolly and zoom is that when you dolly, you are moving the camera in space, while zoom refers to changing the camera's focal length. When you move the camera, the perspective changes. Objects far from the camera change in relative size at a slower rate than objects which are close to the camera. That is what you see through your human eyes as you walk around, your perspective changes. On the other hand, when you zoom (i.e., when you change the focal length of your camera), your camera does not move and perspective does not change.


Composition Rules: The followings are useful guidlines you can use when composing a shot.
1. Rule of thirds

Rule of thirds divides the frame into thirds both horizontally and vertically. The points where the vertical and horizontal lines cross are aesthetically pleasing spots to place subjects or to have perspective lines converge. It is usually best to avoid placing horizon lines exactly in the middle of a frame, but to place the horizon either above or below center, approximately one-third or two-thirds up the height of the frame.

The images are from "Digital Lighting and Rendering" by Jeremy Birn and "The Art of Technique"

2. Teeter-totter rule
Lighter weight can counterbalance a heavier weight if it is placed farther away from the center of the frame.

3. Avoid frontal angle
The frontal angle tends to flatten the three dimensionality of facial features and environments. Angling the shot produces more depth and volumes.

Shooting straight against walls produces flat compositions with little sense of depth in frame. Angling the shot into walls produces receding perspectives and a better sense of depth.


Safe Areas
Text, e.g., the title of your animation, should be kept in the center 80% of the screen, within a guideline called the title safe area. To make sure that your audience will not miss any important action in your animation, the vital parts of your scene should take place within the central 90% of your frame, a guideline called the action safe area. Why? It's because what's outside the action safe area is invisible on most TV sets. (Birn's Page 190.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last updated 10/22/03
"The book of Movie Photography" by David Cheshire

 

 

Presentation Dos and Don'ts

10 Tips for a Killer Presentation

Presentations are something that we’re all familiar with. Whether you are watching a presentation or giving a presentation, chances are you know what sucks and what doesn’t. However, in case you don’t know the suck from the not, here are ten tips to help insure you are giving a good presentation:

  1. Don’t abuse your visuals - Usually your visuals are posters, charts, or even a PowerPoint presentation. Whatever your visuals may be, keep them simple and don’t put too many words on them. The audience isn’t there to read your slides, they are there to listen to you present.
  2. Look at the audience - If you ever wondered where you should be looking when presenting, the answer is right in front of you. Don’t just single out one person, but instead try to make eye contact with numerous people throughout the room. If you don’t do this then you aren’t engaging the audience, you are just talking to yourself. This can result in an utter lack of attention from your audience.
  3. Show your personality - It doesn’t matter if you are presenting to a corporate crowd or to senior citizens, you need to show some character when presenting. If you don’t do this you’ll probably sound like Agent Smith from the Matrix. Nobody wants to hear him present. (If you do, you are probably an agent yourself and we will find you)
  4. Make them laugh - Although you want to educate your audience, you need to make them laugh as well. I learned this from Guy Kawasaki and if you ever hear any of his speeches you’ll understand why. In essence, it keeps the audience alert and they’ll learn more from you than someone who just educates.
  5. Talk to your audience, not at them - People hate it when they get talked at, so don’t do it. You need to interact with your audience and create a conversation. An easy way to do this is to ask them questions as well as letting them ask you questions.
  6. Be honest - A lot of people present to the audience what they want to hear, instead of what they need to hear. Make sure you tell the truth even if they don’t want to hear it because they will respect you for that and it will make you more human.
  7. Don’t over prepare - If you rehearse your presentation too much it will sound like it (in a bad way). Granted, you need to be prepared enough to know what you are going to talk about but make sure your presentation flows naturally instead of sounding memorized. Usually if you ask experienced speakers what you shouldn’t do, they’ll tell you not to rehearse your presentation too much because then it won’t sound natural.
  8. Show some movement - You probably know that you need to show some movement when speaking, but naturally you may forget to do so. Make sure you show some gestures or pace around a bit (not too much) on the stage when speaking. Remember, no one likes watching a stiff. People are more engaged with an animated speaker.
  9. Watch what you say - You usually don’t notice when you say “uhm”, “ah”, or any other useless word frequently, but the audience does. It gets quite irritating; so much that some members of the audience will probably count how many times you say these useless words.
  10. Differentiate yourself - If you don’t do something unique compared to all the other presenters the audience has heard, they won’t remember you. You are branding yourself when you speak, so make sure you do something unique and memorable.
Geek To Live: Rock Your Presentation with the Right Tools and Apps - Lifehacker
lifehacker.com/software/geek-to-live/rock-your-pre...
Geek to Live

Rock Your Presentation with the Right Tools and Apps


At some point in your career as a student or professional, you're going to have to give a presentation—and when you do, you want to be prepared with the right content and applications. Whether your demo'ing software or explicating Melville, a computer hooked up to a projector can either give an audience a great audio/visual experience, or a bullet-studded snoozer. Whether you're using a Mac or Windows, PowerPoint or Keynote, or simply presenting straight from your web browser, there are a few power tips, apps, and tools that can make your slideshow or demonstration smooth, entertaining and memorable. Photo by jurvetson.


Ditch the Bullet Points

If you're doing a straight PowerPoint or Keynote slideshow, do your audience a favor: forget bullet points. While they're easy to write and easy to read off your screen, they're hard on your audience. Pick up a copy of Clif Atkinson's Beyond Bullet Points and make yourself fill in the template he offers for download, to structure your presentation into an engaging story, not a lifeless collection of bulleted lists. See our original review of Beyond Bullet Points.


Pre-program Typing with Text Substitution

If you're showing off software or doing any sort of interactive demonstration that involves typing, don't waste your audience's time watching you fumble with the keys because you're nervous under the pressure of your their collective gaze. Pre-script any text entry you have to do using text substitution, with free software like Texter on Windows, TextExpander on the Mac or Snippits on Linux. Not only will your audience be impressed with your efficiency (and lightning-fast typing), they'll love you for being prepared and keeping things moving along with ease.


Zoom and Call Out Sections of Your Screen

Want to show off a detail in an image, enlarge a small video or draw on screen like a football coach choreographing a play? There are a few ways you can zoom into and freehand draw right onto areas on screen while you present.
Tip: consider screencasting these types of show and tell techniques to ensure no operator error during the live presentation.


Dim the Background Clutter

Want your audience to focus on the foreground application, dialog box or maybe just the video playing in the middle of the screen? Both the Clutter Cloak for Windows and Doodim for Mac are free apps that can darken everything on-screen except what's important.


Increase a Web Page's Font Size

If you're presenting a web page with text on it, assume it'll be illegible to your audience unless it's enlarged. In Firefox, a simple Ctrl++ can increase font size after a page is loaded; even better, preset your presentation pages to more legible sizes using the excellent NoSquint Firefox extension.


Before You Leave the House: The Hardware Checklist

This should go without saying, but I showed up at my last public speaking gig without my Mac's DVI to VGA adapter. So before you head out to your presentation, make sure you've got:
  • An extra ethernet cable (as lengthy as possible)
  • A DVI to VGA adapter to hook up your laptop to the projector (if necessary)
  • A thumb drive with your presentation file stored on it


More Presentation Power Tips

A few more tips for making your presentation great:

What are your favorite presentation tricks and tips? Let us know in the comments.

Gina Trapani, the editor of Lifehacker, is getting better at presentations. Her weekly feature, Geek to Live, appears every Friday on Lifehacker. Subscribe to the Geek to Live feed to get new installments in your newsreader.

12:00 PM ON FRI SEP 28 2007
BY GINA TRAPANI
18,198 views

8 mistakes when creating PowerPoint presentations | SympleByte
www.symplebyte.com/microsoft_office/powerpoint/pow...
8 mistakes when creating PowerPoint presentations
 
MS Office | Powerpoint
Submitted by DavidC on January 16, 2006 - 11:54pm.

I've just come back from a gruelling week of corporate meetings, a 5 day marathon of seemingly never ending PowerPoint presentations. As the person in charge of marketing and IT, part of my job is to be the contact point for all of the attendees, folks ranging from 1st year sales reps to divisional presidents, COO's and CEO's. Everyone is required to send me their presentations in advance, so that they can all be put on a single computer. If I get them in time, I usually go through them quickly and fix any of the obvious problems. Human nature being what it is though, most people actually gave me their presentation the morning they were presenting, usually on a memory stick with the words 'I made some last-minute changes, just put this one in instead...'. Sometimes this doesn't work quite as well as they would like:

How NOT To Use Powerpoint By Comedian Don McMillan
video.google.com/videoplay?docid=20700765712107625...
How NOT To Use Powerpoint By Comedian Don McMillan
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Elements and Principles of Design

Digital Web Magazine - The Principles of Design
www.digital-web.com/articles/principles_of_design/

Let’s begin by focusing on the principles of design, the axioms of our profession. Specifically, we will be looking at the following principles:

  • Balance
  • Rhythm
  • Proportion
  • Dominance
  • Unity

Balance

Balance is an equilibrium that results from looking at images and judging them against our ideas of physical structure (such as mass, gravity or the sides of a page). It is the arrangement of the objects in a given design as it relates to their visual weight within a composition. Balance usually comes in two forms: symmetrical and asymmetrical.

Symmetrical

Symmetrical balance occurs when the weight of a composition is evenly distributed around a central vertical or horizontal axis. Under normal circumstances it assumes identical forms on both sides of the axis. When symmetry occurs with similar, but not identical, forms it is called approximate symmetry. In addition, it is possible to build a composition equally around a central point resulting in radial symmetry1. Symmetrical balance is also known as formal balance.

Asymmetrical

Asymmetrical balance occurs when the weight of a composition is not evenly distributed around a central axis. It involves the arranging of objects of differing size in a composition such that they balance one another with their respective visual weights. Often there is one dominant form that is offset by many smaller forms. In general, asymmetrical compositions tend to have a greater sense of visual tension. Asymmetrical balance is also known as informal balance.


Horizontal
symmetry

Approximate
horizontal symmetry

Radial
symmetry

Asymmetry

Rhythm

Rhythm is the repetition or alternation of elements, often with defined intervals between them. Rhythm can create a sense of movement, and can establish pattern and texture. There are many different kinds of rhythm, often defined by the feeling it evokes when looking at it.

  • Regular: A regular rhythm occurs when the intervals between the elements, and often the elements themselves, are similar in size or length.

  • Flowing: A flowing rhythm gives a sense of movement, and is often more organic in nature.

  • Progressive: A progressive rhythm shows a sequence of forms through a progression of steps.


Regular
rhythm

Flowing
rhythm

Progressive
rhythm

Proportion

Proportion is the comparison of dimensions or distribution of forms. It is the relationship in scale between one element and another, or between a whole object and one of its parts. Differing proportions within a composition can relate to different kinds of balance or symmetry, and can help establish visual weight and depth. In the below examples, notice how the smaller elements seem to recede into the background while the larger elements come to the front.


Dominance

Dominance relates to varying degrees of emphasis in design. It determines the visual weight of a composition, establishes space and perspective, and often resolves where the eye goes first when looking at a design. There are three stages of dominance, each relating to the weight of a particular object within a composition.

  • Dominant: The object given the most visual weight, the element of primary emphasis that advances to the foreground in the composition.

  • Sub-dominant: The element of secondary emphasis, the elements in the middle ground of the composition.

  • Subordinate: The object given the least visual weight, the element of tertiary emphasis that recedes to the background of the composition.

In the below example, the trees act as the dominant element, the house and hills as the secondary element, and the mountains as the tertiary element.

Unity

The concept of unity describes the relationship between the individual parts and the whole of a composition. It investigates the aspects of a given design that are necessary to tie the composition together, to give it a sense of wholeness, or to break it apart and give it a sense of variety. Unity in design is a concept that stems from some of the Gestalt theories of visual perception and psychology, specifically those dealing with how the human brain organizes visual information into categories, or groups2.

Gestalt theory itself is rather lengthy and complex, dealing in various levels of abstraction and generalization, but some of the basic ideas that come out of this kind of thinking are more universal.

Digital Web Magazine - The Principles of Design
www.digital-web.com/articles/principles_of_design/

Closure

Closure is the idea that the brain tends to fill in missing information when it perceives an object is missing some of its pieces. Objects can be deconstructed into groups of smaller parts, and when some of these parts are missing the brain tends to add information about an object to achieve closure. In the below examples, we compulsively fill in the missing information to create shape.

Continuance

Continuance is the idea that once you begin looking in one direction, you will continue to do so until something more significant catches your attention. Perspective, or the use of dominant directional lines, tends to successfully direct the viewers eye in a given direction. In addition, the eye direction of any subjects in the design itself can cause a similar effect. In the below example, the eye immediately goes down the direction of the road ending up in the upper right corner of the frame of reference. There is no other dominant object to catch and redirect the attention.

Similarity, Proximity and Alignment

Items of similar size, shape and color tend to be grouped together by the brain, and a semantic relationship between the items is formed. In addition, items in close proximity to or aligned with one another tend to be grouped in a similar way. In the below example, notice how much easier it is to group and define the shape of the objects in the upper left than the lower right.

Related concepts

There are many additional concepts that are related to the principles of design. These can include specific terms and/or techniques that are in some way based on one or more of the above tenets. In they end, they add to the collection of compositional tools available for use by the designer.

Contrast or Opposition

Contrast addresses the notion of dynamic tensionÔthe degree of conflict that exists within a given design between the visual elements in the composition.

Positive and Negative Space

Positive and negative space refers to the juxtaposition of figure and ground in a composition. The objects in the environment represent the positive space, and the environment itself is the negative space.

Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is a compositional tool that makes use of the notion that the most interesting compositions are those in which the primary element is off center. Basically, take any frame of reference and divide it into thirds placing the elements of the composition on the lines in between.

Visual Center

The visual center of any page is just slightly above and to the right of the actual (mathematical) center. This tends to be the natural placement of visual focus, and is also sometimes referred to as museum height.

Color and Typography

Many would place color and typography along side the five principals I have outlined above. I personally believe both to be elements of design, so I’ll give them some attention in my next column. In addition, both topics are so robust that I plan on writing an entire article about each of them in the future.

Conclusion

In Web design it is too easy to get engrossed in the many unique constraints of the medium and completely forget some of the underlying concepts that can strengthen any design. To better discuss such concepts, we need to step back from our specific discipline and look to the history of the field. It is here we find the axioms of our profession.

In this article we looked at half of those axioms, the principles of design. The principles of design are the guiding truths of our profession, the basic concepts of balance, rhythm, proportion, dominance and unity. Successful use of these core ideas insures a solid foundation upon which any design can thrive.

In the next column, I will discuss the elements of design—the basic components used as part of any composition including point, line, form (shape), texture, color and typography. Comments or suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

Additional Resources and References

There are many resources available about all of the topics covered in this article, both online and off. The following is a small list of some of the ones I am aware of, but is by no means exhaustive.

Related Resources on the Web

  1. Art, Design, and Visual Thinking by Charlotte Jirousek
  2. Gestalt Design and Composition by James T. Saw
  3. Society for Gestalt Theory and its Applications
  4. Graphic Design Basics
  5. Introduction to the Principles of Design by Jacci Howard Bear

Principles of Design

The Principles are concepts used to organize or arrange the structural elements of design. Again, the way in which these principles are applied affects the expressive content, or the message of the work.

The principles are:

  • Balance
  • Proportion
  • Rhythm
  • Emphasis
  • Unity
  • Balance


    Balance is the concept of visual equilibrium, and relates to our physical sense of balance. It is a reconciliation of opposing forces in a composition that results in visual stability. Most successful compositions achieve balance in one of two ways: symmetrically or asymmetrically. Balance in a three dimensional object is easy to understand; if balance isn't achieved, the object tips over. To understand balance in a two dimensional composition, we must use our imaginations to carry this three dimensional analogy forward to the flat surface.


    Symmetrical balance can be described as having equal "weight" on equal sides of a centrally placed fulcrum. It may also be referred to as formal balance. When the elements are arranged equally on either side of a central axis, the result is Bilateral symmetry. This axis may be horizontal or vertical. It is also possible to build formal balance by arranging elements equally around a central point , resulting in radial symmetry.



    There is a variant of symmetrical balance called approximate symmetry in which equivalent but not identical forms are arranged around the fulcrum line.




    Asymmetrical balance, also called informal balance, is more complex and difficult to envisage. It involves placement of objects in a way that will allow objects of varying visual weight to balance one another around a fulcrum point. This can be best imagined by envisioning a literal balance scale that can represent the visual "weights" that can be imagined in a two dimensional composition. For example, it is possible to balance a heavy weight with a cluster of lighter weights on equal sides of a fulcrum; in a picture, this might be a cluster of small objects balanced by a large object. It is also possible to imagine objects of equal weight but different mass (such as a large mass of feathers versus a small mass of stones) on equal sides of a fulcrum. Unequal weights can even be balanced by shifting the fulcrum point on our imaginary scale.

    Whether the solution is simple or complex, some form of balance can be identified in most successful compositions. For a further discussion of balance in design see these sites:
    Symmetrical balance
    Asymmetrical balance

    Proportion


    Proportion refers to the relative size and scale of the various elements in a design. The issue is the relationship between objects, or parts, of a whole. This means that it is necessary to discuss proportion in terms of the context or standard used to determine proportions.



    Our most universal standard of measurement is the human body; that is, our experience of living in our own bodies. We judge the appropriateness of size of objects by that measure. For example, a sofa in the form of a hand is startling because of the distortion of expected proportion, and becomes the center of attention in the room. Architectural spaces intended to impress are usually scaled to a size that dwarfs the human viewer. This is a device often used in public spaces, such as churches or centers of government. The same principle is often applied to corporate spaces through which the enterprise wishes to impress customers with its power and invincibility.


    In contrast, the proportions of a private home are usually more in scale with human measure, and as a result it appears more friendly, comfortable, less intimidating.



    Use of appropriate scale in surface design is also important. For example, an overly large textile design can overwhelm the form of a garment or a piece of furniture.









    A surprising aspect of proportion is the way ideal proportions can vary for the human body itself. Styles change in bodies as they do in clothing. Prior to the 16th century, for example, the female body ideally had large hips and belly. Only later was a small waistline stressed.








    In the 17th century and many other periods, the ideal body was much heavier than we would accept today.





    Of course, in the last 35 years the ideal personified by the fashion model has fostered a standard which idealizes exceptionally slender body proportions for women. In this century, sports have provided models for ideal male body proportions. Beginning with the rise of televised football in the 1960's, and the subsequent fitness boom, an increasingly exaggerated muscular silhouette, corresponding to that of the uniformed and padded football player, was presented as the ultimate male form. Only in this period could Arnold Schwartzenegger have represented the heroic ideal body image. This trend reached its most extreme form in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Since that time the emergence of basketball as the predominant American sport has led to a more naturally proportioned fit body ideal for men.


    In addition, artists frequently take liberties with the natural proportions of the human body to achieve their expressive goals. A well known classic example is Michaelangelo's David, in which distortions of proportion are used by the artist to depict both the youthfulness of the boy David, together with the power of the hero about to conquer the giant Goliath. The surrealist painter Magritte often used distortions of proportions to create striking effects.

    Rhythm

    Rhythm can be described as timed movement through space; an easy, connected path along which the eye follows a regular arrangement of motifs. The presence of rhythm creates predictability and order in a composition. Visual rhythm may be best understood by relating it to rhythm in sound. This link will take you to a video clip and explanation of how the sound of a Nigerian "talking drum" follows the intonation and rhythm of speech. Another, more visual example, can be found by clicking on this link and selecting the clip of your choice. These demonstrate the blending of rhythm, movement,and visual form.

    Rhythm depends largely upon the elements of pattern and movement to achieve its effects. The parallels between rhythm in sound/ music are very exact to the idea of rhythm in a visual composition. The difference is that the timed "beat" is sensed by the eyes rather than the ears.

    Visual rhythm can be created in a number of ways. Linear rhythm refers to the characteristic flow of the individual line. Accomplished artists have a recognizable manner of putting down the lines of their drawings that is a direct result of the characteristic gesture used to make those lines, which, if observed, can be seen to have a rhythm of its own. Linear rhythm is not as dependent on pattern, but is more dependent on timed movement of the viewer's eye.

    Repetition involves the use of patterning to achieve timed movement and a visual "beat". This repetition may be a clear repetition of elements in a composition, or it may be a more subtle kind of repetition that can be observed in the underlying structure of the image.


    Alternation is a specific instance of patterning in which a sequence of repeating motifs are presented in turn; (short/long; fat/thin; round/square; dark/light).



    Gradation employs a series of motifs patterned to relate to one another through a regular progression of steps. This may be a gradation of shape or color. Some shape gradations may in fact create a sequence of events, not unlike a series of images in a comic strip.


    Emphasis

    Emphasis is also referred to as point of focus, or interruption. It marks the locations in a composition which most strongly draw the viewers attention. Usually there is a primary, or main, point of emphasis, with perhaps secondary emphases in other parts of the composition. The emphasis is usually an interruption in the fundamental pattern or movement of the viewers eye through the composition, or a break in the rhythm.

    The artist or designer uses emphasis to call attention to something, or to vary the composition in order to hold the viewers interest by providing visual "surprises."

    Emphasis can be achieved in a number of ways. Repetition creates emphasis by calling attention to the repeated element through sheer force of numbers. If a color is repeated across a map, the places where certain colors cluster will attract your attention, in this instance graphing varying rates of mortality from cardiovascular disease.


    Contrast achieves emphasis by setting the point of emphasis apart from the rest of its background. Various kinds of contrasts are possible. The use of a neutral background isolates the point of emphasis.




    Contrast of color, texture, or shape will call attention to a specific point.





    Contrast of size or scale will as well.





    Placement in a strategic position will call attention to a particular element of a design.







    Prolonged visual involvement through intricacy (contrast of detail) is a more unusual form of emphasis, not as commonly used in Euro-American design, though it is common in many other cultures. In this case, many points of emphasis are created that are to be discovered through close attention to the intricacies of the design.


    Unity




    Unity is the underlying principle that summarizes all of the principles and elements of design. It refers to the coherence of the whole, the sense that all of the parts are working together to achieve a common result; a harmony of all the parts.



    Unity can be achieved through the effective and consistent use of any of the elements, but pattern-- that is, underlying structure-- is the most fundamental element for a strong sense of unity. Consistency of form and color are also powerful tools that can pull a composition together.



    However, unity also exists in variety. It is not necessary for all of the elements to be identical in form providing they have a common quality of meaning or style. For example, fashions from a specific period share common features of silhouette, materials, and color that identify the style of the day, or the look of a particular designer.



    Unity can also be a matter of concept. The elements and principles can be selected to support the intended function of the designed object; the purpose of the object unifies the design.

    Graphic Design Basics Course | Elements of Graphic Design Basics
    desktoppub.about.com/cs/graphicdesign/a/designbasi...

    Design Basics for Desktop Publishing Course

    Although individual lessons can be taken out of order, I recommend following the Graphic Design Basics course and these lessons on the elements of design sequentially to get the full benefit.

    1.1 Building Blocks of Design
    The first class describes the 5 elements of design: lines, shapes, mass, texture, and color. Also describes other elements sometimes included as basic building blocks.
    1.2 An Introduction to the Elements of Design

    1.2 Lines
    Everyone knows what a line is, right? Look more closely at the great variety of lines, straight, curved, thick, thin, solid, and not-solid.
    1.2 Lines

    1.3 Shapes
    Squares (and rectangles), triangles, and circles are the three basic shapes.

    Examine their role in design including the psychology of shapes in logo design. Class also touches on freeform shapes.
    1.3 Shapes

    1.4 Mass
    How big is it? Take a look at mass or visual weight of graphic and text elements. This class includes a large section on size and measurements for type and paper and images.
    1.4 Mass

    1.5 Texture
    In addition to the actual texture of the paper we print on, look at the textures we create through techniques such as embossing and the visual texture created with certain graphics techniques.
    1.5 Texture

    1.6 Color
    What is the meaning of red? Which colors go well together? Color symbolism and association is the primary focus of this class. It also touches briefly on the mechanics of color reproduction on the Web and in print.
    1.6 Color

    Graphic Design Tutorials > Graphic Design Basics > Graphic Design Basics Course > Elements of Design Class

    Design elements and principles
    gort.ucsd.edu/preseduc/design.htm

    Design Elements and Principles

    Most people have been using these basics for years, so there's nothing to be leery of. The basic elements are: color, line, shape, texture, and space.

    Color

    Color represents emotion and allows objects to stand out from the background. When the primary colors--red, blue, and yellow--are arranged with the secondary colors between them, this is known as a color wheel . A designer's choice of color combinations can greatly influence the character of a display. Complimentary colors (opposite on the color wheel) create a sense of excitement and action, which is most useful in display work . When placed side by side, they intensify each other, but are seldom used in equal amounts. The most pleasing color schemes are those that combine families of colors--those that are near each other on the color wheel. Colors can advance and recede and have certain psychological connotations. For example, red suggests danger and passion (blood), blue suggests tranquility (sky), green suggests nature (leaves), and yellow suggests prosperity (sun). Remember these connotations are not ironclad, but can often be counted on to contribute additional emotional layers to a display.

    Tips on using color in displays:

    • Limit display to black and white (or beige) and one intense color.
    • Use strong contrasts; black backgrounds provide an automatic contrast.
    • Use dark accents on a light background, and light accents on a dark one.
    • Remember good design is simple and using many colors will add clutter.

    Line

    Lines represent order and give the eye explicit directions about where to look and how to interpret what it sees. They group related objects together and divide unrelated objects. The line is also the edge where two shapes meet--2 sheets of paper placed side by side have a "line" between them. Most often lines are functional rather than decorative.

    Tips on using lines:

    • Decide which part of your display is the most important, and direct attention to it by judicious use of line.
    • Do not scatter lines about at random.
    • Remember that margins are an invisible line.
    • Attention to line does not mean that all elements in the design have to be lined up.

    Shape

    Shape is any type of form used in a display, remembering that the display case or bulletin board itself is a shape. The main problem is to arrange all of the different sizes and shaped items into larger and more important shapes, and then to relate them to the rest of the design.

    Tips on using shapes:

    • If you use background shapes, keep them simple and large.
    • Use as few shapes as possible and don't use 2 or 3 shapes where 1 large one will do.
    • Do not mix shapes too much.
    • Try to limit the number of different shapes and sizes used.

    Texture

    Texture is the visual or tactile appearance of a surface. Surfaces can look or feel smooth, rough, soft, cool, or warm. They can look pleasant or unpleasant, which can have a dramatic effect on a display.

    Tips on using texture:

    • Use smooth board against a textured fabric.
    • Natural fabrics are especially good for backgrounds because they have a recognition factor (we know how they feel).
    • Matt and shiny finishes also add texture.

    Space

    Space is depth and dimension--objects that are in front of or behind things, around them, or projecting from them. Space adds interest, excitement, and contrast to your design.

    Tips on using space:

    • A small item can be projected by attaching it to a small cardboard piece to give it a 3-D effect.
    • Any shape that overlaps another seems to be in front of it and warm colors seem to be in front of cool ones.
    • The use of a small easel can project an item.
    • Anything which adds depth or the appearance of depth will enhance the display.

    See also: Preparing an Exhibit, Rules of Display, Examples of Exhibits, Recommended Reading

     

     

     

    Composition and Design Principles
    www.goshen.edu/art/ed/Compose.htm#elements

    © marvin bartel '99
    Some Ideas About 
    Composition and Design
    Elements, Principles,
    and Visual Effects

    by
    Marvin Bartel


     formal aspects of composition and design.
    Everybody immediately responds to subject matter in art. 
    A picture of a butterfly and a picture of a snake do not get the same response.

    In addition to subject matter*, the formal aspects of visual composition are like the grammar of a language. In writing, a story is written with words - subject matter. Like good literature and good poetry is more than words and subject matter, art is more than pictures. The organization, the sentence structure, the style, and so on can make or break a good story. In art, the way the formal elements are arranged can make or break a good picture idea.

    The use of design principles applied to the visual elements is like visual grammar. When children learn art, it is like learning to read and write the language of vision. When they develop a style of expressing visual ideas, it helps them become visual poets. Looking for the visual effects of design principles does not have to limit an artist's options. It can focus an artist's experimentation and choice making.

    TEACHING TIP 
    Art vocabulary can be taught along with every project. Children can understand terms if the teacher explains them and posts them with illustrations. Including new art words in the weekly spelling list is a good way to integrate and reinforce new terms.



    *Glossary: "Subject matter" is similar to "topic" or "content" when teaching art. "Content" may also include interpretations that go beyond the obvious subject matter used by the artist. Content generally includes "symbolic" meanings implied by the work.                  top of page


    Six Visual Elements (art elements)
                                             top of page
      We think of the elements as the basic visual material with which to make art. Is hard to imagine anything visual without the use of one or more of these elements. 
      We think of the principles as ways to work with and arrange the elements.


    Some Design Principles
    or design rules (some creative artists purposely break rules)     top of page
    This list is an example list. 
    Every author seems to have a slightly different list of Principles.
    • Emphasis - say "Center of Interest." It is about dominance and influence. Most artists put it a bit off center and balance it with some minor themes to maintain our interest. Some artists avoid emphasis on purpose. They want all parts of the work to be equally interesting. 
    • Harmony - but pleasing visual combinations are harmonious. 
    • Unity - nothing distracts from the whole you have unity. Unity without variation can be uninteresting - like driving on a clear day through Western Kansas on the interstate. Unity with diversity generally has more to offer in both art and in life.  Of course some very minimal art can be very calming and at times even very evocative, and even a simple landscape can have a powerful effect.
    • Opposition - on contrasting visual concepts. That same Western Kansas "big sky" landscape becomes very dramatic and expressive when a storm builds in the southwest.

    • Examples to observe, study, and practice, are: curved and straight, high and low, dark and light (low key - high key), open and closed, positive and negative, soft and hard, smooth and rough, parallel and branching, spiral and concentric, and so on.
    TEACHING TIP
    Children as young as two or three can differentiate differences between rough and smooth, hard and soft, various colors, dark and light, big and little, and other opposites. Sorting and identification activities help them learn to focus on learning tasks.

      Balance is the consideration of visual weight and importance. It is a way to compare the right and left side of a composition.                                top of page

    © marvin bartel
    Asymmetrical balance is more interesting. Above both sides are similar in visual weight but not mirrored. It is more casual, dynamic, and relaxed feeling so it is often called informal balance.

    Radial balance is not very common in artist's compositions, but it is like a daisy or sunflower with everything arranged around a center. Rose windows of cathedrals use this design system.

    Of course a sunflower can have many meanings and feelings beyond its "radiant" feeling. Farmers might hate it as weed cutting into their corn production. On the other hand, many of us can't help thinking about Vincent Van Gogh's extraordinarily textured painted sunflowers. Once we have contemplated those thickly expressed colors and textures with their luscious painterly surface, every sunflower we see becomes an aesthetic experience filled with spiritual sensations.
    The butterfly below by itself is essentially symmetrical.  Both sides are similar in visual weight and almost mirrored. Because symmetrical balance often looks more stiff and formal, sometimes it is called formal balance.
    Of course a butterfly, even though it is symmetrical, doesn't look stiff and formal because we think of fluttering butterflies as metaphors for freedom and spontaneity. It is a case of subject matter and symbolism overpowering formal design effects.


    This is a simple diagram of radial balance.


    • Variety - You create variety when elements are changed. Repeating a similar shape but changing the size can give variety and unity at the same time. Keeping the same size, but changing the color can also give variety and unity at the same time. In visual composition, there are many ways you can change something while simultaneously keeping it the same.
    • Depth - effects of depth, space, projection toward the viewer add interest. Linear perspective in the real world makes things look smaller in the distance. Some artists try to avoid depth by making large things duller and small things brighter, and so on, to make the objects contradict realism. Many artists don't believe in realism even though they could do it if they wanted to. It seems too boring to them. Realism wouldn't be art for some artists.
    • Repetition - Some ways to use Repetition of the Visual Elements are:
      • Size Variation can apply to shape, form, etc. Notice how size can effect how close or far something can appear to be from the viewer.          top of page

    top of page - © marvin bartel
    Here the same butterfly is shown twice.  Which one appears closer? Note how size relationships create depth or space in a composition. Children in first grade can already recognize closer and farther based on size even though they wouldn't typically use this in their pictures unless they were motivated to do so.
      • Repetition can be used on all of the Visual Elements. If things are repeated without any change they can quickly get boring. However, repetition with variation can be both interesting and comfortably familiar. Repetition gives motion.
      • Variation can be used with all of the visual elements. See "Variety" above. You can do this with all the elements. Artists do this all the time.
    Color saturation, sometimes called "color intensity" or brightness can also give a feeling of depth and space. Which of these butterflies are farther away? Most second graders can see this effect when they are asked to look for it. These butterflies create the illusion of depth even though they are all the same size.

    © marvin bartel 
    TEACHING TIP
    By the third grade, most children can reproduce effects like this that they observe in nature if the teacher has them observe these effects in the landscape. A foggy morning is an excellent time for a lesson in "atmospheric perspective". Atmospheric perspective causes colors and shapes to get blurrier and foggier in the distance. 
    Overlapping is often used by artists to create depth. Young children try to avoid overlapping in their work. 
    TEACHING TIP   By first grade if asked, most can explain how overlapping makes some things look closer and other things farther away.

    © marvin bartel 

    Visual Effects
    When we analyze artwork we often start with visual effects. We notice something happening. Then we try to figure out why it happens.                                       top of page

    • Motion. Motion isn't a principle. It is one those magic effects when a still picture has motion. There are lots of ways to get motion. 
    •  
      MOTION EXAMPLES

      Sometimes it has to do with orientation.

      • A diagonal line is more dynamic than a horizontal or vertical line.
      Sometimes motion depends on the character of the element itself.
      • A straight line may be less dynamic than a zigzag or a curving line.
      • A blended area may appear to flow.


      Depth. Depth is another magic effect. Illusion and magic are two threads of the same cloth.

      DEPTH EXAMPLES
      Sometimes the illusion of depth has to do with orientation.

      • If you want a chair or person to appear further away, you can place them higher on the picture plane.
      Sometimes the illusion of depth depends on the character of the element itself.
      • A warm color can appear to project and cool color can appear to recede, other things being equal.
      • A light tone (value) can appear to project and dark tone can appear to recede.

    Teaching with this page

                    top of page

    See Andy Goldsworthy's Six Elements of Visual Art to show and discuss AFTER students have done their own creative work.
    Also see: Text by Simpson, J.W. et.al. Creating Meaning Through Art . 1998, Prentice Hall, pp. 87-88, 113.



     If you liked this page, try one of these.  
     
    Learning to Think Artistically contents page
    Percy Principles of Composition - - my personal list of principles - as an artist - - what are yours?
    How to Plan Art Lessons
    - getting things in order to foster artistic thinking and creativity
    Common Classroom Creativity Killers - what we do everyday that discourages creativity

    All rights reserved.  Contact the author for permission to reproduce or publish. Photos, layout, and text © Marvin Bartel 2000 - author bio
    updated July 11, 2007



     
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    The Principles Of Design refer to the organization of a work of art. Each Principle interprets how an artist uses the Elements of Art, composition and design to express their feelings and ideas. By studying these, your own work will become more sophisticated as you will begin to apply this new knowledge to your own works of art. Let's take a look at each one.

    The words Rhythm and Movement are often associated with music, dance and sports. We think of steady marching rhythms, drum beats and the pulsing sound of the bass on the radio as types of rhythms. The darting of soccer players, the graceful flow of ballet dancers and the artful dodging of basketball players emphasize Movement. Art also has rhythm and movement, a visual rhythm, a rhythmic movement. Let's explore the Principles of Rhythm and Movement more.
    As humans we experience the need for Balance in our everyday life. We use it as we walk or run and to carry things. Balance is also necessary in other ways. We need to balance our awake and sleeping periods, our food intake and energy exports, and relaxation and stress. Balance is also important to a work of art. A balanced artwork leaves the viewer feeling "visually comfortable". On the other hand, a work that is not balanced creates a sense of visual stress. Let's take a look!

    The word "Proportion" means one part in relation to another. All people have a sense of proportion concerning themselves as compared to others. "My nose is too long for my face". "She has long legs". "His eyes are wide set." All of these comments reinforce the idea that we see and have opinions about the relationships between one thing compared to another. Artists use their sense of Proportion to make statements or express a particular feeling about a subject in a work of art. Let's see some examples.
    Variety keeps life interesting. Imagine if everything in your life was the same, day in and day out. Imagine the monotony! Artists also understand the importance of Emphasis in their work. Usually one part or area is given more detail to enhance that section. Click here to see how artists use Variety and Emphasis in their work.
    "Harmony" in music results in pleasing tones to the ears. "Harmony" in art results from a combination of related Elements of Art creating a pleasing work for the eye. "Unity" infers that the work of art is presented as a " whole". When a work of art has "Unity", the viewer sees the work as a whole, not in separate sections. Let's go on to see just how this works!



    Drag-N-Drop Game (Online Activity)
    Comparison/Contrast Diagram (Print and Complete)

    Let's Review (Online Activity)

    Design Elements and Principles

    The right combination of design elements used according to design principles can effectively communicate your visual instructional message. Learning about design elements and principles will help you create and evaluate visual images for instruction.
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    Gustav Klimt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klimt

    Gustav Klimt

    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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    Gustav Klimt
    Birth name Gustav Klimt
    Born July 14, 1862
    Baumgarten, Austria
    Died February 6, 1918
    Vienna, Austria
    Nationality Austrian
    Field Painter
    Movement Symbolism
    Famous works Judith and the Head of Holofernes, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, The Kiss
    Influenced Egon Schiele

    Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862February 6, 1918) was an Austrian Symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Art Nouveau (Vienna Secession) movement. His major works include paintings, murals, sketches and other art objects, many of which are on display in the Vienna Secession gallery. Klimt's primary subject was the female body,[1] and his works are marked by a frank eroticism--nowhere is this more apparent than in his numerous drawings in pencil (see Mulher sentada, below). These female subjects, whether formal portraits or indolent nudes, invariably display a highly sensitized fin de siècle

    René Magritte - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magritte

    René Magritte

    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    (Redirected from Magritte)
    Jump to: navigation, search
    The Treachery Of Images (La trahison des images) (19281929)

    René François Ghislain Magritte (November 21, 1898August 15, 1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist. He became well known for a number of witty and amusing images.

    Basquiat - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basquiat

    Basquiat (pronounced [ba.ski.a(t)]) is a 1996 film directed by Julian Schnabel which is loosely based on the life of American postmodernist/neo expressionist artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.

    Basquiat, born in Brooklyn, used his graffiti roots as a foundation to create collage-style paintings on canvas. His surroundings and lifestyle in New York City contributed and featured in his basic images, along with seemingly-unrelated words and phrases placed among the colours. His style was described as nervous, fierce and energetic.

    As director, Schnabel is often found painting himself into the film by adding the fictional stand-in character, Albert Milo (Gary Oldman), based on Schnabel. Schnabel also leaves a bit more of himself in the film by adding cameo appearances by his own mother, father, and daughter (as Milo's family.) Schnabel himself is an extra as a waiter.

    Basquiat died of a heroin overdose in 1988. Basquiat's estate would not grant permission for his work to be used in the film. Schnabel himself did the accurate reproductions of Basquiat's work that appeared in the film.

    Jeffrey Wright portrays Basquiat, and David Bowie plays Basquiat's friend and mentor Andy Warhol. Additional cast include Gary Oldman as a thinly disguised Schnabel, Michael Wincott as the poet and art critic Rene Ricard, Dennis Hopper as Bruno Bischofberger, Claire Forlani, Courtney Love and Benicio Del Toro in supporting roles as "composite characters." Vincent Gallo, a friend and former band mate of Basquiat's also has a small cameo appearance (Del Toro's character, Benny, is partially based on Gallo).

    The film was written by Schnabel while Lech J. Majewski and John F. Bowe each receives a story credit and Michael Thomas Holman receives a story development credit.

    Pablo Picasso - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picasso

    Pablo Picasso

    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Jump to: navigation, search
    “Picasso” redirects here. For other uses, see Picasso (disambiguation).
    Pablo Picasso

    Picasso (January 1962)
    Birth name Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruiz y Picasso
    Born October 25, 1881(1881-10-25)
    Málaga, Spain
    Died April 8, 1973 (aged 91)
    Mougins, France
    Nationality Spanish
    Field Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, Printmaking, Ceramics
    Training Jose Ruíz (father), Academy of Arts, Madrid
    Movement Cubism
    Famous works Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907)
    Guernica (1937) The Weeping Woman (1937)

    Pablo Ruiz Picasso (October 25, 1881April 8, 1973), often referred to simply as Picasso, was a Spanish painter and sculptor. His full name is Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Clito Ruiz y Picasso.[1] One of the most recognized figures in 20th century art, he is best known as the co-founder, along with Georges Braque, of cubism.

    WriteDesign - Historical and Cultural Context - Andy Goldsworthy - Beneath the Surface Appearance
    www.writedesignonline.com/history-culture/AndyGold...
    Andy Goldsworthy
    Six Elements of Visual Art
    - Line | Shape | Form | Space | Value | Texture

    “As with all my work, whether it's a leaf on a rock or ice on a rock, I'm trying to get beneath the surface appearance of things. Working the surface of a stone is an attempt to understand the internal energy of the stone.” http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/andy_goldsworthy.html



    http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian/issues97/feb97/rainshadow_jpg.html
    Lying on a rock during a shower in 1993, Goldsworthy left his "rain shadow," photographing it before it faded.

    Top

    Six Elements of Visual Art

    Line - An identifiable path of a point moving in space. It can vary in width, direction, and length.


    http://hebert.kitp.ucsb.edu/sand/andy_goldw.jpg
    Fine dry sand, 1989



    http://image24.webshots.com/24/3/72/44/49937244QFreNj_ph.jpg
    Cherry Leaves

    Top


    http://www.hainesgallery.com/Main_Pages/Artist_Pages/AGOL.image_8.html
    Torn lines through elm leaves held to stone with water, 2002



    http://courses.albion.edu/Archived_Fall2001/la101enviroart/images/goldsworthy-pepples.jpg
    Broken Pebbles


    http://www.artnet.com/artwork/424197914/andy-goldsworthy---4--dandelion-line-storm-king-sculpture-park-new-york.html
    Dandelion line. Storm King Sculpture Park, New York.

    Top


    http://www.artnet.com/artwork/424197845/andy-goldsworthy---2--foxgloves-threaded-onto-stalks-laid-on-bracken-scaur-glen-dumfriesshire.html
    Foxgloves threaded onto stalks laid on bracken, Scaur Glen, Dumfriesshire, 1997


    Top

    Shape - A two-dimensional area or plane that may be organic or inorganic, free-form or geocentric, open or closed, natural or of human origin.

    A line defines the inside or outside edge of a shape.


    http://stephan.barron.free.fr/technoromantisme/images/goldsworthy_allonge.jpg
    Lying down on dry earth while rain begins


    Top

    Form - A three-dimensional volume or the illusion of three dimensions; related to shape (which is 2-D).


    http://image24.webshots.com/25/4/35/27/49943527WReoAD_ph.jpg
    North Pole Minaret



    http://tachedesanglot.hautetfort.com/album/andy_goldsworthy_land_art/goldsworthy-boulder.3.jpg
    Boulder covered with flower pedals and leaves


    Top

    Space - The emptiness or area between, around, above, below, or contained within objects. Shapes and forms are defined by the space around and within them, just as spaces are defined by the shapes and forms around and within them.


    http://www.jorr.it/_attachment/goldsworthy.jpg



    http://community.webshots.com/photo/49936365/49936898niNJnD
    Dandelions

    Top

    Value - Light and dark; the gradations of light and dark on the surface of objects


    Top

    “Ideas must be put to the test. That's why we make things, otherwise they would be no more than ideas. There is often a huge difference between an idea and its realisation. I've had what I thought were great ideas that just didn't work.” http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/andy_goldsworthy.html


    Top

    Texture - The surface quality of material, either actual (tactile) or visual. - http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/art2/guide/glossary.html

     
    http://image24.webshots.com/25/3/72/26/49937226HiKbiu_ph.jpg
    Blue and Red Stones


    Top

    "I enjoy the freedom of just using my hands and "found" tools - a sharp stone, the quill of a feather, thorns. I take the opportunities each day offers: if it is snowing, I work with snow, at leaf-fall it will be with leaves; a blown-over tree becomes a source of twigs and branches. I stop at a place or pick up a material because I feel that there is something to be discovered. Here is where I can learn." http://www.applebyheritagecentre.org.uk/html/andygold/andygold.html

    Running the Numbers
    An American Self-Portrait  
     
    This new series looks at contemporary American culture through the austere lens of statistics. Each image portrays a specific quantity of something: fifteen million sheets of office paper (five minutes of paper use); 106,000 aluminum cans (thirty seconds of can consumption) and so on. My hope is that images representing these quantities might have a different effect than the raw numbers alone, such as we find daily in articles and books. Statistics can feel abstract and anesthetizing, making it difficult to connect with and make meaning of 3.6 million SUV sales in one year, for example, or 2.3 million Americans in prison, or 426,000 cell phones retired every day. This project visually examines these vast and bizarre measures of our society, in large intricately detailed prints assembled from thousands of smaller photographs. My underlying desire is to affirm and sanctify the crucial role of the individual in a society that is increasingly enormous, incomprehensible, and overwhelming.

    My only caveat about this series is that the prints must be seen in person to be experienced the way they are intended. As with any large artwork, their scale carries a vital part of their substance which is lost in these little web images. Hopefully the JPEGs displayed here might be enough to arouse your curiosity to attend an exhibition, or to arrange one if you are in a position to do so. The series is a work in progress, and new images will be posted as they are completed, so please stay tuned.

    ~chris jordan, Seattle, 2007


    This series will be exhibited at the Paul Kopeikin Gallery in Los Angeles, opening Sep 8. More info at www.paulkopeikingallery.com.
     

    Building Blocks, 2007
    16 feet tall x 32 feet wide in eighteen square panels, each sized 62x62".

    Depicts nine million wooden ABC blocks, equal to the number of American children with no health insurance coverage in 2007.


    With figures drawn for scale reference:


    Partial zoom:


    Zoomed closer:


    Detail at actual size:


     

    Toothpicks, 2007
    60x99"

    Depicts 8 million toothpicks, equal to the number of trees harvested in the US every month to make the paper for mail order catalogs.


     

    Plastic Bottles, 2007
    60x120"

    Depicts two million plastic beverage bottles, the number used in the US every five minutes.


    Partial zoom:


    Detail at actual size:


     

    Cigarettes, 2007
    60x82"

    Depicts 65,000 cigarettes, equal to the number of American teenagers under age eighteen who become addicted to cigarettes every month.


    Partial zoom:


    Detail at actual size:


     

    Jet Trails, 2007
    60x96"

    Depicts 11,000 jet trails, equal to the number of commercial flights in the US every eight hours.


    Partial zoom:


    Detail at actual size:


     

    Cell Phones, 2007
    60x100"

    Depicts 426,000 cell phones, equal to the number of cell phones retired in the US every day.


    Partial zoom:


    Detail at actual size:


     

    Pain Killers, 2007
    60x80"

    Depicts 213,000 Vicodin pills, equal to the number of emergency room visits yearly in the US related to misuse or abuse of prescription pain killers.


    Partial zoom:


    Detail at actual size:


     

    Handguns, 2007
    60x92"

    Depicts 29,569 handguns, equal to the number of gun-related deaths in the US in 2004.


    Partial zoom:


    Detail at actual size:


     

    Paper Bags, 2007
    60x80"

    Depicts 1.14 million brown paper supermarket bags, the number used in the US every hour.


    Partial zoom:


    Detail at actual size:


     

    Plastic Bags, 2007
    60x72"

    Depicts 60,000 plastic bags, the number used in the US every five seconds.


    Partial zoom:


    Detail at actual size:


     

    Denali Denial, 2006
    60x75"

    Depicts 24,000 logos from the GMC Yukon Denali, equal to six weeks of sales of that model SUV in 2004.


    Detail at actual size (this is the far left corner of the lake):


     

    Prison Uniforms, 2007
    10x23 feet in six vertical panels

    Depicts 2.3 million folded prison uniforms, equal to the number of Americans incarcerated in 2005.


    Partial zoom:


    Detail at actual size:


    Installed at the Von Lintel Gallery, NY, June 2007


     

    Cans Seurat, 2007
    60x92"

    Depicts 106,000 aluminum cans, the number used in the US every thirty seconds.


    Partial zoom:


    Detail at actual size:


     

    Office Paper, 2007
    60x87"

    Depicts 30,000 reams of office paper, or 15 million sheets, equal to the amount of office paper used in the US every five minutes.


    Detail at actual size:


     

    Valve Caps, 2006
    10x25 feet in five vertical panels

    Depicts 3.6 million tire valve caps, one for each new SUV sold in the US in 2004.


    Partial zoom:


    Detail at actual size:


     

    Ben Franklin, 2007
    8.5 feet wide by 10.5 feet tall in three horizontal panels

    Depicts 125,000 one-hundred dollar bills ($12.5 million), the amount our government spends every hour on the war in Iraq.


    Partial zoom:


    Detail at actual size:


     

    Shipping Containers, 2007
    60x100"

    Depicts 75,000 shipping containers, the number of containers processed through American ports every day.


    Detail at actual size:


    Digg - There are only 12 kinds of ads in the world. Resist them all!
    digg.com/business_finance/There_are_only_12_kinds_...

    There are only 12 kinds of ads in the world. Resist them all!

    After much research, Donald Gunn, creative director for the advertising agency Leo Burnett, determined that nearly all good ads fall into one of 12 categories —or "master formats," in his words.This slide show presents some recent ads exemplifying each of Gunn's 12 basic categories. The curtain has been pulled back on all those sly sales tactics...

    Artist's Statements

    Florilegium Volume 1: Fine Art Photographic portfolio of Kim Kauffman.
    synecdochestudio.com/html_files/florilegium_thumbn...
     s y n e c d o c h e    
      s    t    u    d    i    o          f i n e  a r t  p h o t o g r a p h s   b y  K i m  K a u f f m a n
         





     

         
         
         
         
         
         
     

     

    f  l  o  r  i  l  e  g  i  u  m , volume 1

    an anthology, a collection of flowers; Latin florilegus - flower culling, flora - flower + legere - gather

    I have included plants, flowers and gardens in my photographs for many years. My approach has evolved as my interest in gardening has grown. I have come to realize that the skills I bring to imagemaking and gardening are different sides of the same coin - working with color, texture, rhythm, drama. Both endeavors are interwoven for me. They are different expressions of the same dialog about my place in the natural world.

    Florilegium's images are filled with leaves, flowers and seed pods I have collected from gardens. Many are past their prime but are of interest precisely for that reason - they possess a subtle beauty that plants in full bloom do not. I show plants in various stages of growth and senescence, layering textures and images to create an intricate visual environment.These techniques let me most fully express my experience of gardens.

    This ongoing body of work explores the cameraless and filmless image technique that I have been working with since 1998. Cameraless images are as old as the photographic medium itself. Mine contribute to a tradition of botanical subject matter begun with Henry Fox Talbot's Photogenic drawings of plant materials (ca.1830's) and Anna Atkin's cameraless botanical studies of British Algae (ca.1843).

    Today's tools have facilitated a new direction in this tradition. I created these images by directly recording my subject matter on a flatbed scanner. With the aid of photo manipulation software I layer images, embellish areas, add colors. My completed digital files are printed directly on to continuous tone color printing paper using laser diodes and thermal dye transfer rather than traditional optics and chemistry. The resulting prints are as permanent as conventional color prints. Although the tools and techniques I use are new the process of dialog with the work to create the final composition remains the same.

    Artist's statement about the exhibition of black and white photos of changeing fuel outlets
    www.frankeye.co.uk/Pages/Artist'sstatement.html

    Former Filling Stations

    Frank Eye

    Artist's Statement

    Former Filling Stations is an exhibition of black and white photographs that catalogue the demise and dereliction of the urban petrol station. Frank Eye travelled around Great Britain over a period of six months asking the people he encountered on the way to remember where they used to buy petrol.

    This exhibition is of a selection of photographs from the resulting archive of 444 Former Filling Stations that charts these sites in varying states of transformation and neglect. These bleak urban landscapes speak of more optimistic times past.

    Back to Exhibitions

    Frank Eye said," Although many of these photographs have a post-holocaust feel of desolation about them I was not consciously seeking to deal with the holocaust as I had already spent over a year on that topic (Without Trial and Liebesgeschichte). In fact I was trying to get away from the debilitating feeling of dealing with such weighty matters. I hope some of these pictures also show an atmosphere of quiet calm during a period of change, but each viewer will make their own interpretation. Some of the forecourt sites are now in residential use. That is happier than the empty and abandoned places I came across. I admit I had been looking for ways of dealing with Abu Ghraib, but there is no intentional or conscious link here with torture. I decided to work on essential elements in the world, such as water, air and the earth. I chose oil, then the polution aspect of some of these ghost sites hit me. The only connection with politics is that petroleum is a prime political motivator. Was it not one of the motives for attacking Iraq?

    That is why the comforting activity of repeated research, contact with the public, and revisiting roads and places where I had bought petrol in the past, was pleasant. I was not thinking heavy theories while I was working, as the typology took away a lot of the room for manoeuver. That was liberating as I had to allow myself to see what the formula would produce. It was revealed in the dark-room.

    I owe a great debt to Ed Ruscha whose work TWENTY-SIX GASOLINE STATIONS first inspired me to try this subject during the U.K. fuel protest strikes in August 2000, as an experiment. In those colour photos I first tried to show the unusual aspect of petrol stations with no cars in them, owing to lack of supplies. But the strike was soon over. I spent a few hours on my motorcycle collecting shots which I then cross-processed to give an added feel of something wrong, but I was busy studying and so the photos became a display on a home-made light-box in the end of term show, soon forgotten. Now I think of it, they were made on a colour photocopier at college.

    I hope the feeling of the book Twenty-four Former Filling Stations is quite different to the post war optimism of the American dream of the nineteen sixties which Ed Ruscha's work preserved. Although I have read On the Road by Jack Kerouac many times and share its excitement, his Dean Moriarty was basically a bigamous car thief and a junkie. That glamour of the road is I think contradicted by my work, showing a more down to earth reality of new motoring habits and of economic change.

    Now the Petrol station project is over I hope to change tack and go in a quite different direction. I am going to explore questions of the gaze and in particular aspects of the photograph which Andrea Dworkin and Laura Mulvey have described in detail and attempt to illustrate them."

    Photographs of petrol stations without supplies during the fuel protest

    Home

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    About

    Contact

    Links

    Downloads

    Extras:

    Artist's statement

    Anecdotes

    CV

    Other images 1

    Other images 2

    Other images 3

    Unpublished pics (FFS)

    Fuel Protest 2000

    Bentley show rushes

    Send in a petrol image

    Our Favorite Cheat Sheets - a definition from Whatis.com
    whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci826135...

    Our Favorite Cheat Sheets


    You never know when a good cheat sheet will come in handy -- bookmark this page to keep our treasure trove of useful information at your fingertips! Looking for more in-depth information? Check out our Learning Guides and Tutorials. Do you have a favorite cheat sheet that you'd like us to consider posting? Let us know!


    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    How Do I Know Project

    Donald in Mathmagic Land (part 1)

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    Serious Fun: TrueMajority.org
    www.truemajority.org/fun/

    You've heard about it, now watch it yourself.  The TrueMajority OREO video... featuring an animated Ben Cohen.  Click here to view the animation.

    You can also click here to read the transcript of the animation.

     

    President Bush is suffering! He's got lingering war, leaky officials and unlucky poll numbers - can you find and remove the WORST problem in his cabinet?

    If you are the fastest surgeon of the week, you get to put your name up in lights and win a year's supply of Ben&Jerry's ice cream.

    And even if you are not the fastest, you still have a shot. We'll draw a random winner every week for 1/2 a year's worth of ice cream. To enter, just play the game or tell a friend about it.

    If you are looking for TruemajorityAction.org's
    "Operation: Cure the Cabinet" game, Click here.

     
    And see Ben's new demonstration on how crazy our nuclear stockpile has become. It's just Ben, 10,000 bb's, and some startling facts about nuclear proliferation. Click here to watch (requires Flash player)
     

    Click here to view Exxon Toasts The Planet animation.

     

       Click here

    YouTube - Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us
    www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

    Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

    This is a video response to Web 2.0
    Pecha Kucha: Get to the PowerPoint in 20 Slides Then Sit the Hell Down
    www.wired.com/techbiz/media/magazine/15-09/st_pech...

    Pecha Kucha: Get to the PowerPoint in 20 Slides Then Sit the Hell Down

    By Daniel H. Pink 08.21.07 | 2:00 AM
    Photo: Yama

    Let us now bullet-point our praise for Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein, two Tokyo-based architects who have turned PowerPoint, that fixture of cubicle life, into both art form and competitive sport. Their innovation, dubbed pecha-kucha (Japanese for "chatter