The Mechanics of Visualization: Value, Composition, and Color


Form, Tone, and Light


Tone:


Simplest units of shape in two dimensions: Square, Circle, and Triangle

  • Much like Matter, they make up everything (we see)

Three dimensions: Cube, Sphere, and Pyramid/Cone

Tone: lightness and darkness of a color


Light Allows us to see:


  • in 3-D
  • perspective
  • shadows
  • texture
  • reflected light

Light can also create:


  • real depth
  • atmosphere
  • mood
  • tension 
  • even fear

Chiaroscuro: the interplay of light and dark in an image

Monochromes polar opposites:

  • Black: absence of light
  • White: a mixture of the seven components of the color spectrum

The key to tone: to believe what you see

When working in full color: make monochromatic sketches to clarify tonal relationships to use as reference for full color images.


Composition:


The ordering of shapes on the picture plane

  • Shapes need to be ordered in a coherent way that is eye-pleasing
  • Variation is the key to making images that sing

Format: the dimension of the image

  • Limited by images purpose 

Main Elements (contained within the basic shapes of the square, circle, and triangle):

  • Vertical Element: derived from the square
    • Moves the eye from top to bottom of the picture plane in a broken or straight line
  • Horizontal Element: derived from the square
    • Moves the eye from left to the right of the picture plane in a broken or straight line
  • Diagonal Element: derived from the triangle
    • Moves the from one corner of the picture plane to the other
  • Circular Element: derived from the circle
    • Moves the eye around the picture plane in a circular or curving movement

These elements work well together, but can be used to great effect when one element become dominate within a composition.

Dominate Theories about Composition:


The Golden Section:
  • Created by the Ancient Greeks
  • The simplified version is called the rule of thirds
  • Broad-ranged mathematical theory that could be related back to natural forms (such as a shell)
  • The Aesthetic Goal: to find a method of composition that was the most pleasing to the eye
  • The image is divided into thirds over and over to create a spiral
  • The focal point of the image is on one-third or two-thirds into the picture, and one-third or the-thirds from the top, otherwise know as  the dividing lines
  • This helped the eye find the focal point before allowing it to travel in an extended spiral before returning it to the focal point
  • Creates a classical and ordered composition

The Symmetrical Composition:
  • Main focus of the image is within the center of the picture plane
  • Is reliant on each side of the image being similar
  • The eye tends to remain at the center
  • Gets information across quickly
  • When used in portraiture, it increases the intensity of the subject's gaze
  • Used for maximum impact
  • Directs eye to the most important area on the image
  • Creates a direct and static composition

The Asymmetrical Composition:
  • Any image that does not use symmetry
  • Helps create a dynamic and vibrant composition
  • Explored by Picasso and Braque in an attempt to reflect nature as e see it: in parts that eventually result in a visualized whole

Cropping:
  • A way to zoom in or out of an image
  • Creates focus and drama
  • Not showing the whole image can stimulate an audience's imagination 
  • It can help intensity the part an audience can see
  • Used extensively in comic-book art to depict a character's POV
  • Played a major part in the development of early film language

Color within the image:


The job of an illustrator: to understand the shifting relationship between colors as they sit together on the picture plane


Guiding Principles:


Primary colors: red, yellow, and blue, and are indivisible
Secondary colors: the mixing of the primaries: green, orange, and violet.
Tertiary colors: the mixing of primary and secondary colors: red-orange, yellow-green, blue-violet, etc...


Key terms:


Hue: the intrinsic "color" of a color
Value: the "lightness" or "darkness" of a color
Tint: a lighter color than the pure hue
Shade: a darker color than the pure hue

Chroma: a combination of hue and saturation
High Chroma: a saturated color in its purest strength
Low Chroma: color in it's most muted, grayish form

Color Wheel: a systematic mixing guide, based on Newton's spectrum, with the primary colors plotted at equal distances around the wheel and the other colors filling in the gaps between 
Complementary Colors: colors opposite each other on the color wheel
Color solid: a three-dimensional mixing chart that combines a color wheel, a chroma chart, and a value chart

Color scheme: the use of a restricted color palette
Monochromatic: a color scheme that only uses variations (in tone) of one hue
Perceptual Transparency: an illusion of transparency (or overlapping) created with flat, opaque colors, using two colors and their exact midway color
Simultaneous Contrast: the way that a particular color is changed by it's neighboring color, the most extreme example being two complementary colors that highlight their neighbor's hue