• What do we mean by depth in an image? How can this be achieved?
Depth is the illusion of distance and the 3 dimensional plane giving a sense of reality. It can be achieved by overlapping, sizing objects correctly (smaller will be further away, bigger will be closer to us), and arranging within a picture area or frame which may use cropping.
Depth is the illusion of distance and the 3 dimensional plane giving a sense of reality. It can be achieved by overlapping, sizing objects correctly (smaller will be further away, bigger will be closer to us), and arranging within a picture area or frame which may use cropping.
• Is depth only relevant to image makers who want to make 'realistic' artwork?
Not at all! Depth can be seen in anything from cartoons to children's storybooks, that don't want to evoke reality exactly but still want to give a realistic and interesting story to tell visually. The thumbnails in the handout, demonstrating the more realistic works, are reduced to negative shapes or outlines with a more illustrative feel and still give that sense of 3 dimensionality just because of the design theories they are indicating.
Not at all! Depth can be seen in anything from cartoons to children's storybooks, that don't want to evoke reality exactly but still want to give a realistic and interesting story to tell visually. The thumbnails in the handout, demonstrating the more realistic works, are reduced to negative shapes or outlines with a more illustrative feel and still give that sense of 3 dimensionality just because of the design theories they are indicating.
• What is line of sight?
Line of sight refers to the direction our eyes are taken when viewing an image, purposely imposed by an artist or designer so that we uncover the story in a certain way.
Line of sight refers to the direction our eyes are taken when viewing an image, purposely imposed by an artist or designer so that we uncover the story in a certain way.
• What does line of sight do for your composition?
Line of sight can control where the viewers' eyes move to read the story and the centre of interest in the composition as a whole. The type of movement can also be conveyed.
Line of sight can control where the viewers' eyes move to read the story and the centre of interest in the composition as a whole. The type of movement can also be conveyed.
• How does movement relate to line of sight?
Movement relates to line of sight through directional line; either moving us along smoothly and rhythmically or abrupt with a clash of lines. The movement will lead the eye but also give the atmosphere and feeling the artist wants the viewer to experience. Tangents will lead the eye away so lines must be moved away from each other to lead into the interesting area.
Movement relates to line of sight through directional line; either moving us along smoothly and rhythmically or abrupt with a clash of lines. The movement will lead the eye but also give the atmosphere and feeling the artist wants the viewer to experience. Tangents will lead the eye away so lines must be moved away from each other to lead into the interesting area.
Critical Task
Image 1 by Laura Carlin: I love, love, love Laura Carlin and find this to be a really nice illustration - full of character and charm! The main focal point is the large sculpture to the left which fills the majority of the canvas and gives a sense of foreground. The mid ground and background are littered with figure sculptures getting smaller in size, giving a sense of depth and distance. These become darker as they enter the shadows. The viewpoint is rather strange, I feel, as I seem to be floating above and looking down on the sculptures, from the way I can see the plinths clearly. The background shows we are in a dark forest with a full moon, stars and trees - so this particular viewpoint matches the surreal and dreamlike scenario. A graveyard perhaps? There's lots of texture which becomes more prominent as the figures move into the distance. My line of sight, however, starts with the peachy-pink figure to the right and then moves to the larger white sculpture. Having a warmer colour surrounded by darker background helps to bring it out to my attention more so than the larger figure.
Image 2 by Miroslav Sasek: I absolutely love the whimsical work of Sasek and referenced him a lot when making my Pearly Kings & Queens picture book. This illustration is so full of movement; perfect for an underground station which buzzes with activity. The clever sweeping gesture of the tracks leads the eye up to the middle, just off centre, to meet the domed roof which graduated spirals outward to envelope the picture area. The walls are curved, bringing the viewer into the picture. There is just the right balance of black and white versus colour and depth is portrayed well through the use of perspective and objects going smaller into the distance. The line of sight goes straight to the centre-right where the track leads up to the curved ceiling, with the eye then exploring outwards to read the narrative.
Image 3 by Mobius: I really enjoy the different viewpoint shown here, through a bird's eye view to show the sweeping motion of the large bird - which is the main focal point, just off centre to the left. The wing pointing to the right leads the eye towards the smaller boats just above the waterfall. The larger cliff faces in the foreground pull the image together giving depth and distance as well as an 'S' shape - giving visual interest to composition, rather than the picture just being head-on. In terms of value and colour, the blue is much more saturated at the front and fades to white the further away it goes.
Practical Task: Over There!
I knew the perfect place to go for this task - the Blenheim Walk boardroom! As Student Governor, I spend a lot of time in here attending both Board of Governors' meetings and Learning Teaching Enhancement meetings. It has big wide windows to look out of and I knew I wouldn't be distracted by other students doing the same task. It was warm and cosy and I was treated to a cup of sweet coffee and the radio switched on to high capacity by one of the members of the Senior Management Team. Awesome!
Here are my initial roughs and sketches from my photographs giving consideration to angles, overlapping of objects pointing to a certain direction, depth, perspective and viewpoint - leading the eye to different areas to unveil the narrative. I toyed with the idea of including my pencil case, coffee mug, window edges and Guide Dog somehow in the final piece...
Process:
• I cropped the final version quite a few times on the guillotine to draw the viewer in even more than I had originally planned and give more focus to the central elements.
• I gave consideration to perspective and wanted to show my view from the first level; slightly from above but not too high above at a bird's eye view level.
• I used varying strengths of ink and a big brush so it could convey the rainy day, and allowed the ink to be loose and splatter as much as it wanted to to provide extra narrative.
• I used darker ink in the foreground and gradually watered it down in the background. This gives a really foggy, misty aesthetic which I really like and mirrors the fogginess on the window I looked out of. It is also an excellent device for giving depth.
Reflection:
• If I had more time, I would have liked to print this out in multiple layers and turned it into a clearer diorama of sorts - just to give the illustration more of a three-dimensional look. It did adhere to the brief of having multiple layers placed onto another. Would it have been better as a three dimensional piece supported by a paper frame?
• Adding Tami was an after-thought to give the illustration a little bit of whimsy and narrative (as she was snoring on my foot when I was prepping my roughs in the Boardroom!) and my peers responded to it really well. In hind-sight, I feel it may be a bit of a distraction to the overall piece? Would it have been best to leave it out?
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