Sample #1
Portfolio Cover
Art Form: Collage
Art Media: Silver gelatin photographic prints, marker.
Design Element or Principle: Line, colour, shape and form, value, space.
Expectations:
- Grade 8 - D1.2 demonstrate an understanding of composition, using multiple principles of design and other layout considerations such as compositional triangles to create narrative art works or art works on a theme or topic. Emphasis on movement.
- Students will use the principles of design to create movement within a piece that tells a personal narrative.
Reflection:
1. During this project three skills I worked to develop were my use of line, shape, and space. Lines are a main component in the piece, as originally the wedges of the hexagon were all to be touching. By moving the wedges apart I was able to create implied lines to a central focal point that otherwise would not have existed. In addition, I used the horizontal lines of the film strips to pull away from the focal point and create a sideways motion within the piece. Shape was employed in the piece by the use of the hexagon for its strong geometry. Initially I had intended to work with a heptagon with the wedges representing ROYGBIV, however this would have detracted from the symmetry and balance of the piece. Instead, the primary and secondary colours of a subtractive colour wheel were represented in a six-sided form. This shape was preferred for its nostalgic qualities---harkening back to geometric logos of my childhood. Due to the 1:1 aspect of the hexagon, there finally had to be consideration of how to use the additional space of the rectangular page. The hexagon was positioned to one side and the horizontal lines of the film strips used to lead towards the negative space of the piece.
2. Many stages of the creative process were evident as I completed the work. As mentioned above, I began by imagining the strong geometry of logos from the late 1980s and early 1990s, and intended to use this to tell the story of the time in which I grew up. I created a plan of how I would use a vibrant rainbow of colours and geometric wedges that each told of a particular event or theme of my life. I used an iPad to create preliminary work, and found I would have to drop to a hexagon, and therefore revised several aspects of my design. The work was then presented and reflected upon both by self and by peers.
3. While the initial emphasis of my work was colour and shape, the element I had to focus on the most became line. By separating the wedges of the hexagon I found I was able to create implied lines that created a focal point. While this in itself was a personal first, I further developed and experimented with line by using horizontal lines that contrasted the implied lines in order to unite the positive and negative space of the work. The variety of lines were used to create a sense of movement that when combined with the cyclic features of the hexagon and colour wheel told a personal narrative through images embedded in each wedge.
