image essay #9...area of focus

This photograph caught my attention because of its ares of focus. Obviously, the main component is this composition is the horse and jockey that are winning the race. Even though there are other horses and jockeys running in the background, when you look at them it just causes you to look at what's in focus and at the main point of interest. I also am very drawn to the amount of movement that is captured in the horses feet. I love how the picture is caught mid-frame and the dirt is sopped in time, hanging in the air. The main horse and rider also show a lot of emotion because they are so much more detailed because they are what is in focus. The jockey is obviously thrilled of his victory and is celebrating by throwing his arm in the air. Meanwhile you can obviously see the effort and hard work coming from the horse. This photograph captures the feeling of being there, and most of that is captured in the area of focus.

image essay #8...value

This is a painting by the artist Sanford Robinson Gifford. This painting was in progress between the years 1823 and 1880 and is entitled "The Wilderness." It is believed that the mountain was modeled after a mountain in Maine. This painting actually is currently on display at the Toledo Museum of Art.

The reason this is a good example of value is because it has both extremes. The whites in the water as almost as pure as they can be, while the dark, dark earth tones of green and blue are almost black in the shadows.There is a huge variety of different values in this composition. other than just the extremes. There's very light values in the sky and mountain and highlights in the trees down by the water. There also are some darker grays and halftones that are distributed throughout out the entire piece, including the mountain.

Adding light to a color makes it a tint while adding dark to a color makes it a tone. There is obviously a wide range of of tints and tones in the composition, which makes a good variety of value.

image essay #7...balance

This image is probably very familiar to most people. This is the Starry Night by famous painter Vincent Van Gogh, it was painted in 1889.

This composition is an excellent example of balance. One side does not feel heavier than the other because the visual weight is distributed evenly throughout the entire composition. The size of the stars and the swirls in the size balance out the city and even the size of the huge mountain. The juxtaposition of the colors also helps balance this piece. The dark, cool colors in the landscape tend to blend up into the blue sky, where the warm and bright yellows from the stars and moon tends to also work itself not only into the sky, but back down into the town and even up in the dark, almost black mountain.

This is composition is also an example of an asymmetrical balance. The mountain on the left side is not reflected on the other side of the composition, and the starts in the sky aren't exactly the same on both sides either. Not being symmetrical does not make a piece any less balanced, it just makes it different, and often more esthetically pleasing.

image essay #6...positive/negative space

This composition is "Hands of Ataaneous" by Salvador Dali. This is a great example of positive and negative space because for the most part, the plane is broken up very evenly. The hands and the scene between them is the positive space, and the main focus of this composition. The negative space is the rest of the composition that is basically the background.

Negative space is just as important as the positive space. It is needed in the composition to balance out the piece. Like positive shapes, there also are dominant, subordinate, and accentual negative spaces. In some compositions, the negative space is actually more dominant than the positive space. In this piece that is not the case, but the negative space is still crucial. Negative space is everywhere. There is also more negative space in the scene between the hands and even between the fingers.

It is also interesting to notice that the basic shapes of the positive and negative spaces are all triangles. These shapes of the spaces cause the piece to have a sense of unity.

image essay #5...dominance

Dominance is also a very important principle to a composition. The dominant structure is the main focus of the page, its what the viewer is initially attracted to and should contain the most detail. Most pieces have a dominant, subordinate, and accentual shape. This causes the piece to become more dimensional and realistic and also allows your eye to move around the piece so that you stay interested in it.

Movie posters often carry out this principle very well and that's why they are a great example. This Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl poster is a good example of dominance. Johnny Depp is obviously the main component of this composition, which is shown by his size, his placement in the foreground, and the extreme detail. The skeleton bones in the front left and the ship in the back right corner help to also move your eye around the page.

image essay #4...Line

A line is a connection between two points, a moving point in space, or an implied connection. Lines can be of different size and texture. They can be used to create tension in a composition and set the mood altogether. A variety of lines in a composition also can make it more interesting. Lines are a part of everything around us. They are located in different shapes, and a group of lines put together can create a new shape.

This is a sketch by Paula Becker and is a good example of line because it has different varieties. The lines in the tree trunk are very ridged to show the bark, while the lines in the grass are smooth. The vertical lines in the sky also help to create a unity.

image essay #3...color/color scheme

The color scheme is important in any composition, especially when concerning Graphic Design, which if my main concern being that that is my major for my Bachelor's degree. The color scheme can set the mood for the entire piece, especially when they deal with color psychology and color symbolism. People react differently to different colors, and it's good to keep that in mind when choosing a color scheme for any composition. This is a photograph from colorconnections.com, and is a great example of a color scheme. The color scheme being used is one of earth tones.There are several different kinds of color schemes that include monochromatic, analogous, complementary, split complementary, triadic, and tetradic.

Monochromatic are different values of one color, for example, a composition where everything is in a shade of red.

Analogous color schemes include colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, for example, blue and green.

Complementary colors are those that are opposite on a color wheel, like purple and yellow.

Split complementary colors are are opposite on the color wheel and then an additional color that is next to one of those colors. An example of this is yellow, purple and blue.

Triadic color schemes are 3 colors that are equal distance on the color wheel. An example of this is blue yellow and red.

Tetradic color schemes are when 4 colors on the color wheel have a relationship, it's like using two sets of complimentary colors.