Bone Studies: Positive-Negative Reversal Design 2D: Aston
Size and Medium: 9″ x 12″ Pen, Brush, and Ink on Bristol Paper
Objectives: To train the eye to recognize negative space and understand its importance in design.
To compare Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Balance.
To create a Positive-Negative (Figure /Ground) Reversal where positive and negative shapes are visually
interchangeable.
To practice the use of pen and brush in the creation of lines of various weights.
To reduce a complex design to simple lines and shapes using principles of Economy and Variety
Instructions: Select a bone or skull with negative to be used for both studies. Use your viewfinder to locate an interesting composition that includes both negative and positive shapes. Begin by sketching out the composition lightly in pencil, and then go over the pencil marks with pen or brush lines of different weights. Next, decide which shapes are to be black and paint these with a brush. Add black lines to the white shapes and white lines to the black shapes. You may either reserve spaces as white lines within the black shapes, or cut and paste white lines on top of the black shapes. The distribution of black and white should be more or less the same. Neither positive or negative, black or white, should dominate.
1.) Reversal with Symmetrical Balance: Attempt to strike a more or less equal balance between positive and negative shapes. This should produce a mirror image when folded.
2.) Reversal with Asymmetrical Balance: Positive and negative shapes are balanced off-center.
a.)Reversal with Economy : use one of the above compositions as the basis for a simplified design with geometric shapes. Should exemplify the concept of Economy and the idea that “Less Is More”
