Chapter 2 Primaries of Design

Line Mass and Form

Primaries of Design

Line    Contrived mark that does not exist in nature but used as a visual tool to describe a variety of things.  Lines sit on a surface just as textures do.  They both sit on and define the surface.  The purpose of the line as a mark may vary, if it is used to describe form, it would become a Form bias line.  If is used to describe mass (by filling a zone or establishing an area with a specific texture or pattern) they would become mass or Notan bias marks.  In some cases when the whole surface is covered with strokes, this would create a patina.

Mass or Notan  Shapes generally determined by local color and NOT the effect of light and shadow.  For more distinctive clarity we can consider these graphic shapes as defining a Notan dominant composition.  Notan is light vs dark contrast.  This occurs when the greater contrast within a composition is between local, or object values.

Form or Chiaroscuro  Shapes depicted by the effect of light and shadow.  Light will divide form into two parts this.  Form is the effect of a light vs shadow and creates a Chiaroscuro dominant composition.

These are what I consider as our primaries of design and are specific to our application, whether a drawing, or painting, or photo, or sculpting.  These are different and independent from our visual components.  Each of us have a personal bias toward one of these primaries, and it is important to know yourself.  Know your bias, that will be your (go to) when you hit a design challenge you will have a tendency to resolve design issues in the same manner.  There is no rules to the application of these primaries.  Although throughout history the various styles and periods of art from around the world are likely to have one thing in common.  They are executed with clear distinction where one of the primaries is clearly dominant within the greater proportion, or given area, with a second primary as a support and the third is suppressed.  There are some cases where the illusion is either Notan or Form dominant and the application creates a patina or texture across the whole or partial surface (consider Serat).

*note: 

A two or three value preliminary sketch is a Matrix which in the best case defines how the greater contrast will define the image.  It is not a Notan nor is it a Chiaroscuro it is a Matrix.  Notan and Chiaroscuro exist in contradistinction to one another.  It is a matter of local value contrast or Notan, being dominant, and the effect of light on local values.  When the intensity of light divides the local values into greater contrast than the difference between the local values, then that area of contrast will be defined by Chiaroscuro.

         Notan (Light vs Dark)            Chiaroscuro (Light vs Shadow)

Visual Distinction is what we want to accomplish in our work.  In the images below, pay attention to the specific division between areas where the artist's have kept clarity by consciously managing their mark making.

In these first two drawings by Steve Huston, line is the primary feature that defines form.  These would be Line/Form dominant.   

These second two also have form and line yet there is more emphasis on the depiction of form where line is not apparent.  In this case these are Form/Line dominant images.

In this block-in by Hollis Dunlap we see the contrast between light and dark local values are of greater contrast which clearly define his Matrix.  The brushwork, where obvious reflects line that makes us aware of the surface, much like texture.  His brushstrokes sit on or define a surface with apparently no relation to form.  This would be Notan/Line dominant.

In this illustrations below we see that it is Notan dominant with line/texture secondary.  Clarity and distinction of the design bias is something we see in the greatest art of all time in museums around the world.  Here they are applied to illustrations.

In the illustration below Robert McGinnis changes the mode of application cleanly which adds the appearance of complexity and clarity at the same time.

Robert Fawcett, known as the illustrators, illustrator explored the clarity of marks arranged in specific zones in the same manner as Albrecht Durer, and Hans Holbein.

Hans Holbein the Younger

In the images below, notice how Holbein changes mode of drawing within different zones.  This gives clarity and distinction to each area.  When we are unclear of the marks we make and their impact on the design, our drawings can feel underdeveloped in some cases and over rendered in others. 

Valentine Serov

The form dominant drawing of the head in contrast to the heave line dominant coat brings focus to the head.  Our eyes recognize contrast, and the change of bias or mode of application is a contrast that the viewer feels, even if they do not know the reason why.  This contrast of mode can be engaging and is used by many artists through history to deliver a paradox between surface and illusion.

Serov set up this painting with greater contrast between local values of Notan and switched modes rendering his face.  We are compelled to look at his face and tend to believe there is a lot more from rendering throughout the entire image.  We respond to contrast, contrasting modes is an effective way to direct the viewers attention to an area of a painting.

Richard Shmid is another artist that explores the paradox between illusion and surface.

The image below demonstrates the clarity when textures are maintained within specific boundaries. 

Hokusai

Katsushika Hokusai was a master of texture clarity and major influence to artists of the day.  During the mid 1800's Japanese yukio-e prints gained popularity in France and influenced Impressionists and Post Impressionists such as Toulouse Latrec and Vincent Van Gough.  Notice in his work the textures are unique to the individual areas of the images.  They are not sketchy, nor vague but demonstrate his clear discipline of design.

Similar style or discipline of placing specific textures in singular areas was a theme in other periods and cultures through art history.

In the Gothic period

and Egyptian art as well

Toulouse La Trec

In this version la Trec used line in lighter value marks to suggest form in very specific area of his painting.

This painting by Matisse falls into the same category.

In this painting by Nikolai Fechin, the backlit quality and the greater contrast between the local values makes this a Notan or Mass over Texture dominant image.

Many people look at Norman Rockwell's paintings and because of the level of detail they attribute that to form.  But actually if you look at his preliminary drawings and paintings are Notan or mass dominant.

Chiaroscuro

Rembrant was pushing the contrast between light to shadow below to realize more drama.  The division between the greatest contrast is between the areas in light and shadow.  Though the areas in light have different local values and textures reflect light to wildly different extremes, all surfaces sink into the same darkness.

In this drawing we can see the same interest in capturing the drama of the effect of light as above, but this drawing is Form/Line dominant.  In no way is he masking his line in light or shadow.  The greater contrast division is between areas in light vs those in shadow.

Anders Zorn is also form dominant and yet he is not hiding the strokes, in this and some of his other paintings, so it would be Form/Line dominant, with just minimal areas of mass, like the water reflections, but they too contain obvious strokes.

Billibin crafted this style, again using just Mass and Line in Russia, just as the image below it from Japan.

Another century across the planet Mass and Line were also popular.

Alphonse Mucha was focused on the rhythms in the shapes while still being Mass and Line dominant.  We can see some slight value shift in here hair and face to imply form in the slightest way. keeping Mass/Line dominance.

Persian Miniatures were predominantly Mass/Line.  Shapes were contrived in a very specific manner and a specific limited palette was adhered to.

Byzantine period brought in golds and textures in specific zones. Texture is a similar characteristic as line, the both define or sit on the surface.  Even subtle rendering of hair and skin textures with slight form.

Mosaics and stained glass reflects the same Mass and Line popular design themes of the day.  We can see here that there is a subtle form aspect to the faces and hands.

Hundreds of years later the same visual characteristics resurface with a huge impact on the art world.  Klimt images like the one below are Mass/Line dominant with a good amount of texture which once again acknowledges the surface.

Not all Disney animated film styles are as timeless, but the ones that are all have one thing in common with the greatest art of all time.  That is they emphasized one primary, supported by another and either eliminated the third or faked the illusion of the third.  101Dalmations was Line/Mass dominant but the fact that they offset the paint with the line registration implied rim lights and shadows.  There were no shadow effects or form painted into the backgrounds.

Bambi is another show that achieved a timeless look through the use of Counterchange.  Counterchange is achieved through changing the local values in adjacent shapes to create a condition of light over dark and dark over light values that fake the illusion of form.

This Counterchange quality was a watercolor technique used by Tyrus Wong and implemented in Bambi so characters would appear to be moving through dappled light in the woods without animating a shadow pass on any of the characters which saved them millions of dollars by todays standards.  This fake lighting of Counterchange was also used by regionalist artists like Thomas Hart Benton, and Grant Wood who visited the studio during the development of Bambi, Peter Pan, and Alice in Wonderland.

In the images above, notice every object appears to be lit independently, having high contrast in the appearance of form and yet the lighting has no common origin.  This faked lighting is an example of the use of Counterchange.

In this Painting by Sandro Botticelli the contrast of light and shadow is minimized giving way to the stronger contrasts between local values.  Mass/Form

One of the early Impressionist's Manet flattened space and again diminished the contrast between light and shadow, and pushed the contrast of light and dark except the ground shadow.

After Manet, Gwen John reduced the contrast in what would be shadow areas in order to maintain a balance between dominance of Mass, and used Texture across the whole surface as a patina.

Tonal contrast between light and dark local values is the first read in the image below.  Mass and Line/Texture make up the image.  Any form to be rendered is kept to a minimum, or lesser contrast.  This is what makes this image by Dean Cornwell clear and distinctive.