Negative Space

Negative space is something that I have never been able to grasp. The concept is very simple, but my brain just doesn't seem to understand it.

Negative space [in art] is the space between objects or the parts of an object, for example the area between a cup and its handle. Also the space between an object and the edges of the canvas, i.e. the space around an object. (Actual definition from http://painting.about.com/cs/paintingknowhow/g/negativespace.htm)


The object itself is the positive space so the negative space is outer part, right?

Does that mean that the negative space is supposed to be a specific color, black or white?

These are the questions that make my head so confused. :S

However I did learn to focus on the negative space rather than the positive. This way it will make the image more focused and more balanced.

But don't you get the same image if you focused on the positive?

Apparently you don't. When we concentrate on the unfamiliar we forget to look at all these fine details that aren't as important the outline itself, or the way that the object is positioned, which makes the picture look way more realistic. But the best way for you to get really good pictures is to PRACTICE!!! =)

I learned that sometimes when we draw something, and it doesn't come out as it should, we try to make it better but that doesn't happen because we focus more on what we think it looks like, but not how it looks in reality.
And for that we should concentrate more on the stuff that shouldn't be there instead of the stuff that should.

When you're designing a website, it's much better to put a lot of negative space into the site then to crowd it and hurt your readers' eyes.

When you are making a logo, it is so much more easier and less expensive to put a bunch of negative space into it. That way it will look prefessional, refined, and not as if a five year old made it with crayons.

In print design, negative space is more commonly known as "white space." Although it is called white space, it doesn't have to be literally white. It can be aby color you want, but you have to leave it empty. Complete and utterly empty.

OMG! I think some of this has finally sunk into my brain. I sorta get it now. =D

Picture Restoration

Ok, so I put something into the the final picture that wasn't in the original. BIRDS. I put two birds - I dont know which type - flying into the sunset. I also changed the sunset, too, to make it more natural.

ORIGINAL:

MY COLORED PICTURE:

Restoring Picture Project Thingie

Today I finished my picture thingie (see pics below), then i found out that I have to add something into the picture to make it unique. So now I am stuck thinking "wow this is hard, wow this is hard." Let's pray I finish.

Restoring Black and White Images

We have been learning to use Macromedia Fireworks for some time now, and so we did a project to restore a black and white portrait or landscape to color. As you can see, I chose landscape.

Here is my original image:

And here is my restored image:

Personally I still like the black and white version better.

Color Theory Activity/Project

Today we started our color theory project. Basically all we do is pick a black and white picture and then color it using Micromedia Fireworks. We have to make six different color combination and so far I'm on my second one.

I know for sure that i will not finish it by tomorrow. :)

Color Theory Activity

Original

Split Complementary

Triad

Double-Complementary

Monochromatic Colors

Complementary Colors

Analogous Colors

Peter Piper Palette Picker

Here is my design from the site: http://www.worqx.com/color/palette.htm

I chose this design because I really liked the way it looked on the screen. I started out with the pinkish purple, because that's where my eyes went to first, and then I just went from there.

Color Theory Questions

What is the difference between shade and tint?
Shade is a hue produced by the addition of black, and tint is a hue produced by the addition of white.

What is the colour system used for printing?
The CMYK color system is the color system used for printing.

How can you ensure proper colour rendering in print?
Working within the CMYK color system, or choosing colors from Pantone© palettes insures proper color rendering.

What are complementary colours? Give an example
The colors that are positioned opposite one another on the color wheel are complementary colors. Ex. Purple and Yellow

What are tertiary colours? Give an example
Tertiary colors are achieved by a mixture of primary and secondary hues. Ex. Yellow-green, red-purple, yellow-orange, blue-violet, red-orange and blue-green.

What is meant by a visually advancing colour?
Advancing hues are most often thought to have less visual weight than the receding hues.

What could cause vibrating boundaries to occur?
Vibrating Boundaries may occur when opposing colors are brought together.

How can you find a complementary colour without a colour wheel?
Without a color wheel, it is still possible to find the opposite of a color and this is due to a phenomenon of our eyes. Just use colors that you think are opposites. Due to the physiological differences between individuals, everyone's perceptions do vary.

What is an after image?
An after image is when you stare at something in color for a long time, then look away, and then look again and its in the opposite colors.

What is a monochromatic colour relationship?
Monochromatic Relationship are colors that are shade or tint variations of the same hue.

What is an analogous colour relationship?
Analogous Relationship are colors located right next to each other on a color wheel.

What is contrast?
When you make a color different from the others to make it stand out more.

What could cause simultaneous contrast to occur?
Simultaneous contrast may happen when opposing colors are placed in close proximity to each other.

Name and describe three of Itten’s Colour Contrasts
◘ The contrast of saturation - The contrast is formed by the juxtaposition of light and dark values and their relative saturation.
◘ The contrast of light and dark - The contrast is formed by the juxtaposition of light and dark values. This could be a monochromatic composition.
◘ The contrast of extension - Also known as the Contrast of Proportion. The contrast is formed by assigning proportional field sizes in relation to the visual weight of a color.

How do you determine the dominant colour?
The color with the largest proportional area is the dominant color (the ground).

How can you create an accent with colour?
Accent colors are those with a small relative area, but offer a contrast because of a variation in hue, intensity, or saturation.

What is the difference between contrast dominant and value dominant?
Contrast dominant is a contrast composition that uses a range of luminosity or brightness levels, while value dominance is a composition made up of a variety of tints, saturated hues, and shades.

What is one method of identifying possible options for colour schemes?
By varying the saturation and experimenting with shades and tints within the hue relationship, you can achieve quite a variety of palette options.


All information can be found on:

Janet Lynn Ford. Color Theory Overview. [Online] Available http://www.worqx.com/color/index.htm. 1998-2009

Header

As you can see, I have a header on my blog now :)
I feel so smart and accomlished, even though it was really easy. The only hard part was figuring out what type of images to put onto the header. Anyway I figured it out, somehow, and here are the links to the TWO images I used!!!

=D


http://clouddragon.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/kittens.jpg
http://www.co.franklin.oh.us/probate/images/music_notes.jpg

Presentation Presented. Finally =)

Today, in class, i presented my project. I was very nervous about doing this presentation, because i felt like i didn't do that much research compared to other people. Also there were a lot of great presentations before mine, and that just puts way more competition up, and make you rethink about your presentation. Whatever, I cant change anything now.

Anyway, i think i might check out a few of the sites that were presented today.
◘ TV Shack
◘ Google Desktop
&
◘ Urban Spoon

Google Desktop was very cool. I especially like the fact that you can be working on a project with like your other group members, and you can be working on the document at the same time, and the other person or persons will know what is happening.

I will also check out Urban Spoon, because I LOVE TO EAT. Ask any of my close friends, I am the pig of the group, so this is a site that i will definitely check out. :P

I will also check out TV Shack, because i am a big TV junkie so this is perfect for me. Also i watch a lot of shows that aren't shown in Canada so this way i don't have to search for the videos on YouTube and scream when i cant find what I'm looking for, because this site is more reliable than YouTube for TV issues.

Almost Done.

I am almost done my presentation. It's funny. Whenever there is a presentation coming up, and I have to present it in front of the class, i get really nervous. But this time I'm not. I guess, this time i actually know what I'm talking about. :)

I just have to put a few finishing touches, and then present it tomorrow.
I hope I pass.

My powerpoint

Is it just me or does making PowerPoint slides take forever to make. In all of today's class, all I have made are about 5-6 slides. They contain mostly visuals that I got off the Internet, so that's probably why it's so slow. Apparently, our Internet is shared by the Olympics, so that's why it's slow. I never knew that before.

I guess I might have to work on my project at home since we have a shortened block tomorrow.
God! I hate homework! :(

Powerpoint Primer

Today we had a powerpoint breifing type of thing. Mostly it was all basic stuff, so I knew it. I did try to put one image over another, but it wasn't really working the way I wanted it to. All I saw was the background of one image over top of the other one, so you couldn't see what was really happening.

I hope to find out how to do this properly. Soon.

Wikipedia and its competitors

I never knew that Wikipedia had any competitors. But today, as I was researching about wiki for my project, I learned that wikipedia has two major competitors.

◘ Veropedia
&
◘ Scholarpedia

Veropedia's been under construction for about the last year, but scholarpedia looks like a exact copy of wikipedia. This is because it uses the same program. Other than that, it's pretty different on the same level. If that made any sense at all.

:)


Oh. And I sorta trust wikipedia now!

Web 2.0

Today I picked my website for my web 2.0 project. I chose wikipedia.org because everyone uses it, no matter how unrelyable it is.

I learned that there are more than 11 million registered users in wikipedia.org that can change the pages whenever they like.

I don't think I can really trust wikipedia anymore. :(