Studio Brief 2 - What is image making? PICTURE AREA

SEMINAR DISCUSSION POINTS

How can we place importance on certain information within the frame?

-varying sizes within the frame can alter meaning, a larger object will assert more importance than a smaller object

-larger objects may also have strongest values to give the most impact

-allowing the most important object to overlap secondary components will achieve hierarchy

-SCALE

What are the benefits of overlapping objects in your composition?

-Overlapping works to partially conceal secondary objects, enhancing the prominence of primary objects

-overlapping creates depth and distance between components

-allows more things to be fitted into the picture area

-ORGANISATION

What role does the frame play in composing visual information within your image?

-Frame can be used to crop imagery or control the space around imagery

-Cropping can allow images to be shown in their most minimal forms, communicating through the most simplified clues

-Having some components partially concealed and others fully visible enhances the interest of the image

Considering picture area and framing in light of existing work, it was interesting to see how illustrators use framing to maximise the picture area, reducing elements down to simple visual clues to allow for more cohesive and coherent images to be communicated.

TASK

-consider arrangement, overlapping, framing and cropping to create an image with 3 elements: you, an elephant and a butterfly.

I had considered the idea of an elephant having a wash and through roughs and sketches, this seemed to make the best use of the frame as only a large leg was required to demonstrate the size between the figure and the elephant. Having the character looking up from a low vantage point enhanced the scale of the elephant and seemed to compliment the narrative. I found it more difficult to incorporate the butterfly as I was fighting with scale and depth: how small should a butterfly be next to an elephant? vs. how big would it be if the elephant was in the mid-ground? While I'm not convinced the scale of the butterfly works effectively, I feel the cropping and positioning allows it to make use of the negative space and give focus to the elephants trunk.