Abstract Letter Painting:
The study of letters and its uses for graphic design is called Typography. Letters come in many styles and shapes having flat even spacing called Gothic, thick and thin letters called Roman. Using serifs, flourishes and scripts, lettering can be used for design as well as the function of communication. The right style and placement can be the most important thing in an advertisement or brochure. I want to use letters as a design element. Looking for the different styles or fonts can be fun and some letters just look good as a design.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn how to apply acrylics with the appropriate brushes in a controlled manner to create a hard edge with paint
- Select and apply fonts to create an interesting abstracted design
- Create a composition that utilizes the elements of art to demonstrate variety and emphasis.
Directions:
1. Decide on a format - Vertical or Horizontal?
2. Use the Rule of thirds to establish your area of emphasis
3. On a sheet of 11x14 paper begin with a few straight lines to divide the format and create a division of space. Add more lines using a variety of space between lines.
Have some of the lines go across the others creating more shapes and giving it some horizontal movement.
Repeat this until there are more lines in the area of emphasis and less towards the edges.
4.Choose a letter font from the handouts. Letters can be distorted and sized to fit in spaces or go over more than one line. Be mindful of keeping the area of emphasis the most interesting area. Add letters or numbers until you like what you see.
Use at least 3 but I would try top use 5 or more for interest. You may also use a compass or a circle stencil to break up the straight line further. Keep all of this as outlines.
Once you have your composition the way you want it transfer it to your canvas. Apply graphite to the back of your rough draft and trace it onto your Masonite board.
5. Decide on a color scheme and mix a batch of your base colors. From these you will make your tints and shades. You will need at least 10 values total.
Color schemes:
- Complement- any complementary pair. Two colors opposite each other on the Color Wheels.. Add black and white for value changes.
- Double Complement- Two pairs of complements next to each other on the color wheel. An example would be Blue and Orange, and Blue-Violet and Yellow-Orange. Add black and white to change values and create tones.
- Split Complement- Any complementary pair is chosen, then discard one color replacing it with the two colors on either side of that color on the color wheel. Such as Blue plus Yellow-Orange and Red-Orange. Again use black and white to change values and tones of gray.
- Three Analogous plus a Complement- Any three colors next to each other on the color wheel and one of the color’s complements. Black and white for value changes.
- Analogous- Any three to five colors located next to each other on the color wheel, plus black and white for value changes and tones of gray.
6. Use the lightest colors in your scheme in the area of emphasis. Each time you use a color, try to go from the top to the bottom to see it used in more than three areas.
As you go to the next color in the scheme place them next to the first few and work outward to the sides of the format. Each shape and or letter form will be colored until you get to the outside shapes and hopefully they will be the darkest value.
Go back and touch up edges and change colors if need.