Introduction to Art and Design - Essay Example

Essay, Visual Arts and Film Studies Art is a of a wide range of human way of thinking and expression of the ideas. Art can be expresses through drawings, word of mouth, or performances like cultural dances. Art has been used as a method of communicating the different ideas and passing of information from one generation to the next. Through art, we are able to express our imaginations. One of the major functions of art is entertainment and this has been the major goal that every artist wants to accomplish. In order to understand the art works done by a particular community, there is need to know the culture of that particular group. According to Perty (2001), art is directly tied to the peoples’ beliefs and practices. In this context, the scholar was implying that we have to dig deep into knowing the peoples’ culture in order to know their art works and the treason for the art work. Peoples’ culture is directly related into what they practice most. The art done by a certain group of people or a community is related to their daily practices and cultural beliefs. For example, in African communities, cultural songs and dances are composed according to the different seasons and occasions. In learning the culture of the people, we are able to know the art done by the group and the reason for the artwork done. Religion and peoples’ beliefs direct the kind of art produced by the people. People are able to express their beliefs through art like drawing s or songs. Art produced by a certain community is directly related to the peoples’ beliefs and religion. Art is a way of communicating and expressing the peoples’ way of life and this is also related to the different pieces of artworks they produce. For example the some communities involve in sculpturing and the sculptures produced are closely related to their religion. Some groups of people make models of their different gods they believe in and this are speaks more about their religion and beliefs. Peoples’ beliefs also have an impact in the way the art production of different groups is shaped. People express what they belief in through art and this is mostly evident in the cultural practices. Communities have their varied beliefs and this is seen in the way they present their art works. A group of people will draw images of the things they seen most often. For example the pastoralist communities make drawing of the animals they rear and this speaks more of their practices and the way of life. Metalpoint is the drawing of varied diagrams with sharp metal objects like copper or gold. This is mostly done on paper or parchment. The drawings are done by on a special material or paper by the use a sharpened metal. On the other hand etching is the use of strong acids on unprotected surfaces of a metal. The protected parts of the metal are usually covered with wax and this prevents the corrosive chemical or the acid from cutting into the metal being used. This is done in order to come up with designs on the metal surfaces. Different techniques are used in coming up with different designs on the metal object. In etching, other chemicals may be used to cut into the unprotected parts of the metal being used. This method of art making has a long history and has been applied in the making of sculptures. Serigraph is stencil printmaking g process in which paint is forced through a fine screen and passes to a material like a paper beneath it. In this method some areas which do not print are pulled off and the same process is repeated.   Colors fall under different groups and this is mostly determined by the relationship between the colors. In those groupings there are the analogue colors and these are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. In the analogue colors, one of components of the group tends to be dominant color and can either be primary or a secondary one. The analogous color scheme has been used to create an attractive monochromatic look by combining both the warm and cool colors. Triad colors can be presented on the color wheel where the by forming three equally spaced colors on the color wheel. An example is the combination of blue, red and green which should be spaced with two colors on the color wheel. The triad colors have been used to create liveliness. Primary colors are used to create a useful range of colors. These are the most common colors on the color wheel and they are used on many occasions since they are attractive and create liveliness. In this group, three different colors are used to give a perfect combination. Different scholars have tried to explain the reason for the three colors in making the primary colors group. According to Marty (2007), human color vision is trichromatic and hence able to create a clear distinction in this combination. Hue is used to give identity to pure colors on the color wheel. It can also be used to refer to a mixture of two different colors like the red and yellow. Hue has been used to communicate color ideas since it makes use of bright colors and their combinations. Tint is the result got from mixing a color with white. In making a tint, the lightness is increased. A tint is also lighter than the original color. Shade is the result got by mixing a color with black. The lightness in this case is reduced. The shade got is usually darker than the original color due to the effect of black. Elements of design are basically the building blocks of any piece of art. There are different elements of designs used by artists as they try to compose an attractive piece of artwork. One of these elements is the line. Line is created by elongating a mark or a dot. Line can either be thick or thin depending on the idea being conveyed through a drawing. Another element is the shape and this is the geometric outline of a drawing. Three are two kinds of shapes; positive and negative shapes. Size is also an element of design which is the relationship between of the area occupied in relation to the background. Another is the color and value which talks more about the outward appearance of the piece of art (White, 2011 pp 81-105). Texture refers to the outward feeling or look of a piece of art. It is the way the surface feels either when touched or seen. There are two different kinds of texture; the visual and the tactile texture. Tactile texture has a three dimension feel and mostly demonstrated through painting where some surfaces are made rougher than others.   Line is the most basic thing in any drawing work. There are different kinds of lines ranging from thick to thin lines. The different lines are applied on a drawing work do give different meanings to a drawing. Thick lines have been known to create emphasis while thin lines are less emphasizing. Expressive line seems to emerge from the artist’s emotions and feelings as he or she tries to express a certain idea through drawing.   Principles of design are the concepts used by artists to properly arrange the different elements of design. Balance is one of the principles and refers to the equal distribution of the image or drawing on the working area. It also depicts the even use of the elements of design like the color on a piece of art. Harmony helps keep similar components together like those with related values and sizes. Contrast helps create distinction in a composition by creating difference between shapes and sizes. A tint is a balanced mixture of a color with white and the mixing helps to increase the lightness. On the other hand a shade is got by making a mixture of black with another color. This also helps to reduce lightness. In coming up with a tint, a certain color is mixed with white. The tint got is usually lighter than the original color due to the effect of the mixture made.   Atmospheric perspective is the effect created by the external atmosphere on the object. This is the effect of the atmosphere on the external surface of an object when viewed from a distance. The appearance of an object changes as we approach it and this is the effect of light and other atmospheric conditions. As we approach an object, the contrast between the object and the background tend to decrease. The decrease of this contrast makes the outlines of the object clear to the viewer. The colors on the object can also be viewed clearly and this is due to the reduction of the atmospheric effect. Atmospheric perspective has been applied in art especially in painting. The technique is used in art in creating illusion of depth of the object as viewed from a distance.   Lithography is an art technique of making some painting by use of a special object. This is a method of printing a stone with a smooth surface. Metal plates can also be printed and this is usually done by use of a completely smooth surface in order to make the printing attractive. Different images can be made on the metal or stone on which the printing is done. The method has been combined with etching to give more presentable pieces of art. In order to make a print on a stone, the surface is first made rough to a certain degree in order to get into contact with the film of water. The parts that get into contact with the film of water are able to repel the greasy ink used on the surface. The image is then produced on areas that repelled the grease. The image can be directly printed from the stone of the metal plate used for the art work.     Works Cited White, Alex. The Elements of Graphic Design. New York, NY: Allworth Press. 2011 pp. 81-105. Read More