Design Principles and Creativity Exercises

art+ quilt

Lyric Kinard

Contents
How To Use This Book 5
Why Art? 5

4 Write On: Creative Composition 84

Homework Assignments and Field Trips 85 Playing the Design Game 86
Rephrase, Please 86 Nouns 86

An Introduction: Getting Ready to Create 6

Open Your Heart and Mind 8 Recognize the Creativity You Already Possess 10 Dream Your Dream 12 Inspiration vs Perspiration 15

Searching for a Muse 86 Poetic License 87 Music to the Eye 87 Collaborative Collage 87 Student Gallery 90

Learning The Alphabet: The Elements of Art 18

Texture 22 Shape 28 Line 34 Color 39 Value 45

Poetry: The Art of Evaluation and Critique 102

Uninvited Criticism 104 The Rules of the Game On Your Own 105 The Rules of the Game with a Group 105 Critique 106 Description 106 Analysis 108 Interpretation 120 Questions for the Artist 121 Judgment 122 An Analytical Anthology 124

Building Your Vocabulary: The Principles of Design 50

Unity and Variety 51 Focal Point 56 Balance and Symmetry 60 Scale and Proportion 64 Depth and Space 68 Motion 73 Rhythm 80

Conclusion 133 Index 135

Gathering Inspiration
Take your sketchbook, window tool, and camera outside or to a new place and notice the lines all around you. Can you find lines in nature that are solid and strong or tender and whimsical? Where and how do they lead your eye? Look through your window tool and find an interesting composition where line is the dominant element. Quickly sketch it without worrying about details. Capture the weight of the line and its direction. Move your window around, looking at more or less of the scene, thinking about interesting ways to frame the lines you see. Sketch, then snap some quick pictures for future reference. Try to capture some different views from those you drew.

THE ELEMENTS OF ART

35

Textural quilting inspired by the words, whoosh and burst.

Textural quilting inspired by the words, pebbles and web.

THE ELEMENTS OF ART

37

Unity is provided by similar mounting treatments as well as subject matter. Interest comes through variations of color and form. Windflower Triptych, each 8" 10" (20 25 cm).

THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

53

Two compositions, made with line alone, can imply either stillness and calm or frenetic motion.

THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

75