Tangents!

Tangents!

Tangents are a real problem in art. They can become an unnecessary focal point that confuses the brain and distracts the viewer from where you want to look. 

Click on the definition above!

Maybe in Geometry you have heard of this term...

This doesn't look very exciting until you see this what they look like in real life...

Hey it's Florida's favorite pastime... car accidents!

Awwww.

Ummmm... awkward!

Mike Tyson makes a tangent wherever Mike Tyson wants!

This is a future lawsuit!

Pretty!

What really happened to the Titanic... too soon?

This is a basic chart of common tangents in art.

Below are some graphic representations of tangents in art. (Special thanks to Chris Schweizer)

See the hat gets lost into the barn.

Parallels especially close ones can be confusing for the viewer.

Beginning a line where one ends can also confuse the viewer.

Get that elbow off my border!

Look at all the lines ending on crease points on the figure!

The hair shouldn't perfectly touch the pole, and neither should the elbow.

Notice the line of umbrella feeds right into the directional line of the hand.

Notice the door cuts the image in half... no bueno (no good.)

Solution: simply overlap the door... no more tangent!

Overlap shapes!

Looks simple, but can be wonderfully complex and avoids tangents.

You can also Underlap objects...

Notice these objects are not touching or overlapping what this does is create tension.

Tension can be a wonderful way to create visual drama.

Now word of caution... sometimes tangents can work. C.F. Payne proved this in his wonderful illustration for the book The Remarkable Farkle McBride.

The butterfly is tangent to the trumpet, but works as a hilarious sound joke. 

Final Animal Caricature Due October 4th!

Final Animal Caricature due Wed. October 4th!

Inktober

Caricature tight sketch due!

Your tight sketches for animal caricature are due September 28th, 2017.

Thomas Fluharty

We are studying the brilliant work of Thomas Fluharty. He is a brilliant caricature artist who wonderfully caricatures animals and people alike. However, before we get into people, we are going to start understanding our animal friends first. Last week each student selected a career, personality and animal. This is a Chihuahua is not one you'd want to meet in a dark alley.

A key element into understanding how to caricature is understanding the base anatomy so you know how to exaggerate. This is why we drew at least 3 poses of our selected animal as studies to understand our animals better. Remember when creating your character you are essentially giving that character a voice. The exaggeration should not be a distortion, but a search for a greater truth. Caricature is an enhanced reality that uses the impression of how you feel to create believability. 

Why does this illustration from Fluharty work? Batman is a guardian, and so typically are Doberman Pinchers. The brilliance of this drawing is Fluharty's wonderful observation connecting the Doberman's ears to batwings. 

Again, it is very important to experiment with form to help find the right solution. 

It's through experimentation we make discovery.

While anatomically very exaggerated this feels right. Remember why Ferrell showed you how to use the tracing paper to exaggerate your forms pretty freely without loosing what parts of your original drawing were working.

When crafting your images play off preconceived notions and twist familiar stories to assist you, but avoid clichés at all cost.

This tattooed shark that's flinging tiny people is using the preconceived notion of tattoos equal toughness. The tiny people give a sense of scale. Nothing feels cliché. So Fluharty's triumphs at feeling fresh and original by playing with familiar story tropes and twisting them into unfamiliar territory. Tattoos feel right on sharks, but where have you seen that done in real life? I'd love to see whom or what is actually tattooing these sharks. 

Animals can feel safer to caricature than people because our psychological conditioning puts mental barriers on how we judge people. Our exaggerations are not negativity, but finding the deeper truth. If it doesn't feel true it won't work. This is as true with caricaturing animals as is its with caricaturing people. 

Chris Ayers White Whale

We are going to begin a Special Project Inspired by Peter De Seve and Chris Ayers

We are learning how to appreciate form and story tell with it by exaggerating it through the art of caricature. In doing this, we'll be studying master illustrators and concept artists Peter DeSeve and Chris Ayers.

We will be learning the proper process for studying form so we can manipulate it.

Once you understand a form you'll have the ability to add a personality and punch up its expressions. Look at the study of a whale below by DeSeve.

Chris Ayers is also a master of form who also uses animals as a device for story telling. 

A key technique is adding human characteristics to the animal forms being exaggerated. We know what exhaustion feels like, but what does it look like? How can we make our viewer feel that feeling too. 

The more you can bring your personal experience into your work the more your audience will be able to relate to it, and 

An important writing trick is to write what you know. Well no one can experience everything, but we can have similar feelings as almost anyone and exploring this can give us the power to convey almost anyone's story. We have to find our link so that we can convey that link to our audience.

Ask these questions:

Who am I trying to convey?

How do you think they feel about their lot in life?

Have I ever felt that way, and what did I look like when I did?

How do I make what they feel like more convincing to my audience?