Positive and Negative Design
Key Concept or Idea: 2Dimensional Pattern.

SILHOUETTE

   
EXAMPLE OF SILHOUETTE AGAINST CONTRASTING FIELD 



EXAMPLE OF SILHOUETTE DEVELOPED
INTO POSITIVE -NEGATIVE PATTERN

Understanding PATTERN  in space.
The Idea of  Flat Pattern as a kind of 2 dimensional pattern.

What is a figure and field design? (Or a Positive and Negative Design.)
A figure and field design is also known as a "Positive - Negative Design."
Using simple shapes which describe an object.  These kinds of shapes are viewed first as a silhouette and then broken up to make detail in contrasting colors

A  SHAPE  may be 2 or 3 dimensional. 2-dimensional shapes are "flat" having no depth. However, any shape  can produce a pattern when viewed against a space of another color or tone.  A positive-negative design regards both the figure and the background as equally important. There should be about the same amount of one color as the other.

Following you will see some simple shapes. These shapes are descriptive, that means that they can be identified as a known form. When we see only the outline of the form with none of the descriptive detail inside it can be called a silhouette. Typically we would see a silhouetted form when it is lighted from behind but no light shines on the front of the shape.
click these class examples

   pn1.jpg (23871 bytes)   pn001.JPG (51385 bytes)

psn3.jpg (50714 bytes)   psneg04.jpg (58279 bytes)

p-nmatis.jpg (75963 bytes)

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2006