Shapes & Mass

Shapes can symbolise signs, language, meaning. You can find shape everywhere we look some man made and some organic. Shapes in everyday life that we see can be 2D or flat, signs can give warnings, meaning, religion.

 

Shapes can be changed from volume to Mass creating a positive shape, there can be powerful shapes like a Crucifix or the swastika sign.

 

Mass - By Julie Morrison Date Oct 2012

 

This is my picture taken by St Helens Town Hall showing a 2D image of a Crucifix above the memorial stand. This is a strong sign and is world known as the religious sign for Christianity.

 

There are also more relaxed shapes that would create a more relaxed image. Jackson Pollock uses lines in his artwork to create abstract art work by using lines and shapes in his paintings. In this picture by Jackson he's using lines to draw the eye around his image by using Curvilinear lines bending around the picture and cross hatching to make arrears of the picture stand out more by making them darker.

There are arrears of light and dark adding tine and depth to the image. The line is broken in arrears and not always a continuation.

 

Jackson Pollock - Date Unknown

 

Value

We can add value to an image by shading it in, by creating a shadow, turning something on a different angle. By doing this we can get the image to appear 3D more value, shape & tone. This is a sample of shades of colour to show you the value of the lighter shade to the darker shade of Yellow. From the top of the scale going down the yellow gets brighter & more saturated at the bottom. You can add value to a picture by using a more saturate colour than a less saturated colour or by adding dots or cross hatching & shading.

This Ink Picture by Yousuf Karsh shows value whereby the darker tones in the picture take form of Einstein's Face coming out of the picture and you don't need to see his whole head just his face. The lips and the eyebrows are a darker shade by adding tone the picture has more value.
By adding Value images appear more real with shadow's and reflecting light on them to create a Shadow you can make an object or a shape have more value & volume.

 

 

Dan Gheno Artist & Teacher 2006

The use of mass in this picture makes it look 3d and human with the shading & the cross hatching. The bone structure is so strong on the face and the shape and tone give it volume.

This is a picture I have copied from Man Rays book of images at home by sketching it from upside down. I was having a go at this with my children at home I must admit they were much better than me!

Man Ray - Top Image

Julie Morrison Bottom sketch 08/11/2012

 

I have crosshatched on some arrears of the picture to create volume and tone. I should have shaded in lighter arrears to shape the face more and get more light so that you could see the structure of the face more and the cheek bones and under the eyes.