Focal Point Project Notes Please get out your notebook. If you don’t have it, there is loose leaf paper on the counter.

When you come into the room, look at the front screen. If there is something on the screen, don't get out any supplies. Just get out your notebook. Keep your notes organized by project. Also be sure to write the dates notes were taken. That is the easiest way to keep track of what you have missed. When we begin a new project, begin new notes on a fresh page. Keep all notes until you are told to do otherwise. Keep your notes in your notebook. Do not use the notebook for any other purpose than art notes. Only take your notebook out of room to study or to make up notes. Make it a habit to keep your notebook here so you don't end up with loose notes.

The building blocks of visual art are called the- Friday, August 15th- Elements of Art

There are 7 elements of art. They are– Color Line Shape Form Value Space Texture

Color (hue)- The element of art derived from reflected light.

Line- The path of a point moving through space.

Shape- A 2-dimensional area defined in some way.

Form- A three dimensional space that encloses volume.

Value- The darkness or lightness of a color.

Space- The areas around, between or within the components of a piece.

Texture- How something feels or looks as though it should feel.

To create a work of art, artists use these elements. There are rules about how these different elements should be used. These rules are called the- Principles of Art

Emphasis is one of the Principles of Art. This principle deals with making one part of the work more important than the rest. You can make a certain area of an artwork most important by emphasizing it or you can emphasize one of the elements.

This is an example of an art work that emphasizes a specific element: In this painting, Rauschenberg emphasizes the element of color (red).

Artists also can emphasize a certain area of their work that they want the viewer to focus on. This area,that the artist draws attention to, is called a Focal Point. A focal point is the first area of an artwork to grab the viewer's attention. There are certain “tricks” artists use to create focal points.

Contrast Notice how the contrast between the dark background and light face draws our attention to the face.

Isolation Artists can create a focal point by putting one object all alone. In this painting, the boy is placed all alone which draws our attention to him.

Location The artist here creates a focal point by placing the subject in the center of the painting.

Convergence If many elements in an artwork seem to point to one item it creates a focal point.

The Unusual Adding something that is totally different from the objects surrounding it will create a focal point.

Artists also use the Rule of Thirds to decide the best placement of a Focal Point. It seems as though putting the focal point dead center would draw the most attention to it. In reality, our eyes are drawn to the intersecting points when an image is divided into thirds.

The Rule of Thirds is not used in every composition. It is a great guideline, however, to creating effective compositions especially when you are first getting started. Notice how much more interesting the bottom image is.

Thinking through the placement of your subject will give you a much better composition. A Composition is the plan and placement of the elements of art in a work.

Your first project is going to be based on using the information you have just received to create an interesting composition.