Materials and Format Needed:
Canson Paper Black and White only
Black paper in a series (2, 3 or 4) 5” x 5” squares expanded
Presentation to be black expanded square into centered and balanced white Canson paper glued in place
Goals:
- Your composition must maintain balance, please choose one or more of the following balance concepts when sketching your idea, Crystallographic, Approximate Balance, or Radial Balance 15pts
- The composition needs to display movement or rhythm using the elements of line and shape 5pts
- Shapes and lines must have variation in size 5pts
- Must create a diptych , triptych or quadtych 15pts
- Clean cuts and demonstration of good craft 15pts
- No elements should be placed directly in the center of the Notan. 15pts
- Keep the integrity of the original square format to stay true to the expanded square concept. 15pts
- To create an expanded square cut your black paper in a series (3 or 4) 5” x 5” squares. These must be perfectly square, uneven sides with take away from your composition and display poor craftsmanship. 15pts
This image below demonstrates what not to do. All work must be completed with gallery worthy presentation.
The Principle of Balance: Approximate Balance, Radial Balance and Crystallographic Balance with Notan Designs
“Notan” is the term used by the Japanese to express “light-dark” as an element of design. In the west we use separate terms such as positive space and negative space or figure / ground. As we have learned in the figure ground name exercise, the element of shape (figure) cannot exist without a surrounding area of ground to support it. The two elements figure and ground are really one. Light-dark is an eastern concept of yin-yang that each is what the other is not, that make the whole.
Seeing Notan is the act of identifying patterns of light and dark. A good Notan design will simplify the full range of a subject’s values into a black and white design. For example the white areas can represent shapes directly in the light, while the black depicts areas in shadow.
All art is based on light and dark even when color is involved. In a low-light situation we can only see the values, or light and dark of a painting. Hang a painting in a dim room and only the strongest contrasts of light and dark can be identified. These abstract forms of light and dark tell us a lot about the art, even when we are not immediately aware of a specific subject or scene. It is the design of the art that we see when color, texture and representation are set aside.
It is usually the dark aspects of a design that we see first and we are intrigued by optical illusions that seem to switch from one picture to another in our minds. We speak of negative space and mean the white holes in a dark design. In using the term “negative” we are giving it a connotation of null-ness or even sinister aspects. A dark pattern is considered “positive” and therefore dominant when that is not always the case. Sometimes the primary subject is light against an area of dark and thus a positive element.
A design shows balance or imbalance (tension) through the distribution of light and dark space. Rarely is the artist likely to divide the space perfectly evenly as that would be static and uninteresting. Dividing the space into areas of light and dark that are uneven suggests interaction, movement and emphasis.
Breaking up the space into separate forms creates movement and emphasis (focal point), as the various shapes seem to interact. A successful Notan design can be achieved through the experimentation of the expanded square concept. The Notan design must have balance on all four sides to be an interesting design. This means that turning the paper as you create your design is a good idea to use while designing. Does your design still keep you intrigued as you rotate and analyze it? Is it still interesting from all directions?
Building the Expanded Square or Notan
To create an expanded square cut your black paper in a series (3 or 4) 5” x 5” squares. These must be perfectly square, uneven sides will take away from your composition and display poor craftsmanship.
Next, begin cutting shaped from the black squares. Keep in mind, for it to be an accurate Notan you must glue down the cut out shapes as a mirror image from where it was cut, as seen in examples. The basic idea is cut out a piece and flip it out so it mirrors the cut out shape. Do not cut the corners of the square black paper, you want to keep the integrity of the original square format to stay true to the expanded square concept. No pieces can be discarded; you must use and glue all your parts down.
Next, begin cutting shaped from the black squares. Keep in mind, for it to be an accurate Notan you must glue down the cut out shapes as a mirror image from where it was cut, as seen in examples. The basic idea is cut out a piece and flip it out so it mirrors the cut out shape. Do not cut the corners of the square black paper, you ant to keep the integrity of the original square format to stay true to the expanded square concept. No pieces can be discarded; you must use and glue all your parts down.
Materials: Black and white canson paper, xacto knife and blades, spray fixative and or glue stick and mat board for cutting.