Learnings from Edgar Whitney – Part 2

Last week this blog covered the seven elements of design increase the quality and substance of paintings as taught by Edgar Whitney. This week I’ll share his eight principles of design, the bricks of knowledge, that show in every painting. Here we go. 

1. Unity
What you design on paper to make the painting interesting must be a complete unit, rather a collection of several. The treatment of the element that appears in one section of your painting should be echoed in another part so that all sections are related.

2. Conflict
Conflict is the tension between opposing versions of an element, creating interest and e excitement and is an essential part of any design. For example, in colour, conflict is created when you use two colours that are directly opposite from each other in the colour wheel. With regard to value, this is setting the light against the dark. You can also apply this principle to shapes, size and direction.

3. Dominance
Dominance helps resolve the conflict and regains unity. There are different ways to get dominance. It could be making straight lines dominant, large areas of a dominant colour, having a larger shape of a certain value or soft textures.

4. Repetition
Repetition can be used to unify and make the painting hold together. Another way is to create rhythms for the eye can enjoy repeated shapes or colours. We should try to achieve repetition without redundancy to avoid monotony.

5. Alternation
Closely related to repetition, alternation occurs between repetitions. This can be achieved in a number of ways, including alternating warm and cool colours.

6. Balance
Balance can be achieved in two ways: with symmetry and asymmetry. Although two equally-sized spaces can be balance and represent stability to the subject, it is also boring and static. To bring some visual excitement, consider asymmetric shapes, such as trees of different sizes, or smaller shapes farther out closer to the paper’s edge.
 
7. Harmony
Elements with harmony are those that are similar or have an affinity for each other. The degree of harmony or discord in a painting can be used to show either tranquility of dynamic movement.

8. Gradation
This is used to entertain the viewer and is normally used in colour, value and texture. We find gradual transitions in dark to light, warm to cool, smooth to rough, perpendicular to horizontal, and in diminishing size.

With these eight principles and the seven elements identified last week, we can think, plan, build, organize and express ourselves on paper.

Tell us which principles you can spot in this painting by Whitney.

Danielle