Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Visual arts

Types of Map Projections by Preserved Dimension

1. Equidistant Projections
These projections preserve distances along specific directions, typically along straight lines known as automecoic lines. Linear deformation occurs in other directions. The linear anamorphosis, calculated as the ratio of the projected distance to the true distance, equals 1 along automecoic lines. Equidistant projections are useful for measuring distances from a central point.
2. Conformal Projections
These projections preserve angles between intersecting curves and lines. The angular anamorphosis represents the difference between the angle on the sphere and the corresponding angle on the map. Conformal projections are commonly used for nautical charts, often employing parallel... Continue reading "Map Projections: Dimensions, Geometry, and Classifications" »

Donatello's David: A Renaissance Icon

Despite being a biblical character, Donatello's *David* is interpreted from a perspective consistent with the humanist view of the new times. David represents the triumph of logic and reason over the brute force symbolized by Goliath. This theme was highly favored in the Renaissance.

This is a freestanding sculpture, made in the round using bronze, and therefore created with the lost-wax casting technique. It represents a pensive teenager in a curious composition. He has Goliath's head at his feet and blatantly rests on his right leg, while curving his body to the left, smoothly forming an 'S' curve, in accordance with the classical model of Praxiteles.

The composition is in *contrapposto*. The body sways... Continue reading "Donatello's Masterpieces: David and Gattamelata Sculptures" »

Tangencies

Making Tangents

Two Circles

• External Tangents: Draw another circle concentric to the larger one with radius R - r. Join the centers. This is the bisector. Draw an auxiliary circle to the centers. Join the center with the points of intersection with the smaller circumference and extend. Where the lines intersect the larger circle will be the tangent points. Parallels are drawn to the smaller circle to find all points of contact.
• Internal Tangents: The process is the same, except that the circle is of radius R + r, and the parallels are drawn to the opposite side.

Tangent to a Circle Passing Through Point P

• If the tangent is to be external, a concentric circle of radius R + r is drawn. From P, an arc of radius R is drawn, which intersects

Elements of Visual Composition

Visual elements are fundamental components that help us represent shapes, compose designs, and create a sense of volume.

The Point in Art and Design

Characteristics of the Point

The point is often considered the simplest visual element, typically formed where two lines intersect. While often imagined as small and round, a point can have an irregular shape depending on the material used. Points can be employed to create a sense of chiaroscuro and depth.

Expressive Value of the Point

Its color and texture can also be altered within a composition to enhance expressiveness. In a composition, a point placed centrally conveys a sense of balance. Moving it away from the center, however, creates a feeling of movement and instability.... Continue reading "Understanding Fundamental Visual Elements in Design" »

Audio Visual Q1: Color Theory

Color Description

• Chroma: How pure a hue is in relation to gray.
• Saturation: The degree of purity of a hue.
• Intensity: The lightness or dullness of a hue (adding black or white).
• Value: A measure of the amount of light reflected from a hue.
• Shade: Produced by the addition of black.
• Tint: Produced by the addition of white.

Color Systems

• Subtractive Color: Used when mixing colors with paint. Begins with white and ends with black (CMYK).
• Additive Color: Used on computers. Begins with black and ends with white (RGB).

The Color Wheel

• Primary Colors: The basic essence; these colors cannot be created by mixing others.
• Secondary Colors: Colors achieved by mixing two primary colors.
• Tertiary Colors: Achieved by mixing primary and secondary

The Point

A circle and a line are tangent if they intersect at exactly one point. Two circles are tangent if the line joining their centers is tangent to both. An oval is a closed curve formed by arcs of circles and symmetrical about two perpendicular axes. A ball is a closed curve composed of arcs symmetric about one axis.

Graphical Representation of the Point

Graphically, the point is the minimal footprint of a graphical tool. Geometrically, it is the intersection of two lines. The point can take several forms depending on the instrument used to create it: oval, star, round, polygonal, etc.

Sensory Perception of the Point

• Single Point: Located in the center of a bracket or blade, it creates a sense of order or balance. Located at one end, it creates

The Dihedral System and Orthogonal Projection

The Dihedral System is a method for representing an object by its orthogonal projections onto perpendicular planes.

Elements of the Dihedral System

• Projection Planes: These are perpendicular, typically consisting of a vertical plane and a horizontal plane.
• Ground Line (Land Line): The intersection between the vertical and horizontal planes.

Representation of Solids and Standard Views

The system facilitates the representation of solids using standard views (projections):

• Elevation (Front View)
• Ground (Plan View)
• Right Profile
• Left Profile
• Rear Elevation

Axonometric Projection Systems

Axonometric projection projects bodies from three-dimensional space onto a plane, often called the picture plane, providing a volumetric... Continue reading "Fundamentals of Technical Drawing and Projection Systems" »

The Fundamentals of Color and Its Application

The study of color encompasses its physical characteristics, how it is mixed, and how it is perceived.

Physical Characteristics of Light

Light is a form of energy, a range of electromagnetic radiation. It can be natural or artificial.

The rainbow is a physical phenomenon demonstrating that white light is composed of seven distinct colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

Sir Isaac Newton discovered that white light, when passed through a prism, decomposes into these seven colors of the rainbow.

Light Color: Additive Synthesis

Light color mixing is known as additive synthesis. The three primary colors of light are Red, Green, and Blue (RGB). The mixture of these three produces white... Continue reading "Understanding Color: Light, Pigments, and Perception" »

Polygon

A polygon is a flat geometric figure bounded by a closed traverse that does not intersect itself.

Classifying Polygons

Polygons are basically classified into:

• Regular Polygons
• Irregular Polygons

Regular Polygons

A regular polygon has all sides of equal length and all its vertices lie on a circle. They are classified as:

• Equilateral Triangle: A regular polygon with 3 sides.
• Square: A 4-sided regular polygon.
• Regular Pentagon: A regular polygon with 5 sides.
• Regular Hexagon: A 6-sided regular polygon.
• Regular Heptagon: A regular 7-sided polygon.
• Regular Octagon: An 8-sided regular polygon, and so on.

Regular Polygon

Irregular Polygons

An irregular polygon has sides that are not of equal length and/or its vertices do not lie on a circle. According to... Continue reading "Understanding Polygons: Types, Properties, and Classifications" »

The Primary and Secondary Colors

• Color is an element of visual language.
• Basic colors, when mixed in different quantities and with the addition of black, can imitate reality.

Primary or Fundamental Colors

• These are colors that cannot be achieved by mixing any other colors.

Cyan Magenta Yellow

Secondary Colors or Binary

• Obtained by mixing two primary colors together.

Subtractive Mixture

• When all primary colors are mixed together, they produce a visual sensation close to black.

Color Wheel and Complementary Colors

• The color wheel is a pattern formed by a circular geometric figure, used to sort primary and secondary colors for easy visual comprehension.
• Complementary colors are those opposite each other on the color wheel, meaning they do not contain any