"DIGITAL PAINTINGS "
by Hans Dieter Grossmann Inspiration: Tips and Secrets from Famous Digital Artists

Christopher Haines
“I have lots of books that I pick up and flick through when I hit a brick wall creatively. These may not be graphic design books either, they could be art books of the old masters of traditional art or just magazines. Also getting outside for some exercise can be very inspiring.

I like to leave the image overnight. Fresh eyes can be invaluable to putting those final touches on an image.”

Guilherme Marconi
"I have always seen a series of images that only exist in my mind, little pieces, splatters, colors.... these random images come to my mind every day. I see these things come together forming larger pictures and movements. Of course, nothing is real until I make it come true. I don't know if that is inspiration or if I need to get some treatment urgently....

Also there are people that I admire and find inspiring, guys such as Joshua Davis, that motivated me to create my own app "Action Script" that I used for my project called 'My Schizophrenic Brain.' Romer Brito, a brazilian painter, really inspires me on the usage of warm color. And, at last but by no means least, Adhemas Batista, who has always been one of greatest and most influential artist when it comes to vector aesthetics."

James White
"Inspiration is all around us and it tends to come at the strangest of times. It might sound odd, but I discovered at a very early age that I get my best ideas in the shower. Walking through the park near my home to visit the ducks is also a wonderful way to calm my mind and think more clearly. In terms of searching out inspirational material, I have massed a great number of art books over the years that sit on a shelf in my living room so it's easy to grab one and flop on the couch for a little while. Since I'm always on the lookout for retro inspiration, Youtube has proven itself as being the best place to look up animation from the 1970s. I've spent countless hours looking at old illustrations and animations. On top of all this, I spend a healthy amount of time sifting through Flickr for new and exciting art."

Source: Abduzeedo

"photography/collage/abstraction "
by Ricardo Báez Duarte

Negative Space: Nothing Says A Lot
by Fred Showker

Visual artists deal with elements that must come together for form a composite message. However, those who hone their vision and skills to a fine level, understand that they are dealing with more than just shapes, colors, images and typography. Making a visual "window of approach" also deals with the space where nothing appears -- the negative space.

A good composition utilizes the negative space as if it were a solid visual element in the design of the work Where this space occurs, its shape, and what it affects becomes of paramount importance in leading the reader or viewer to the intended result. Creating negative space allows the reverse space left behind by other elements to make a statement. Some succeed, and some fail.

Creating a ‘Visual Gulp’

A 'visual gulp' occurs when the eye does more than concentrate on form, image and texture. The mind begins analyzing and sifting through the visual elements deciding what they are, how they relate to each other, and where they fall in space. As soon as the very first visual element is placed in a blank visual gulp, it affects that space and the eye alters it. The challenge for artists is to place all visual elements into space so that it not only relates to other elements -- but relates to the empty space itself. The negative space.

What do we see?

In its investigation of elements in space, the human eye works to make sense out of the elements and their positions in relation with each other even before recognition and understanding take place. So, the elements suggest location, movement, importance and relationships without their individual meaning. The process seems to follow what scientists and Gestalt psychologists refer to as parsimony, or 'less is better'. Those who follow the Gestalt Principles know the extensive research that established the way humans interpret visual stimulus. Visions perceived by the eyes are grouped in two ways -- the brain selects what it considers to be the most obvious foreground and background. Then with each of the elements of foreground and background, the brain has a tendency to further group them as follows: proximity, similarity, connectedness, continuity of patterns, and closure. The Gestaltists saw this as the mind organizing many into a single whole.

Foreground and Background

Without going into a full-scale dissertation on the Gestalt Philosophy, and other composition axioms -- you can study these until you are quite literally ill, we can focus on two elements in all visual perceptions as foreground and background. More precisely defined as what's in front, and what's in back. That's what negative space is all about -- which element is closer to you, and which element is further away. Within this established realm of "space" the next focus is:

-- What is it?
-- How important is it?
-- What does it relate to?
-- What comes next?

This subliminal test takes place in milliseconds, unnoticed by the recipient, when the viewer's eye is called upon to analyze any given 'visual gulp' or window of approach. Which is closer, the stop light, or the car in front of you? Which is more important? How do we know this? Now, let's apply this to the science of utilizing negative space in visual communications.

Negative space: an exercise in 'seeing'

Ask yourself these questions about what you see in your work or in others. Do not look at the element or object for its own value -- only ask...

-- Where is it?
-- Is it static or in motion?
-- Is it more important or less important?
-- Why did I look at it?

Ask similar questions as you move through the piece. Notice your initial emotional response. Also notice how the addition of the second element completely changes your perception. This is negative space at work.

Recognizing and Creating Negative Space

The use of negative space can draw the eye to the message. Negative space is:

-- A separater, to separate unrelated elements
-- A magnet, to pull or push the eye toward an isolated element
-- A motivator, to move the eye in a specific direction
-- A trick, first you don't see it ... but then you do

The viewer cannot look away from the key element(s) in the piece, and if they do look away, they're pulled back again. I recommend that you establish what your key elements will be, but then, initially make each element in grayscale. Make the grayscale "value" of each element resemble that of your real-world elements. Then, ask yourself how you can arrange these elements so that the negative space promotes fluid movement from one element to the next in order of importance.

Source: Fred Showker

THE BEST OF - Negative Space Artists:

Bridget Riley

MC Escher

Victor Vassarely

Interested in visual effects, Bridget Riley, shares:

"The eye can travel over the surface in a way parallel to the way it moves over nature. It should feel caressed and soothed, experience frictions and ruptures, glide and drift. One moment, there will be nothing to look at and the next second the canvas seems to refill, to be crowded with visual events."

"Loneliness "
by Kolja Tatic

Video Link: Creating Positive and Negative Space

This page posted August 2 2010
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