Collage Assignment: Asymmetrical Balance

Due Monday, February 6

Assignment:

• Organize a sheet of 18”x24” white paper by creating a 1” border on all four sides.
• Within this new picture plane, design a composition that utilizes asymmetrical balance.
• Using cut and pasted greyscale paper, construct your composition using organic and/or geometric shapes and lines.
• Assignment (Symmetrical & Asymmetrical) due:  Monday, February 15.

Considerations:

• Are the shapes in your composition interestingly varied in scale, placement, proximity, and shape type (organic/geometric)?
• Keep the principles of design—such as contrast, placement, proximity, balance, and rhythm—in mind as you craft your composition.
• How are you choosing to balance the elements in your composition?  Are you making good use of negative space?
• Is there a compositional pathway that keeps your viewer on the page?  If not, what elements could you add to incorporate a pathway?

Notebook:

• Find 2 artists who use asymmetrical balance in their work.  (One of these can be Edgar Degas from the lecture.)  Research these artists and place your notes, images of the artists' work, and any articles you find interesting into the notebook.

Sketchbook:

1. Create at least 3 possible compositions in the sketchbook BEFORE beginning work on the full-sized collage.  You may use the materials of your choice for these sketches (pencil, charcoal, ink, paint, collage, etc.).
2. Choose the composition you’ll use for the assignment and write some notes about WHY you chose it.

Remember that the notebook and sketchbook are turned in with every assignment.

Collage Assignment: Symmetrical Balance

Due Monday, February 6

Assignment:

1. Organize a sheet of 18”x24” white paper by creating a 1” border on all four sides.
2. Within this new picture plane, design a composition that utilizes symmetrical balance.
3. You must use one central axis/line of symmetry, but you may create additional lines if you wish.
4. All shapes that you place on one side of the axis must be mirrored on the opposite side of the axis.  
• Each pair of mirrored shapes must be of the exact same scale and have the same proximity from the axis.
• However, you may choose to use different values for the two shapes if you would like.
5. Using cut and pasted greyscale paper, construct your composition using nonrepresentational organic and/or geometric shapes and lines.
6. Assignment (Symmetrical & Asymmetrical) due:  Monday, February 6

Considerations:

• Are the shapes in your composition interestingly varied in scale, placement, proximity, and shape type (organic/geometric)?
• Keep the principles of design—such as contrast, placement, proximity, balance, and rhythm—in mind as you craft your composition.
• You may use multiple values in this composition.  Therefore, consider how you might create interesting contrasts of dark and light values, as well as incorporating a variety of in-between values.

Notebook:

• Find 2 artists who use symmetrical balance in their work.  (One of these can be Damien Hirst from the lecture.)  Research these artists and place your notes, images of the artists' work, and any articles you find interesting into the notebook.

Sketchbook:

1. Create at least 3 possible compositions in the sketchbook BEFORE beginning work on the full-sized collage.  You may use the materials of your choice for these sketches (pencil, charcoal, ink, paint, collage, etc.).
2. Choose the composition you’ll use for the assignment and write some notes about WHY you chose it.

Remember that the notebook and sketchbook are turned in with every assignment.