Week 9: composition I

Principles of Design: Positive and Negative

Negative and Positive Shape

Whether an artist is working abstractly or realistically, negative and positive shapes are the simplest way to organize space within a format.

hand

White represents the positive shape and black the negative shape.

In this drawing of a white hand within a black format, white represents the positive shape and black the negative shape. To effectively design a composition, the artist should first consider positive and negative shape relationships.