On the picture plane there are is a distinction between shapes - positive and negative. "Positive shapes" refer to the shape of the drawn object. "Negative shape" refers to the shape of the space surrounding the positive object.
In real life we are conditioned to recognize positive shapes but in a drawing or any composition positive and negative shapes are of equal importance. Combined they give a composition unity.

You will create three drawings
1. Draw from observation two combined overlapping objects. Actually you will not draw the the objects but the spaces between and around the objects. This first drawing will be using contour line only. In your composition give equal emphasis to the positive and negative spaces - they should be as evenly distributed as possible.
Since you are drawing the spaces surrounding the objects there will be no overlapping lines - only contour outlines of the spaces - even though the objects may overlap!
Your drawing should break the 4 boundaries of the picture plane - your paper.

2. The second drawing will be reduced to black and white contrasting shapes. In most cases the positive objects are draw as black on a white drawing surface - the paper.
You will reverse this - the background will be black and the positive overlapping objects will be white.

3. The third drawing will be a combination of emphasizing the positive space - as is "normally"
the case as well as emphasizing the negative space in other areas of the same drawing.
You may use geometric shapes to "spotlight" or divide the picture into areas drawing the
objects contrasting with adjacent areas concentrating on the space surrounding the objects.
The transitions between the types of space should also be considered a compositional device.

In both drawing scale and proportion of all objects should be accurate.
Value may be considered Arbitrary to aid the composition.
Example:
If you are drawing a steel tube the width of the tube remains constant - it should not look organic - and by the same measure a tree branch should not look like a steel tube.

Materials

Pencil 2b, 4b, ebony conte paper

Procedure

Make a few thumbnail sketches first to determine how your composition can make equal use of the positive and negative spaces in the still life.

Email: jdefrese@yahoo.com
ACC Art Department updated 6/29/2002
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