Lesson 25: Abstract Design

Objective: To have children create an abstract design using actual lines.

Vocabulary:

actual line - A continuous line without breaks that has a beginning and ending.

diffusion - the scattering of light caused by water, dust, or smoke in the air.

dominant color - The color a viewer sees most in an artwork.

intensity - The brightness or dullness of a color.

neutral colors - The neutral colors are black, white, brown, and gray. These colors are used to create tints, shades, tones, and intensity.

saturation - The brightest of a color. Pure, unmixed colors have high saturation.

value - The lightness or darkness of a color.

The Runners by Robert Delaunayabout 1925, oil on canvasWeinberg Collection, Zurich, Germany, EU

Balance in Abstract Art

Balance and Intensity
One way that artists create balance in abstract compositions is by choosing the intensity of colors. Intensity in the brightness or dullness of a color. Bright colors such as yellow have high intensity. Neutral colors such as gray and brown have low intensity.
Look at The Runners by Robert Delaunay. Where do you see mostly low-intensity colors? Where are the high-intensity colors in the painting? How did the artist use both kinds of colors to create balance in the painting The Runners?

Untitled by Louise Freshman-Brown1987, pastel on paper30" x 44"

Dominant Color
The color with the most emphasis and visual weight in an artwork is the dominant color. It is the color you notice first. What is the dominant color in Untitled by Louise Freshman-Brown? Describe the intensity of this color. Point out the areas in Untitled where you see the dominant color. How did the artist distribute the dominant color in the painting to create balance?

Color intensity and value diagram

Intensity and Value
Look at the color intensity and value diagram. They show the difference between color intensity and color value. The intensity, or brightness of a color is reduced by adding in its compliment. In the intensity example, the color blue was gradually added to make duller versions of orange. In the value example, white was added to create tints of orange, and black was added to create shades of orange.

Contour line painting by Mark

What is the dominant color in Contour line painting by Mark? Trace with your finger the unbroken yellow lines in this artwork. How do these actual lines balance the left and right sides of the artwork?

Think Critically - Tell what you learned.

Studio Time: Abstract Design

Materials:

White Paper, Pencils, Colored Markers

Plan

Imagine a design you can create using actual lines. Choose a color that that you would like to use as the dominant color in your design.
Check list:
- Create an abstract design using actual lines to create balance.
- Use a dominant color in your artwork along with intensity and value.

Create

Use a marker to draw an actual line that goes into each area of your paper. Draw another line around the first one, and fill in the space between them with your dominant color.
Choose three more colors. Use them to draw more actual lines inside and outside your first line.

3. Continue drawing lines until you have filled your paper and no white space shows through.

Reflect - Tell about your artwork.

Photograph and Submit your artwork on Google Classroom.

Photograph sketches as well as completed artwork.
"Add" (attach) to Google Classroom assignment.
"Mark as done" to submit your work for a grade.

Challenge: Abstract Shadow Design

Create an abstract tracing shadows then complete with oil pastels using a color scheme to unify.

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