Both positive and negative space can play important roles in the overall success of a work of art. By understanding the difference between the two, you will:

•Become better at designing unified compositions.

•Be more successful in visually communicating your story.

•Gain important clues about the meaning of an art piece.

There are two types of space that exist within art — positive space and negative space. Positive space is the actual objects or shapes within an artwork and negative space is the space around and between those objects. A good way to demonstrate positive and negative space is by utilizing Rubin’s vase. (Refer to illustration.) As you can see the vase occupies what would be referred to as positive space and the space surrounding the vase is negative space. Notice how the negative space is forming silhouettes of two faces in profile.

Did you see the Asian ladies first? or did you see the columns first?

• The perception of space thus can be subjective; to some, a person's perception of the positive space can be another person's perception of the negative. Thus, a person's analysis of a work of art will vary from person to person based on their own unique interpretation of what constitutes a positive and what constitutes a negative.

POSITIVE SPACE

Positive space is the area or part of the composition that an object or subject occupies. It is usually the main focus of the painting, such as a vase of flowers, fruit, or candle in a still life, a person’s face in a portrait, or an animal in a wild life painting, or a building, trees and hills in a landscape. When used skillfully, positive space will add interest by enhancing and balancing the negative space in a composition.

NEGATIVE SPACE

Negative space is that empty or open space that surrounds an object. It helps to define the object, gives it some breathing room to prevent the painting from being too crowded and has a huge impact on how the art piece is perceived.

• An interesting thing about negative space is it can be used to prompt viewers to seek out subtle hidden images within the negative space causing your design to get more attention and to be remembered while other less interesting works aren’t.

Why is negative space important?

•It can add interest and is an excellent way to draw attention to your works of art. A good balance between great negative space and intrigue will cause the viewer to desire more time looking at your work of art.

•It can draw the viewer in giving them a sense of inclusion because they discovered a subtle hidden message or image in the composition. Even though it may be a simple composition, great negative space reveals there is more to the piece than first meets the eye making it a more rewarding experience for the viewer.

•It gives the eye a “place to rest,” thereby adding to the subtle appeal of the composition. The equal amounts of both negative and positive is considered by many to be good design.

Using Positive and Negative Space in balancing a composition

You can choose how you want to use negative and positive space to balance a composition. Will your focus be on the subject matter or the landscape it is in? Think about what you want to portray in your artwork. What kind of mood do you want to convey? How can your use of positive and negative space get your point across?

Examples of positive and negative space

CREATING THE ILLUSION OF DEPTH

•When it comes to drawing and painting, it is important for artists to be able to create the illusion of space on a 2D surface. In reality, all realistic or representational art is dependent on creating an illusion.

HOW TO CREATE THE ILLUSION OF SPACE

•Here are 6 ways to creating the illusion of space within your work of art:

2. Overlapping

• Overlapping - When one object is positioned in front of another object, part of the object behind it may be blocked from view. This is called overlapping

4. Placement

• Placement on the Surface - Generally, objects that are positioned lower on the picture plane will appear closer than objects that are positioned higher on the picture plane.

5. Color and Value

• Color and Value - Objects that are closer to a viewer appear darker in value and warmer in color. Objects that are further away appear lighter in value and cooler in color. Lighter values and less detail suggest distance.

6. Shading

• Shading - Light and Shadow create the illusion of form and space.

DEPICTING 3-DIMENSIONAL SPACE: PERSPECTIVE

LINEAR PERSPECTIVE

Linear Perspective- Linear perspective is a drawing method that uses lines to draw objects in space

• The first known paintings done in linear perspective were created in 1425 by Filippo Brunelleschi (1377 – 1446)

• •Brunelleschi noticed that when he painted the lines of several Florentine buildings in a mirror, they converged at one point along the horizon line.

ONE POINT PERSPECTIVE

One point perspective is a drawing method that shows how things appear to get smaller as they get further away, converging towards a single 'vanishing point' on the horizon line. It is a way of drawing objects upon a flat piece of paper (or other drawing surface) so that they look three-dimensional and realistic.

Vanishing Point- A vanishing point is the location where lines converge

Horizon line- Imaginary line where the sky and Earth seem to meet. The horizon line is also called the "Eye-Level line"

Converging lines (orthogonal lines)- Parallel lines which seem to meet at one point

TWO POINT PERSPECTIVE

Two point perspective- shows objects as viewed from a corner. This form of perspective uses two vanishing points

ATMOSPHERIC PERSPECTIVE

Atmospheric perspective- or aerial perspective refers to the effect the atmosphere has on the appearance of an object as it is viewed from a distance