Unit 4: Negative/Positive Figure/Ground

Activity #1

Notan

Analog Version

rectilinear/asymmetrical

curvilinear/symmetrical

I really like this project, although it was difficult to do the paper version super precisely. I found it much easier to do the rectilinear than curvilinear, but I find the composition does look a lot more balanced when it is symmetrical.

Digital Version

First One

Second One

I chose to do two different versions because the first time was primarily experimenting and the second was more intentional (especially the curvilinear ones). It was really hard to line up some of the cutouts on the digital version, especially the smaller ones. I found the pen tool really hard to work with when creating curves. I like how crisp the lines turn out on the digital version vs. the analog version. The contrast is much stronger in the digital version because of the white/black color vibrance. I really like the rectilinear half of my first diptych and the curvilinear half of my second diptych. I didn't do much planning ahead for these, so they sort of came out as a mix-match of shapes and symmetry. My second curvilinear half is probably the closest I came to symmetry, but I like the asymmetrical look. I found it challenging to work on Illustrator because I hadn't used it before, but it got easier and more routine by the end.

Laser Cut Version

I found working with the laser cutter really cool. It reminded me a lot of the CNC. I chose a pretty simple design and decided to keep it all in almost one piece so that it was easy to mirror. In keeping it simple, I also decided to work with symmetry for this version. I also decided to use rectilinear shapes because they would look crisper when cut. When mounting the piece I decided to color the "relief" section black with a sharpie so that it would contrast on a black background. By mirroring the image you also get a more balanced final composition. When looking at the two halves, the one on the left shows more contrast because of the depth between the surface and black foam core. This image has the black filling in the negative space, whereas the second half has black on the positive space. The second half has softer lines because it is protruding from the background.

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