P3D Re: Reading pictures left to right

[Peter Davis <pd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

There may be a natural tendency to view a picture from left to right, but 
this can be mitigated by all sorts of design elements.  Strong lines and 
color contrasts, diagonals vs. horizontals and verticals, etc. all draw the 
eye to them.  A skilled artist or illustrator can manipulate these to 
create all sorts of eye movement patterns within a picture.

This is important in illustration when, for example, even a single 
illustration takes place "in time," the the illustrators wants the viewer 
to discover some parts before others.  Norman Rockwell's work contains many 
excellent examples of this ... the eye takes in the illustration a little 
at a time, finally coming to some sort of punchline line or conclusion.

-pd


At 08:57 AM 02/03/2000 -0700, you wrote:
>George Themelis wrote:
>>>Jim Kunkel demonstrated how a picture is "read" left to write.<<
>
>Dan Vint wrote:
>>>I'm wondering if the left-to-right rule is based upon a left-to-right 
>>>reading/writing mode? Does this rule hold up in Japan where it is a 
>>>right-to left an top-to bottom writing/reading mode?<<
>
>FWIW, in all of the composition lectures/workshops I have attended, it has 
>always been said that an individual views art the way they read, which 
>would lead me to believe that cultures that read right-to-left or other 
>ways view art differently as well. Perhaps when we compose an image to 
>keep our eyes in the frame, we actually lead other people out of it 
>because they start at a different point and follow different lines?
>
>I, too, would be interested to hear comments from people who do not read 
>left-to-right and see if they have been taught different composition rules 
>in art.
>
>Andrea S. Blair
>asblair@xxxxxxxxxxx
>______________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

--------
                                 Peter Davis
                  Funny stuff at http://www.pfdstudio.com

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