Study Notes: Design Principles, Elements of Art, Drama, and Performing Careers

The Design Principles

  • The basic units that make up any artwork are: balance, contrast, emphasis, proportion, pattern, rhythm, unity/harmony and variety.

  • Balance

    • Balance is created by using the elements of line, shape and colour.

    • Artwork can be radial, meaning coming out from a central point.

    • An artwork can be symmetrical or asymmetrical.

  • Contrast

    • Contrast is used when opposite or different elements are placed next to each other to make something easier to see.

    • Contrast can be described in shape or form.

    • Rough and smooth can be in contrast.

  • Emphasis

    • Emphasis is used to make certain parts of the artwork stand out so that they become the focal point.

    • You can create the focal point in different ways such as with contrasting shapes, forms or colours, with directional lines leading the eye, with patterns or details to highlight areas, or with contrast of size to focus attention.

    • By emphasising certain areas in a picture, the artist subordinates other areas. Subordination means to make one thing less important than another.

  • Proportion

    • Proportion looks at the size or position of an object in comparison to another.

    • The foreground is in the front; the middle ground is in the centre; and the background is at the back.

  • Pattern

    • A pattern is created when you repeat a line, shape or colour.

  • Rhythm

    • Rhythm is created when you repeat art elements and create patterns.

  • Unity/Harmony

    • When different parts of an artwork feel as though they fit and work together, there is a sense of unity or harmony.

  • Variety

    • Variety is created by making something in the artwork look different to the rest.

  • Variety, contrast and harmony work together to give unity.

  • Too much variety leads to confusion, and too little leads to boredom.

  • The Elements of Art (intro)

  • Observing Art Around us Through Visual Stimuli

    • Everything in our world is experienced through our senses. This is how you learn from when you were little throughout the rest of your life.

    • Some people are born without one or more of their senses.

  • The Elements of Art

    • Line, Shape, Form, Space, Value, Colour, Texture.

    • Lines indicate emotion.

    • Contour lines are lines of various weights.

    • Repetition of lines are used to create visual rhythm.

    • Shape

    • When lines meet, shapes are formed.

    • Shapes are flat.

    • Some shapes are geometric, such as circles, squares, triangles, rectangles and ovals.

  • Page 2 preview (recap): The Design Principles recap and early Elements of Art concepts (same points as above, repeated for emphasis)

  • Shapes and Forms based on pages 3–4

    • Shapes are flat; Forms are 3D with height, width and thickness.

    • Space is an empty place or surface around or in a work of art and can be 2D, 3D, negative and/or positive.

    • Value is the lightness or darkness of colour; you can get different values by mixing shades and tints.

    • Texture is how something feels when you touch it.

    • Colour: used to evoke emotions or convey messages; colours and media imitate light.

    • The Colour Wheel:

    • The primary colours are Red, Blue and Yellow.

    • Secondary colours are Orange, Green, Purple.

    • When 2 primary colours are mixed, a secondary colour is formed.

    • Violet, Blue-Violet, Red-Violet, Red-Orange, Yellow-Orange, Yellow-Green, Green, Blue-Green, etc. (colour wheel relationships shown)

  • African Masks (intro concepts and significance)

    • Traditional African masks were made and used for initial ceremonies, marriages, ritual, deaths.

    • Masks were used to communicate with ancestors and resembled animals or human forms, or a combination of both.

    • Masks were used for rituals, marriages, deaths and ignition ceremonies; worn by tribesmen and women.

    • The 20th-century Cubist artists like Pablo Picasso and George Braque were inspired by African masks.

  • What Were the Masks Made Of?

    • Wood, beads, shells, raffia, and flattened metal strips.

    • Some were made of ivory and bronze.

  • Romuald Hazouma

    • Born in 1962 in the Republic of Benin.

    • An artist from West Africa who uses rubbish to create masks and faces from them.

  • Crafting Techniques

    • A form is made by cutting and removing pieces from a block of hard material (e.g., stone).

    • Modelling is when a person works with soft material like clay and shapes it into the required form.

    • Casting is a technique where a mould of the object is made; molten material is poured into the mould and allowed to cool; the object is then removed from the mould.

    • Assembling involves pasting, wrapping, constructing, joining and combining different materials and objects to form a new object.

  • Drama (intro to vocal/physical development)

    • Drama is about making our experience and stories come alive. You use your body and voice as the main way of communication and expressing yourself, and you need to prepare them properly and safely for a good performance.

  • What is Vocal Development? (overview)

    • Vocal development includes warm-up activities to develop vocal muscles and prevent vocal injury.

    • A good vocal warm-up should include:

    • Relaxation exercises to relax the body and focus the mind.

    • Deep breathing exercises to help produce a good, clear sound.

    • Resonance exercises using air spaces in lungs, chest, head and mouth to develop a beautiful voice.

    • Articulation exercises to use mouth, tongue, lips and teeth to pronounce words properly and speak clearly.

  • What is Physical Development? (overview)

    • Vocal warm-ups help strengthen and develop the voice; physical warm-ups help develop the body, release tension, and energise the body.

  • Improvised Drama

    • Drama is about acting out stories; you can act out carefully planned stories or make up stories as you go along.

    • In this unit you will develop your own made-up stories to act out.

    • Warm-up mouth and face: add mouth/face exercises to your basic routine; facial expressions communicate feelings and thoughts and help tell the story.

    • Improvisation: make up your story with little planning; listen and concentrate to act and react to others; structure typically includes a beginning, middle, and end; beginning introduces characters and relationships, where they live and when; something happens which the main character must solve; middle shows attempts to solve the problem, things may get worse before better, the character learns something; end reaches a climax and the problem is solved.

    • Asking Questions: Who, where, what, when—why are these questions important? They help performers know who they are, where they are, what they need to do, and when they need to do it.

    • Listen and Concentrate, Act and React: essential for performance; working with others is especially important in improvisation.

    • Mirror Work: one actor leads with an action and the other copies exactly; goal is perfect coordination so it is hard to tell who leads; improves observation and concentration and helps communication.

    • Building Drama in a Team: in group work, listen, concentrate, observe and react immediately; use clues from others to build the drama; practice in activities.

    • Theme and Message, Setting and Plot: elements of drama and storytelling act as ingredients to develop dramas.

    • Using Imagery in Warm-Up: use imagination to feel and think like the character; imagery helps explore body movements.

  • The Elements of Drama (overview)

    • The elements include the theme or message, the setting, plot and structure, the characters and their relationships, spatial arrangement (where/how relationships; how the audience views the picture) and the different scenes.

  • Theme/Message

    • All plays/stories have a basic theme; the theme is the main idea and may convey a message about a tragic event, a funny comedy, a drama, a mystery, or an issue people are dealing with.

  • Setting, Plot and Structure

    • Characters live in a particular place and time; setting is the place and time.

    • The plot arises from what characters do and want; structure includes a beginning, middle, and end; the climax is the most exciting or important part.

  • Developing Structure, Setting, Plot and Climax

    • A story helps develop elements in drama or improvisation; these elements can be used to guide performance but do not dictate exact lines or actions.

  • Characters

    • Characters should come to life; professionals spend months developing them, may change appearance, accents, or learn new skills.

  • How to Develop a Character

    • Questions to ask: Who is the character? What makes them special? How do they look, sound and move? Where do they live and in what period? What do they want? Try to see the world through the character’s eyes.

  • Physical Relationships in Space and Shaping Scenes

    • Explore where performances take place and how to develop scenes.

  • Blocking and Stage Positioning

    • Blocking is how directors place actors on stage to create pictures for the audience; proximity conveys relationship cues; positions are named for easy direction.

  • Levels

    • Levels refer to the height of actors relative to each other and the floor; different levels add atmosphere and interest.

  • Focal Point and Scene Shaping

    • Focal point is where main action happens; everything is positioned to draw attention to the focal point.

  • Spatial Arrangements

    • Explore how performances use space and audience sightlines.

  • Spaces Used for Performance

    • Any space can be used: stage, hall, street, park; common theatre stages include proscenium (end-on), thrust, round arena, and flexible stages.

  • Theatre Stages (Proscenium, Thrust, Arena, Flexible, Promenade)

    • Proscenium (End-On) Stage:

    • Audience faces stage from one side; wings store props and sets; there may be a crossover behind stage; above stage are curtains and scenery rails and lights; front curtain can hide stage; apron is in front of curtain; orchestra pit may be beneath apron; audience sits in the house.

    • Thrust Stage:

    • Also called a platform/open stage; performance area extends into the audience; audience sits on three sides; entrances/exits via upstage or through audience.

    • Combination Proscenium-Thrust Stage:

    • Thrust stage sometimes has a small proscenium in the upstage area to ease entry/exit; must ensure sightlines for all audience members.

    • Arena Stage (Theatre-in-the-Round):

    • Audience completely surrounds stage (central/island); stage and seating may be at floor level or raised; actors can enter/exit from directions through audience or from under the stage.

    • Flexible Stage:

    • Stages can be rearranged to suit performance.

    • Promenade Stage:

    • Audience does not have fixed seats; audience moves around acting space and interacts with actors; can be set up anywhere (beach, forest, street, mall); location becomes the setting.

  • Performing Careers

    • There are many career opportunities in the performing arts; artists often perform a range of jobs.

  • Acting Careers

    • Kinds of acting careers include:

    • The main, lead, starring or principal actor acts in the most important role.

    • The co-star acts as one of the main actors in a production.

    • A supporting actor acts in a fairly important but not the most important role.

    • An understudy and stand-in acts when a main or supporting actor cannot perform due to illness or injury.

    • A bit player acts in a very small role with no more than six spoken lines (sometimes called 'under-sixes').

    • A walk-on actor acts in a very small role with no spoken lines.

    • A background artist or extra acts in a non-speaking role, usually in the background or as part of a crowd.

    • A voice actor or voice artist provides voices for animated characters, radio dramas, adverts, dubbed films and video games.

    • A commercial actor acts in advertisements.

    • An educational actor acts in productions used for training and education others.

    • A mime actor or mime artist acts using movement, gestures and facial expressions.

    • A photo double acts when setting up scenes in films and also scenes with twins.

    • A stunt actor or stunt double acts in dangerous or risky scenes.

    • A body double acts in scenes requiring nudity or special skills (e.g., dancing, skating, playing the piano).

  • Other Performing Careers

    • If you do not want to be an actor, there are other performing careers; versatility is enhanced by additional skills.

    • Dancer: many different dance forms; training improves control, posture, movement, stage presence and can enable dance-inclusive acting roles.

    • Singer: solo or group; training improves voice control and projection for clear audience hearing; enables singing roles.

    • Musician: solo or ensemble/accompaniment; training improves timing and rhythm and performing roles requiring musical skills.

    • Comedian/Clown: develops physicality, facial expressions, timing and broadens performing range.

  • Critically Reflect on a Professional Performance

    • Have you ever been to a live professional performance? Watching live performances helps you assess what works and what doesn’t, aiding your own skill development.

  • How Do You Assess a Professional Performance?

    • At some point in the year, you will watch a live performance by professional actors (theatre or a recorded performance on DVD); you will need to critically reflect on this performance.

  • NB: Remember to go through all content to prepare for your test/exams