Playing with Balance

From finding the balance in a hanging mobile; to the symmetry of a face; to sculpting a piece of clay that can sit on any side; the theme was BALANCE today and was a lot of fun! 


Before the kids arrived I asked myself this question ...

How do we achieve balance on a flat surface?

To answer this question, I thought of a three dimensional work of art (all kids love 3D!). If the piece was not physically balanced or anchored, it would fall over.

So we practiced with clay and worked a very hard piece into "something" that could stand on all sides….

For images created on a flat surface such as a canvas or paper the same principle of balance applies. However, instead of having actual or physical balance, our artists created an illusion of balance.

It is achieved through …

COLOUR

In visual balance, each area of the painting suggests a certain visual weight, a certain degree of lightness or heaviness. For example, light colors appear lighter in weight than dark colors. Brilliant colors visually weigh more than neutral colors in the same areas. Warm colors, such as yellow tend to expand an area in size, whereas cool colors like blue tend to contract an area. And transparent areas seem to visually weigh less than opaque areas.

So we practiced with one colour and painted a canvas/paper from top to bottom, lighter to darker …

DISTRIBUTION

To balance a composition is to distribute its parts in such a way that the viewer is satisfied that the piece is not about to pull itself over. When components are balanced left and right of a central axis they are balanced horizontally. When they are balanced above and below they are said to be balanced vertically. And when components are distributed around the center point, or spring out from a central line, this is referred to as radial balance.

                  

So we practiced by making a mobile and changing the balance and the objects that we hung off the mobile …

COMPOSITION

There are two forms of visual balance in any composition. These are symmetrical balance, where everything is equal (formal), and asymmetrical balance, also known as (informal) balance.

Symmetrical Balance

Symmetrical balance is when the weight is equally distributed on both sides of the central axis. Symmetry is the simplest and most obvious type of balance. It creates a secure, safe feeling.

We practiced by making a butterfly print ….

And drawing the other side of a face ….

Asymmetrical Balance

Asymmetrical balance is when both sides of the central axis are not identical, yet appear to leave the same visual weight. It is a "felt" balance between the parts of a composition rather than actual.  There are unlimited arrangements that may be devised using asymmetrical balance.

We remembered our mobile creations ….

With all that said, it was a fast paced afternoon with lots of experimentation and mess, but gee it was fun!

Best regards

Michelle