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PART I1 THE PAGE
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plane
A flat plane is represented by two axes in the drawing at left. This form is most often seen and used for charts. The middle drawing represents a plane seen from above and to the side. The third drawing reminds us that the surface of a plane need not be flat.
The three-dimensional coordinate system requires a dimen- sion that extends 90 degrees away from the x and y planes. If a drawing is positioned in the middle ground of a visual composition, the z-axis appears to be moving toward and away from the viewer.
The surface of a flat plane is defined by two lines known as the x- and y-axes.
Some media forms attempt to work in true binocular vision. For example, there are those three-dimensional mov- ies that require special eyeglasses. Or those flat, beaded surfaces (actually made with embedded optical prisms) that appear to have depth as you pass in front of them or twist them in your hand.
By convention, the x-axis is horizontal, the y vertical, and the z shows depth, moving either forward or back in three dimensional space. Holograms are true 3D objects, made to project in real space (not pages or computer screens). You can walk around a hologram and see it from different viewpoints. Perhaps this is a future frontier for personal media!
If a surface has a bend, it is three-dimensional. More on that shortly. Right now let’s study a flat plane.
The x-axis is one of two directional coordinates in a system that defines a plane. By convention the x-axis is the horizontal one. The y-axis is the vertical coordinate direction in a two-dimensional space.
boundries
Solids are familiar forms that have three dimensions.
All two-dimensional images have outside edges that form boundaries.
Shapes like those at right are recog- nizable forms that have edges. These edges can be drawn as lines. The term contour is used for any edge revealed in an object. Artists practice drawing contours and will make dis- tinctions between geometric shapes (based on mathematical relation- ships), organic shapes (which come from the natural world), and freeform shapes (not representational of a real form or object).
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CHAPTER 4: ILLUSTRATION
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Sometimes boundaries are called borders. Sometimes they are called frames.
Boundaries are evident at a glance. They define an ob- ject’s physical state. Yet there is creative power in knowing how to fool the eye in the way that optical illusions do.
This page from a 1911 baby book has borders inside borders. Note how the image of the child is vignetted. The layering of information via boundries provides a clear visual hierarchy. Unknown photographer
These are standard geometric shapes. Some drawing instructors emphasize using such easy to draw shapes as a deep structure for complex, organic forms. For instance, a rectangle can be a torso and an oval can be a head.
z axis
The z-axis represents depth relative to the x- and y-axes.
solids