NSSCO Art and Design 6149 cheat sheet

Sighting measures proportion: hold a pencil at arm's length, align the thumb tip with one end of the subject, then compare that unit against other lengths on the same plane.

Negative space is the shape between and around objects; drawing it corrects proportion errors caused by the brain substituting a known symbol for the observed form.

Contour drawing records only edges and outlines without shading; cross-contour lines wrap around a form and describe its three-dimensional volume.

Gesture drawing captures movement and mass in a short time (commonly 30 seconds to 2 minutes); it prioritises the line of action over finish.

The line of action is a single sweeping line through the dominant thrust of a pose, drawn first to keep the figure dynamic and balanced.

Linear perspective: parallel lines receding to a vanishing point converge there; one-point uses one vanishing point, two-point uses two on the horizon line.

Foreshortening compresses lengths along the axis pointing toward the viewer; overlapping shapes and diminishing spacing signal depth.

Chiaroscuro uses strong light-dark contrast to model form; a consistent light source fixes where cast shadow, core shadow, and highlight fall.

Hatching uses parallel lines, cross-hatching overlays a second set at an angle; denser line spacing reads as darker value.

Primary colours in subtractive (pigment) mixing are cyan, magenta, and yellow; red, yellow, and blue is a traditional but imprecise artist's set.

Secondary colours are mixed from two primaries; tertiary colours mix a primary with an adjacent secondary on the colour wheel.

Complementary colours sit opposite on the colour wheel; placed side by side they intensify each other, mixed they neutralise toward grey or brown.

Analogous colours are adjacent on the wheel and share a hue family, producing low-contrast, harmonious schemes.

Value is lightness or darkness independent of hue; a colour's tint is made by adding white, its shade by adding black, its tone by adding grey.

Warm colours (reds, oranges, yellows) appear to advance; cool colours (blues, greens) appear to recede, which painters use to build aerial depth.

Opacity and transparency: opaque pigments hide the layer beneath, transparent glazes let it show through; glazing builds depth over a dried underlayer.

Impasto is thickly applied paint that holds brush or knife texture and catches raking light; scumbling is a thin, broken opaque layer over dry paint.

Wet-on-wet blends colours directly on a damp surface for soft edges; wet-on-dry gives crisp edges and controlled detail.

Form is three-dimensional and encloses volume; shape is flat and two-dimensional. Relief sculpture projects from but remains attached to a background.

Additive processes build up material (modelling in clay, construction, assemblage); subtractive processes remove it (carving wood, stone, or plaster).

Casting reproduces a form by pouring a liquid material such as plaster or metal into a mould and letting it set.

Armature is an internal support frame, usually wire or wood, that holds a soft modelling material in position while it is worked.

Clay stages: leather-hard clay holds shape and can be joined with slip; bone-dry clay is fragile and ready for bisque firing; glaze is applied after bisque.

Slip is clay mixed with water to a cream consistency and is used as a glue between scored, joined clay parts.

A maquette is a small-scale model made to test proportion, mass, and structure before the full-size work.

Structural strength depends on joints: lap, mitre, dowel, and dovetail joints each trade strength against ease of cutting and appearance.

Safety rules: cut away from the body, keep chisels sharp, clamp work before drilling, and wear eye protection when carving stone or wood.

Visual hierarchy orders elements by size, weight, colour, and position so the viewer reads the most important message first.

Contrast in typography is created by size, weight, case, colour, and alignment; low contrast reduces legibility at small sizes.

Type classification: serif faces have stroke endings, sans serif do not; script imitates handwriting; display faces are designed for large headline use only.

Legibility is how easily individual characters are distinguished; readability is how easily a block of text is read as a whole.

Alignment types: flush left (ragged right), flush right, centred, and justified; justified text can create uneven word spacing called rivers.

Grid systems divide a format into columns, margins, and modules to keep multiple pages consistent in position and proportion.

Logo types: wordmark (text only), lettermark (initials), pictorial mark (recognisable image), abstract mark, and combination mark.

Colour in signage and packaging carries coded meaning and must be checked for contrast, especially for colour-blind viewers.

A poster's reading order is normally headline, image, body copy, then logo or contact detail, placed along a deliberate visual path.

Describe, analyse, interpret, evaluate: the four-stage critical method moves from observable facts to meaning and judgement.

Formal analysis covers the elements (line, shape, form, colour, value, texture, space) and principles (balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, unity).

Contextual analysis relates a work to its period, patron, function, materials available, and the artist's intentions and biography.

Prehistoric art (cave painting, Venus figurines) predates writing; interpretation relies on archaeology rather than written records.

Renaissance art (roughly 1400-1600) applied linear perspective, anatomical study, and classical proportion; Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael are central.

Impressionism (from the 1870s) used broken colour, visible brushwork, and outdoor light effects; Monet, Renoir, and Degas are key figures.

Cubism (from about 1907) fractured form into multiple viewpoints on one plane; Picasso and Braque developed it.

African art traditions include Nok terracotta, Ife and Benin bronzes, and mask forms with ritual and social functions rather than gallery display.

Namibian art history includes San rock art, the rock engravings of Twyfelfontein, and modern workshop traditions such as the John Muafangejo Art Centre.

A personal investigation starts from a theme or question, not a finished image; the theme must be narrow enough to sustain sustained enquiry.

Primary research is gathered first-hand (own drawings, photographs, interviews, site visits); secondary research uses books, archives, and the internet.

A visual diary records experiments, annotations, failures, and decisions with dates; it evidences process rather than only outcomes.

Artist reference is used by analysing technique and intent, then applying the finding to your own work; copying without transformation is not investigation.

Annotation answers four questions: what was done, why, what was learned, and what will be tried next; it links images to the theme.

Portfolio selection favours a coherent sequence showing development from initial observation to resolved outcome, not a random best-of collection.

Presentation standards: mount work flat and square, keep a consistent border, label with title, medium, size, and date, and avoid smudging by using fixative.

Assessment evidence typically weights investigation, development, and final outcome; check the mark allocation before deciding how much time each stage needs.