Shapes

A shape is a closed line. A shape is flat.

Like lines, we see shapes all around us. One of the easiest ways to see the shape of an object is to look at shadows. Shadows flatten a three dimensional object into a flat shape. This enables you to see the object in a different way, without details like color and texture.

Organic and Geometric Shapes

Like lines, there are organic shapes and geometric shapes. Geometric shapes are mathematically determined. Organic shapes are the type you see in nature.

Positive and Negative Shapes

Positive shapes are the shape of the actual object (like the letters in THE and END). Negative shapes are the spaces in between objects (like the space between the letters or the sky behind the building).

Implied Shapes

Like line, there are implied shapes. These are the spaces between objects that are placed in relationship to each other. We see those spaces as shapes, even though they are not meant to be.

Create a new document in Photoshop with the following settings:

STEP 1

Create a New Document in Photoshop with these settings:
width = 8.5"
height = 11"
resolution = 72
color = RGB

STEP 2

Using the tools you've learned, create a picture using only simple geometric shapes. Forgot some of the tools? Here are some links to the pages for those tools.

The Marquee Tool
The Grid
Layers

Another handy tool is the Shape Tool. Try it out to see what it does.

You can also try using the Lasso and the Polygonal Lasso tools.

Need more examples? Google Polygon art!

When finished save a JPEG of your image as yourname_shapes and upload it to your folder on the Google Drive.