Enter, Notan.

Grade 5:  Flipping the Positive and Negative With Notan

I recently purchased this book, Notan: The Dark-Light Principle of Design
and even though I have so far only taken a rather cursory look at it – I found the images compelling and the basic principles interesting.  Notan is a Japanese design concept that involves the play of light and dark, as they are placed next to each other.  Balance, reversal, positive and negative space, symmetry and asymmetry, flat shapes cut out or rendered in ink or paint.

Perhaps you would like to try doing one …

Thanks to the Incredible Art Department for this lesson:  www.princetonol.com

There is a good video on YouTube that is worth watching or showing to students (I found it after the fact):  a Notan Design Instruction Video, posted by loreli981 in 2007.  Check it out!

Spring 2012 / Parliament Oak School