Own Practice: Blue and Yellow Vinyl Tape Board (2ft x 4ft MDF).
Due to my previous use of Vinyl Tape and the successful outcomes on MDF Boards at the dimensions of 2ft x 2ft and 4ft x 4ft. I decided to change up the scale again and work to a more landscape orientation and start upon a 2ft x 4ft piece. This switch from a square canvas to a rectangular one required a change of approach in terms of coming up with a composition. As the board was suited to a more landscape design I decided I would work with this aspect and I drew a line straight down the centre. By doing this my thoughts were to work outwards from this line in both directions in order to create a symmetrical composition that visually looked balanced.
Once the centre line was marked out I began determining which colour tape I would use by placing the rolls together in a line to get an idea of how they looked next to one another before starting. This was the combination I came up with as I felt the Blue and Yellow Tape contrasted one another well and I knew combining them with black and silver would allow me to produce a composition that would have areas of depth.
Therefore with the centre line marked out and the colours of tape in mind I started placing the strips of tape either side of the centre line based upon the layout of tape I decided upon. However I instantly thought of an interesting composition that would see each side reflect one another and I knew that using an odd number of tape would make the design unbalanced so I decided I would be leaving the white tape out. Once the starting formation of Black, Yellow, Blue and Silver was in place, My idea was to then produce a ladder like composition either side of the starting stripes, paying attention to switch the Two coloured tapes (yellow and blue) to the opposite side of the centre line were they started. This as a result would keep the starting stripes untouched from the rest of the design and subtly communicate the process of lining the tape up in preparation. (as shown above).
Once the right side was complete and the continuing yellow line was visible to see, I was pleased that the ladder like idea that I was trying to convey had came across well. This I feel was enhanced and made more successful due to the placement of the black stripes below the yellow. This contrast of colours has allowed me to achieve a sense of depth behind the yellow rung like stripes that gives a three-dimensional quality.
From this point I just needed to redo the process again on the left side but in the alternative colours of Blue and Silver. The blue stripe would act as the main frame of the ladder and the more subtle illusion of depth behind would be in the silver tape. A direct reflection of the way the yellow and black tape was placed on the right side.
On reflection of the overall process and looking at the final outcome I am pleased with the decision to test out the new dimension of 2ft x 4ft MDF Board as it pushed me to think creatively in a new way. By thinking of a symmetrical layout of lines it has allowed me to achieve a design which gives the overall illusion and visual effect of dimension. This has been a lot more successful than I anticipated and I think this is due too the colour choice I decided upon early on. The way in which the yellow grabs your attention and the black gives the illusion of depth is a large factor in its success I feel. They stand out against the blue and silver stripes and this as a result has created the impression that the overall piece is not symmetrical when looked at from a distance, which I feel gives the piece a sense of complexity.
Although I designed it with the intention of showing it as a landscape piece I took photographs of it in alternative positions to see how it would look: -
