Anatomy and Art

I keep meaning to update here and not getting around to it.  Actually I should have some images to share soon.  I think the okay got lost amidst the people who would say yay or nay to putting company work up on a private blog, but Sapling seems to be pretty open to that kind of thing in general.

I’m actually still really digging the crew we’ve got going over there.  They’re a refreshingly nice blend of being ready to put the money, time, and effort into getting the art right, but then also they haven’t lost sight of the educational goal in chasing all the pretty, flashy, possibilities.  That may sound just plain reasonable, but it’s really not a balance I’ve seen very many strike.  We even took a little time the other day to gather together and watch a presentation on illusions, and how visual aids can fail to make content clearer sometimes.  The speaker (who’s name I apologize for forgetting), had done some previous work recording eye movements as subjects looked at various illustrations.  I can’t tell you how much I would love to have such a device.  He seemed to think that no one had any kind of sense of how the eye is drawn around an illustration, but I remember back in my early college photography days being taught to close your eyes, or look away for a moment and then flash your image in front of your face, and pay attention to where your eyes land first, and where they are pulled from there.  It’s not as scientific as when you get actual recordings on the eye movements themselves, but I couldn’t help wondering if being taught to do that so early on hasn’t affected the way I construct artwork today.  Really, I suppose there is a bit of a cross-over between journalism and education with regard to art.  I guess I never thought about it before.  It’s all art that’s meant to express something external to the artist, and give the viewer information.  And you have the same choices to make about being flashy and eye-grabbing, being clear and informing, what details to include, what to leave out, the possibility of being misleading….  I don’t know why I never thought to compare the two fields before.

Well, that’s a whole tangent that could have been explored in it’s own post.  If only I had the time to rewrite, but your writer is a tired girl tonight.  My point in starting that whole story was simply that I’m enjoying working for people who really think about that kind of stuff, people who would take a break in the day to watch someone speak on illusions, visual misinformation, and how all that applies to learning.