Notan

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Nōtan (濃淡) is a Japanese design concept involving the play and placement of light and dark elements as they are placed next to the other in the composition of art and imagery.

Uses[]

This use of light and dark translates shape and form into flat shapes on a two-dimensional surface. Nōtan is traditionally presented in paint, ink, or cut paper, but it is relevant to a host of modern-day image-making techniques, such as lithography in printmaking, and rotoscoping in animation.

See also[]

• Negative space
• Gestalt psychology
• Yin and yang

References[]

• Composition: A Series of Exercises in Art Structure for the Use of Students and teachers by Arthur Wesley Dow (1899)(1855)
• Notan: A Virtual Art Academy building block by , MA (2004/2010) Course on Notan
• Notan: The Dark-Light Principle of Design by Dorr Bothwell and (1968/1991)
• The Interaction of Color by Josef Albers (1963)
• Perception and Imaging by (1997/2001)

External links[]

• Notan: Design in Light and Dark by Sharon Himes
• A guide to Notan: The What Why and How
• Notan – What It Is And How To Use It In Art