How do You Determine the Size of Your Work?

When creating works of art, do you spend time thinking about what size and the shape the piece should be, OR, is the size and shape of the work determined by the supplies that you have?

Does Size Matter?

It’s okay if you aren’t always putting a lot of thought into the size of your work, however, it is something that you should start to consider. You can use size to help communicate your ideas and impact how a viewer experiences your work.

If there is a painting hanging on a wall that is larger than you, what do you as the viewer do?

If there is a painting hanging on the wall that is the size of an index card, what do you as the viewer do?

The physical size of the work, impacts where the viewer needs to stand in order to be able to observe the full work of art.

How many people can view a large work of art at once?

How many people can view a small work of art at once?

So far, we’ve discussed extremes. You’ve reflected on really large pieces and really small pieces, let’s not forget about all of the sizes in between.

How does size impact where and how the work is displayed?

How does the size of a work impact how you hold or carry it?

Overall, there isn’t one perfect size. What matters is that you take some time to reflect on the size of your work, and why you’ve selected that size.

Challenge. This week, create a work of art that is a different size than anything that you’ve created in the last year.