A Week of Notan - Day 1

This week, I'm showing you a Japanese design concept involving the play and placement of light and dark as they are placed next to the other in art and imagery.
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 stamping, applique and screen printing. I've used Notan in my Give & Take Applique technique shown as my quilt Ball Joints:

Here is a piece that I created using black construction paper and scissors:

If you want to look for some references in books, try these:

• Composition: A Series of Exercises in Art Structure for the Use of Students and Teachers by Arthur Wesley Dow (1899)
• Notan: A Virtual Art Academy building block by Barry John Raybould, MA (2004/2010) Course on Notan
• Notan: The Dark-Light Principle of Design by Dorr Bothwell and Marlys Mayfield (1968/1991)

This blog has some excellent work that was drawn by a high school art class: http://notandrawing.blogspot.ca/

Tomorrow I have other pictures and some tips to get you started.