Hard Soft Lost Edges

Edges in art refer to the transition between two shapes of colour or value. Edges are strongly related to value!

Edges are created when there is a transition of:

1. Objects – an object is front of another
2. Planes – the surface or face of an object meets another
3. Colours – caused by lighting or a change in the objects physical colouration (pattern)

Many people overlook edges and focus on colour and composition. Just as the hierarchies of value and colour in our artwork are important, a hierarchy of edges expands our visual language; the tools available for directing the viewer’s focus.

Edges are defined as either:

1. Hard (Found) – Where shapes of contrasting value meet, they create edges which appear as sudden, break, cut or line of demarcation in the image. Think of a the dark silhouette against a bright light.
2. Soft – A soft edge is a smooth transition between two shapes. These are typically found on rounded corners or curved surfaces.
3. Lost edges blend with or flow into one another so that it is hard to distinguish where the adjoining shapes begin and end.

For a limited time and for a limited number of people, I am offering a free critique of one artwork to help start pointing you in the right direction. Become a member on my site to take advantage of this offer. Details of how the critique will be done, will be emailed to you after you register.