This honors project aims to develop a personal artistic style through establishing aesthetic criteria informed by research into aesthetic theory. The digital medium will allow an intellectual and social process as well as an emotional one. Key aspects and themes that emerge throughout the artistic process will be gathered, documented, and analyzed. Elements of beauty like unity, simplicity, design, and use of light will be essential to creating meaningful artwork. Sketches and photographs were used to generate painting ideas, with a focus on improving digital craftsmanship skills. Landscapes, figures, and conceptual works were produced exploring themes like fairytale atmospheres and tonalism.

1. AESTHETIC VISION
Developing a personal art style
Sam Heisler
BA (Hons) Computer Arts
Crit Presentation

2. ABSTRACT
This honours year project aims to clarify one’s aesthetic vision. Aesthetic criteria will
be established through research into aesthetic theory and define one’s artistic style to
create meaningful art, which expresses personality and originality. The digital
medium will allow both an intellectual and social process as well as an emotional and
subjective process.
Additionally the practice-based project serves as documentation of an artistic process
to create extraordinary imagery in terms of craftsmanship as well as thought
provoking concepts. Important aspects and emerging themes will be gathered,
documented and analysed.

3. AESTHETIC CRITERIA
Even though the search for ones aesthetic voice is a timeless act which varies from
individual to individual, examination of art history and current technology and tools
help guide the artist’s search.
The chosen theme is “Seeing, Observing, Thinking” (Sander 2009). In other words
the combination of craftsmanship, observation and intellect will be essential to
produce meaningful content.

4. THE ELEMENTS OF BEAUTY
(Critical Framework)
1. Unity
▫ “Oneness”
▫ Organization of design, colour, line, values, textures and subject into a
combined and total expression
2. Simplicity/Clarity
▫ Reduction of the subject matter into the fundamentals of design, form
and pattern
3. Design
▫ Relationship of areas, form and colour
4. Proportion
▫ Harmonious relation of parts of the picture, opposite of distortion
5. Colour
▫ Relationship of colour to values

5. THE ELEMENTS OF BEAUTY
(Critical Framework)
6. Rhythm
▫ Without rhythm form is static and lifeless
▫ Repetition of similar colours or of lines or shapes of increasing or
diminishing size to create rhythm
7. Form
▫ Form or space (solid or void)
8. Texture
▫ Rendering of surface -> variety
9. Values
▫ Relationship of values to create the effects of light
▫ Values and colour are dependent on each other
10. Quality of Light
▫ There are many kinds of light: indoor, outdoor sunlight, diffused light,
reflected light

6. THE ELEMENTS OF BEAUTY
(Critical Framework)
11. Choice of Subject
▫ Individual taste
▫ Originality
12. Technique
▫ Means of expression
▫ The way all the other elements are brought together

7. PREPARING THE NEXT PAINTING - IDEA GENERATION
Sketches

8. IDEA GENERATION - SKETCHES

9. IDEA GENERATION - SKETCHES

10. IDEA GENERATION - SKETCHES

11. IDEA GENERATION - SKETCHES

12. A STORM IS BREWING

13. A STORM IS BREWING
Analysis
The key elements on which I focused
particularly are the following:
• Colour & Value
▫ Complementary colours
• Rhythm, Balance & Unity
▫ Controlled vs. dynamic
• Lighting
▫ The sunlight helps emphasize the focus on the
waves crashing into the red cliffs
▫ The dark clouds, resembling the storm front, are
entering the painting from the right and further
allow the waves and main subject matter (red
cliffs) to stand out through value contrast/
lighting

14. A STORM IS BREWING
Analysis
• Inspired by real location, painted from memory
▫ That way the focus is on the core elements, the most striking features of the scene
-> Like most tonalist painters
• Personal thoughts
▫ It was a very cold day with a freezing wind, the red cliffs would warm up in the sun though (in windbreak)
and offer some warmth
–> Therefore I chose to paint the cliffs saturated and with warm colours. To emphasize the cold wind from
the sea I decided to go for big waves and an approaching storm.
• J. M. W. Turner
▫ The British romantic landscape painter surely has some influence on this digital painting, though no
specific painting was used as reference.

15. A STORM IS BREWING
Further Colour Variations

16. PHOTOGRAPHY - DUNDEE

17. PHOTOGRAPHY - DUNDEE

18. PHOTOGRAPHY - ARBROATH

19. PHOTOGRAPHY - ARBROATH

20. PHOTOGRAPHY - ARBROATH

21. PHOTOGRAPHY - ARBROATH

22. PHOTOGRAPHY - ARBROATH

23. Fairytale Home
PRACTICAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Improving digital craftsmanship skills.
An example of a digital painting approach from
traditional sketch to value sketch to coloured
painting.
Further focus was set on the composition and the
creation of the fairytale-like atmosphere.

24. PRACTICAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Fairytale Home – Day and Night Version

25. I worked with many layers and their settings to
achieve different lighting effects in "Under the
Roots". The sun shining through the leaves of the
woods (especially in the day version) and the
shadows they cast were one of the key challenges. I
wanted to keep a welcoming atmosphere despite the
dense and massive trees. Therefore I avoided sharp
corners and used a curvy and elegant design for the
tress as well as the house. This contrasted the first
concept of the house.
Under the Roots
PRACTICAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

26. PRACTICAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Under the Roots

27. ▫ Tonalism was fundamentally a landscape art:
subdued, profound, and spiritual
▫ Intimate, poetic and expressive style of
landscape art, relying on soft-edged broadly
painted tonalities to communicate emotion
▫ Neutral palette of predominantly cool
colours
▫ Mystery, dream, memory, and imagination
▫ Atmosphere is both palpable and evocative of
poetic and meditative states.
“The Tay Bridge” by Theodor Fontane
Extract:
The husband and wife, with an anxious eye,
Look out to the south and of misgivings sigh,
Keeping a lookout and praying for a light,
Which o’er the water advances bright,
Proclaiming, “In spite of night and driving rain,
I come, I, the Edinburgh train.”
PRACTICAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Nocturne in Blue and Gold
The attempt of a more dreamlike painting to capture the
atmosphere of the setting. Inspired by the Tay Rail Bridge,
Dundee.

28. PRACTICAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
Nocturne in Blue and Gold

29. FIGURE STUDIES
From Real Life

30. FIGURE STUDIES
From Real Life

31. FIGURE STUDIES
From Real Life

32. FIGURE STUDIES
From Real Life

33. FIGURE STUDIES

34. FIGURE STUDIES

35. DIGITAL PORTFOLIO

36. Thank You. Any Questions?