How Fractal Geometry Improved My Art Skills in One Day
A casual study of fractal geometry this week led to a sudden realization yesterday; but first, a brief rundown of fractal geometry, or the part that led to realization.
When measuring a coastline, fractal geometry has been used for about 40 years (since its usefulness was discovered) because a coastline has varying lengths depending on what unit of measurement is used. If you measure a coastline with a mile stick, you get one measurement. If you measure it with a foot stick, you get a much longer measurement, and if you measure it with a centimeter stick, you'll get a far longer measurement. That's because in nature a square or a circle or a line are all hypotheticals created by man. There is no such thing as a real square - if you draw a square, then magnify, you find it's all craggy and not a square at all. Our entire basic mathematical structure that we've used for 1000s of years is based off of hypotheticals that don't occur in reality. Fractals, however, are reality.
Back to how this came to change one of the biggest flaws in my drawing style: I always did a lousy job of drawing anything up close. For example, when I draw a hand, there are set geometric shapes I envision that make up that hand. When I would draw that hand in a close-up, I used the same geometric shapes, and for some reason it always came out looking plastic and lifeless.
(My hands and jaw and face and even this flower are made of plastic!!!)
Suddenly I realized yesterday that according to fractal geometry, upon magnification an entirely NEW set of shapes should become apparent to make up that hand. And if I were to magnify again, yet another set of shapes should make up the parts of that hand. I tried it last night and it's true: to our eyes it doesn't look natural unless we obey the laws of fractals. It worked; I found new shapes, and it was like understanding in four dimensions instead of just three.
(I AM HAND HEAR ME ROAR EXCLAMATIONS IN FRACTAL GEOMETRY!)
Sure, this is all something that normal, intuitive artists already know just because they're, you know... observant. Still, it makes me very happy to have at least one of my many art mysteries marked "SOLVED".
When measuring a coastline, fractal geometry has been used for about 40 years (since its usefulness was discovered) because a coastline has varying lengths depending on what unit of measurement is used. If you measure a coastline with a mile stick, you get one measurement. If you measure it with a foot stick, you get a much longer measurement, and if you measure it with a centimeter stick, you'll get a far longer measurement. That's because in nature a square or a circle or a line are all hypotheticals created by man. There is no such thing as a real square - if you draw a square, then magnify, you find it's all craggy and not a square at all. Our entire basic mathematical structure that we've used for 1000s of years is based off of hypotheticals that don't occur in reality. Fractals, however, are reality.
Back to how this came to change one of the biggest flaws in my drawing style: I always did a lousy job of drawing anything up close. For example, when I draw a hand, there are set geometric shapes I envision that make up that hand. When I would draw that hand in a close-up, I used the same geometric shapes, and for some reason it always came out looking plastic and lifeless.
(My hands and jaw and face and even this flower are made of plastic!!!)
Suddenly I realized yesterday that according to fractal geometry, upon magnification an entirely NEW set of shapes should become apparent to make up that hand. And if I were to magnify again, yet another set of shapes should make up the parts of that hand. I tried it last night and it's true: to our eyes it doesn't look natural unless we obey the laws of fractals. It worked; I found new shapes, and it was like understanding in four dimensions instead of just three.
(I AM HAND HEAR ME ROAR EXCLAMATIONS IN FRACTAL GEOMETRY!)
Sure, this is all something that normal, intuitive artists already know just because they're, you know... observant. Still, it makes me very happy to have at least one of my many art mysteries marked "SOLVED".