Notan or value study

The use of Notan by painters and graphic designers dates back a long time. It was popularized by Arthur Wesley Dow as an effective way to prepare a painting composition. His book Composition: A Series of Exercises in Art Structure has been a priced educational material for generations of fine artists and illustrators.

Notan is an easy method for designing a composition by sketching lines and shapes in two or three values, with no colour or texture, and minimal drawing. With it, the focus is not on the correctness of perspective, but rather on the plane dynamics given to a viewer who would see the artwork in the distance.

It is used to answer some basic questions about a composition such as:

• Is the sky and foreground creating a strong balance?
• Does the focal point have enough contrast?
• Are the dark shapes connected into interesting patterns?
• Is the composition still attractive when reduced to a symbol?

A notan of a cityscape might show only:

• a dark bridge shape,
• a dark tree mass,
• a light sky,
• a bright dome.

The dome does not need windows or architectural detail—it only needs to occupy the correct value shape.

Why is a thumbnail sketch more useful than a Notan?

In contrast to a Notan, a sketch is a small planning sketch of the entire painting, though it takes more effort to complete. It usually includes:

• composition,
• placement of objects,
• perspective,
• cropping,
• movement of the eye,
• focal point,
• value organization,
• some notes on colour

A thumbnail asks:

• Where should the horizon be?
• How large should the dome appear?
• Should the bridge lead the eye toward the focal point?
• How much sky versus land should I include?
• Where should I simplify or eliminate elements?

It is closer to a miniature blueprint for the composition.

My earlier blog post The practice of thumbnails provides details