DISTAL CUES

Distal Cues: symmetrical balance

Distal Cues: asymmetrical balance

Following the distal ques will aid you in creating a greater sense of depth within your compositions.
1. Location: elements lower on the picture plane are observed as being closer, whereas elements higher up the picture plane are seen as further away.
2. Overlap: when one element is overlapped or in front of another, you have established depth albeit limited.
3. Diagonals: by utilizing the rules of "Location", a diagonal line may appear closer at the bottom of the line and further away at the top.
4. Value: dark values recede whereas light values advance.
5. Size: larger objects appear closer and smaller objects appear further away.
6. Atmospheric Perspective: objects and elements in the foreground are visually rich, sharp and clear. They begin to fade and soften out of focus as they recede into the background.

7. Lastly, not really a distal que but one we will use for our purposes in the design class is Line and Weight variations: dark lines advance whereas light lines recede. (Remember the opposite is true of value.)
And most importantly, remember you will achieve the greatest sense of depth when you use these in combination as witnessed in the painting above.

*Linear Perspective will be discussed separately.