The space around things — Art, 4–6
The empty parts of a picture help the things in it stand out. Looking at the space around an object can help you draw it, place it and understand its shape.
What space around things is
Look at a cup on a table. The cup is one shape, but the patches of table you can see beside it, above it and inside its handle are shapes too. These are spaces around things, and they can be as useful to notice as the object itself.
Why artists notice empty space
When you draw only the object, its size or position can easily go wrong. Artists began paying attention to the spaces around objects because those spaces give clues: this gap is narrow, that one is wide, and this opening is curved. The problem becomes easier when you draw what surrounds the object too.
Draw the space by a cup
Put a cup on a sheet and look at the triangle of table between its handle and side. First, trace that triangle with your finger without drawing the cup. Next, draw the triangle. Then add the cup around it. If the triangle is in the right place, the handle will probably be in the right place too.
Empty does not mean unimportant
You may want to fill every blank patch because a white area can look unfinished. That is a reasonable feeling: when we make things, we often expect every part to be used. But empty space can separate objects and help the eye see them clearly, so leave some space on purpose.
Empty space outside school
You see this in signs, book pages, room design and photographs. A sign needs space around its picture so you can understand it quickly, and words need gaps so you can read them. When you place stickers or toys, looking at the spaces between them can make the arrangement easier to see.
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