Molly Brangs Ten Principles :: Art Molly Brang Essays

Molly Brang's Ten Principles My picture contrasts the dark, sharp, menacing objects with the light, calm, serenity of the hand. Using Molly Bang’s ten principles, I was able to depict this evil and suspenseful moment from the story, "Sleeping Beauty." Molly Bang’s ten principles teach us how to illustrate moments from stories or poems with abstract shapes and basic colors. By applying these principles, any emotion can be expressed. Maleficent was the most challenging object in the picture. Since the whole purpose of the picture is to represent evil and suspense, I knew that she had to be black. First, she had more rounded corners and her cape was straight up and down. I obviously needed to make her look more evil. So I sharpened up every corner of her and brought her cape to a point. According to Molly Bang, "We feel more scared looking at pointed shapes; we feel more secure or comforted looking at rounded shapes or curves" (70). The extended triangle to the right represents her outreached arm. I thought this made her look as if she were in authority over the situation. This makes her appear more powerful. Generally, powerful rulers and kings extend their arms as a representation of power and authority. The more I looked at this outreached triangle and its relationship to the picture, the more I thought of her cunning and conniving ways to hide this from others. Instead of just bringing the cape straight down off the page, it is more interesting to bring it to a point. Bang says, "Diagonal shapes are dynamic because they imply motion or tension" (46). Because the pointed cape implies motion, Maleficent looks as if she is ready to pounce on Sleeping Beauty or grab her immediately after she touches the spindle. It shows that Maleficent is in suspense and on the edge of her feet waiting for Sleeping Beauty to touch the spindle. Some other details that make Maleficent stand out and look evil are her horns, size, location, and her eyes. It is obvious that the horns give her away as having the characteristic of evil and menacing. Horns are associated with the devil; therefore, these become an essential part of depicting her. Her size and location portray triumph and power. She looks as if she is secretly peering down upon Sleeping Beauty.