INT_S3_L1_Notan

Interactive presentation

Notan

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©2025 Kapow

Contents

Positive and negative spaces

Shadow puppets

Notan: Light-dark balance

Art and design

© Kapow™ 2025

Positive and negative spaces

• Pictures have positive and negative spaces.
• Positive space is the main shape like the tree.
• Negative space is the empty space around or between the shape.
• Negative space helps the positive space stand out.

Art and design

© Kapow™ 2025

Shadow puppets

• Shadow puppets use negative spaces to add details.
• For example, in the castle, the negative spaces show the windows.

Art and design

© Kapow™ 2025

Notan: Light-dark balance

• ‘Notan’ is a Japanese word meaning ‘light-dark balance.’
• In Notan art, the positive and negative spaces are both important.
• Positive and negative spaces work together to make interesting patterns.

Art and design

© Kapow™ 2025

• Use scissors to cut along the lines.
• Turn the card slowly with your other hand to make the cutting easier.

• Use scissors to cut along the lines.
• Turn the card slowly with your other hand to make the cutting easier.

• Flip each cut-out shape so it is the mirror image of the space it leaves behind.
• For shapes with more than one layer, like the triangle, flip out every other layer.
• Glue everything down.

• Stick the largest piece of card onto the background.
• Match each cut-out shape to its space.

• Draw shapes from the edge of the card using a light coloured pencil.