Art Elements
Tools
And
Building blocks for art
Line
The most basic tool
for creating art.
Line
• It can be defined as a mark made by a pointed
tool
• It is often defined as a moving dot
• Lines can be actual (you can see them)
• Lines can be implied (you can cannot see
them, but you can sense them)
Line
Actual lines are easy to spot.
This painting is
called Current by
the artist Bridget
Riley. She is an Op
artist or optical
artist.
If you look at this
painting long
enough, what
happens to the
lines?
Curved lines
Lines can
be curved,
like this
painting
by Bridget
Riley.
Lines can be straight
This painting, also
by the famous
optical artist,
Bridget Riley, uses
only straight lines.
Hands With Bouquet by Pablo Picasso
Lines can also
define an edge.
Pablo Picasso
used many
different lines to
define the hands
and the flower
stems in this
abstract painting.
Lines used for shading
Lines can be
used for
shading. This
artist used
parallel lines
and hatching
to shade this
sketch of an
apple.
Lines used for texture
Lines can show texture. This print titled Wheatfield is by the artist
Ben Shahn. What is the most dominant art element in this print?
Lines can be implied or suggested.
We do not see them, but we can
sense that they are there.
Where is
the
implied
line in
this
painting
by the
artist
Thomas
Eakins?
Parallel lines can show depth in a work of
art. Lines that merge at a point suggest
that some things are at a distance.
This painting
by the artist
Meindert
Hobbema
shows a road
drawn using
parallel lines.
Color
Color is one of
the most
powerful art
elements. There
must be light
present in order
to see color.
What are the
primary colors?
Secondary?
Intermediate?
(Tertiary )
Color
All other colors can
be mixed from the
primary colors.
If we mix two
primary colors such
as red and blue, we
get a secondary
color.
If we mix a primary
with a secondary,
we get an
intermediate color.
These are also
known as tertiary
colors.
Color
There are three
properties of
color.
Hue is the name
for a color, such
as cobalt blue,
lavender, rust
brown, canary
yellow, etc.
Hue is a
synonym for the
word color.
Color
Value the is the
darkness or
lightness of a
color.
For example,
lavender is a
light value of the
color purple. It
is called a tint
because it is
purple with
white added to
it.
Pastel colors such as pink, peach,
sky blue, lime green, and lavender
are tints because they contain a
lot of white.
Color
Intensity refers
to the brightness
of a color.
Intense colors such as hot pink,
fushia, yellow, red, orange, and
lime green can really stand out
and create emphasis and contrast
in a work of art.
Color
Complementary
colors are colors
that are
opposite each
other on the
color wheel.
What are the three pairs of
complementary colors?
Color
Colors can be
warm or cool.
•Name some examples
of cool colors:
•Name some examples
of warm colors:
Color
Artists use
different color
combinations
their pictures.
These are called
color schemes.
One example of a color scheme
would be using analogous colors.
Those are colors that are next to each
other on the color wheel. Name two
analogous colors.
Color
Another color
scheme would
be if an artist
used shades and
tints of only one
color. This is
called a
monochromatic
color scheme.
An example of this would be if an
artist used only shades of rust,
scarlet, red, and pink in a work of art.
Color
Color can
convey strong
emotions.
What types of emotions do we associate with the following colors?
Red: anger, love, danger
Blue: depression, calmness
Pink:
Black:
White:
Green:
How do artists use color?
Small amounts of color added to a work of art can give it
punch, impact, and emphasis. (an art principle)
How do artists use color?
Artists like Edvard
Munch used color to
convey strong
emotions. This
painting, called The
Scream, conveys
feelings of fear,
anxiety, and
restlessness.
How do artists use color?
The artist Andy
Warhol used
contrasting colors in
his Pop Art prints and
paintings in order to
get the viewer’s
attention. This print
repeats four
Campbell’s soup cans
in different color
combinations.
How do artists use color?
The artist Robert
Indiana often uses
complementary colors
(opposites) to create
contrast in his work.
(an art principle)
How do artists use color?
The artist Pablo
Picasso used a
monochromatic
color scheme in this
painting called the
Old Guitarist to
express what kind of
mood?
How do artists use color?
This famous painting
called Blue Dog uses
color in an
unexpected and
unconventional way.
The artist who
painted this is from
New Orleans.
How do artists use color?
The Turning
Road by
Andre
Derain uses
color in an
unconventional,
whimsical
way. Have
you ever
seen a red
and blue
tree trunk?
How do artists use color?
Artists like
Franz Marc
use their
“artistic
license” when
painting a
cow. An artist
doesn’t have
to paint things
the way that
that they
actually look!
How do artists use color?
This famous
painting called The
Blue Horse is by
Franz Marc.
How do artists use color?
The sculptor
Sandy
Skoglund
creates a
powerful
sculpture with
her piece titled
Radioactive
Cats using an
intense green.
How do artists use color?
This painting of
poppies is by the
artist Georgia
O’Keefe. What
kind of colors
did this artist use
in her work?
Monochromatic,
analogous,
complementary,
warm, or cool?
How do artists use color?
Your eyes will
mix colors
automatically
when the
artists uses
small dots of
color side by
side.
How do artists use color?
Your eyes will
mix colors
automatically
when the
artists uses
small dots of
color side by
side.
How do artists
use color?
Your eyes will
mix colors
automatically
when the
artists uses
small dots of
color side by
side.