Elements of Art and
Principles of Design
Design is the structure of art, with the elements and
principles unifying the different parts and giving the
work visual order.
Composition: the arrangement and organization of
visual elements within the piece of work.
Elements of Art:
Line, Shape, Form, Color,
Value, Texture, Space
The basic elements that are used by
artists in creating works of art; they are
what you use to create a good
composition. If we want to make art,
we need to understand these seven
elements of art.
1. Line – the mark made by a moving point. People use
lines to write words and artists draw lines with pencils
or other tools.
Take a look at the drawing by Ben Shahn, titled “The Supermarket.” As you
can see, line plays a very large role in his overall piece. The use of vertical,
diagonal, and horizontal are all used to create the shopping carts.
Another great image
displaying the use of line
as a key element is in
The Peacock Skirt, by
Aubrey Beardsley. How
are the lines different
from that of the
shopping carts? The
mood is drastically
changed by the soft,
flowing lines in the
clothing worn by the
women.
2. Shape – is a flat, enclosed line or area that has two
dimensions – length and width.
Picasso was another famous painter in the 20th century. Look at all the
shapes in his painting, The Lesson. There are triangles, squares, circles,
and many other shapes.
Piet Mondrian, Compostion No. 2
Wassily Kandinsky, Merry Structure
What shapes do you primarily see in the above paintings? Are they soft and round, or more
angular and geometrical? What type of feeling does it create? Both Mondrian and Kandinsky
were famous for their abstract paintings they created in the 20th century. Kandinsky’s painting,
Merry Structure, definitely lives up to its title. The playful shapes create a fun image, while
Mondrian’s painting is more serious, consisting of only squares and rectangles.
3. Form – three dimensional space, volume, mass.
Objects that are 3-D have length, width, and height. It
can be viewed from many sides.
Marcella Smith
Todd King
4. Color – how eyes perceive reflected light off an object.
There are three properties of color – hue (the name of
the color), Value ( the light or dark of the color, also
known as shades and tints), and intensity ( refers to
the brightness of the color).
Artist value “Color” as an important Element of Art. It
is a wonderful tool to create mood in a piece of art. The
effect of color can have a strong impact on your
feelings. In art, dark colors often depict sadness, while
cheerful bright colors are used for happiness.
Study these paintings.
Does it represent
happiness or sadness?
Paris, a Rainy Day, 1877 by Gustave Caillebotte
Dogwood by by Albert Bierstadt
The Red Vineyard at Arles, c.1888 Sunflowers,
c.1888 by Vincent Van Gogh
Sunflowers, c.1888 by Vincent Van
Gogh by Vincent Van Gogh
5. Value – degrees of lightness or darkness.
6-Texture -refers to the way the surface feels on an
object or painting. Artists can create texture by
using a paint brush, palette knife, or any type of
tool or medium they would like.
Van Gogh was known for his heavy
impasto, created by applying lots of
paint with a brush or even a palette
knife. The texture in Starry Night
makes the painting look like it has
movement.
Vincent Van Gogh, Starry Night
Paul Klee, Ad Parnassem
French artist, Paul Klee, is famous for his abstract paintings.
With color, simple shapes and textures, Klee is able to make
his work interesting and enjoyable to look at.
7. Space - refers to the emptiness or area between,
around, above, below, or within objects. Space can be
two-dimensional, three-dimensional, negative and/or
positive.
Principles of Design:
Unity (harmony), Pattern,
Emphasis, Balance, Movement,
Rhythm, Proportion, Contrast
Standards or rules to be observed
by artists in creating works of
art; they are how to create a
good composition.
1. Unity (Harmony) – visually pleasing agreement
among the elements in a design; It is the feeling that
everything in the work of art works together and looks
like it fits.
The Elements Of Art used to create the artwork should appear to create a "whole" image,
not just a series of independent Elements. Artists use certain Elements Of Art over again
and again to create a sense of Harmony. Using related colors, repeating lines and
shapes and themes will also make the work appear Harmonious. When you look at a
work and sense that the piece is complete, you can appreciate the importance of Unity.
We can create harmony with color to help us build a particular
relationship between the colors on the palette. When colors are
harmonized the relationship that is established allows the colors
to work together, sharing something in common. This painting by,
Balthasar van der Ast shows total harmony in all areas.
2. Pattern- is simply keeping your design in a certain
format. For example, you could plan to have wavey
lines all around your design as a pattern, but then you
must continue those wavey lines throughout the
design for good patterns. It wouldn't look good if
suddenly you stopped all the wavey lines and drew a
picture of a dog.
3. Emphasis (Focal Point) – Artists use emphasis to
make certain parts of their artwork stand out and grab
your attention. The center of interest or focal point is
the place the artist draws your eye to first; meant to
stand out to draw attention to the area.
4. Balance – distribution of visual
weight and interest.
 Symmetrical (formal) balance refers to using the
exact same characteristics in the same position on
either side of the composition; like a mirror image.
 Asymmetrical (informal) by using different
equally attracting features on either side of the
composition.
 Radial Balance is when the elements radiate from
the center.
Symmetrical
(formal) Balance:
Asymmetrical (informal) Balance:
By color:
By shape:
By position;
By texture:
Radial Balance:
5. Movement – how the eye moves through the
composition; leading the attention of the viewer from
one aspect of the work to another. Can create the
illusion of action.
6. Rhythm – regular repetition of, or alternation in
elements to create movement and interest.
7. Proportion – size relationships of one part to another
part or to the whole.
When the principle of proportion is applied
to a work of art it is usually in the
relationship of size. In the instance of a
relationship of size, a comparison is made
between the: height, width and depth of
one element to that of another size of
another element.
Proportion is usually not even noticed until
something is out of proportion. When the
relative size of two elements being
compared seems wrong or out of balance it
is said to be "out of proportion". For
example if a person has a head larger than
their entire body, then we would say that
they were out of proportion.
There is a real sense of proportion in each of the two paintings
above. Without the effective use of the principle of proportion
you would not experience the majesty of the mountain cliffs in
the painting on the left or the towering height of the trees in the
painting on the right.
In the two paintings above proportion emphasizes the
distance of the ship and the vastness of the ball room.
8. Contrast -
in art and design occurs when two related elements are different.
The greater the difference the greater the contrast. Contrast adds variety to the total design
and creates unity. It is what draws the viewer's eye into the painting and helps to guide the
viewer around the art piece.
 Contrast in art also adds visual interest. Most designs require a certain amount of contrast.
Too much similarity of the components in any design becomes monotonous. In other
words the use of too little contrast can cause a design to be bland and uninteresting. On
the other hand too much contract can be confusing. Just the right amount of contrast
engages the viewer's participation in comparing various components of the work.
Light & dark contrast
Subtle contrast
Texture contrast