Elements of Art – The elements of art are the basic components, or building blocks that are used to create art (line,
shape, form, value, color, space, texture).
Principles of Design – The principles of design are the different ways the elements can be used in a work of art
(balance, emphasis, harmony, variety, contrast, movement, rhythm, pattern, proportion, unity)
Line – A mark with length and direction.
Shape - An enclosed space defined and determined by other art elements such as line, color, value, and texture. While a
form has depth (3-D), a shape has only height and width (2-D).
Form – A form is three-dimensional (height, width, and depth) and encloses volume. Form can refer to objects that
physically are 3-D and to the illusion of 3-D form on a flat surface.
Value – Value refers to luminance or luminosity -- the lightness or darkness of a color.
Color - Color has three properties: (1) hue, the color name, e.g., red, yellow, blue, etc.: (2) intensity, the purity and
strength of a color, e.g., bright red or dull red; and (3) value, the lightness or darkness of a color.
Space – Space refers to the distance or area between, around, above, below, or within things. It can be described as twodimensional or three-dimensional; as flat, shallow, or deep; as open or closed; as positive or negative; and as actual,
ambiguous, or illusory.
Texture - Texture is the surface quality or "feel" of an object, its smoothness, roughness, softness, etc. Textures may be
actual or simulated. Actual textures can be felt with the fingers, while simulated textures are suggested by an artist in the
painting of different areas of a picture.
Time – Refers to the passage of time as a component in a work of art. This could include time based arts (like video),
and works involving meditative processes, cycles, metamorphosis, or entropy (the force that causes things to return to a
disordered state - the disintegration or breaking down of something)
Interaction – Refers to the intention that the viewer directly participates with the work of art in some way. The viewer’s
participation or lack of participation plays a crucial role in defining the work of art.
Balance - Balance refers to the way the elements of art are arranged to create a feeling of equilibrium or stability in a
work. Portions of a composition can be described as taking on a measureable weight or dominance, and can then be
arranged in such a way that they appear to be either in or out of balance, or to have one kind of balance or another. There
are 3 types of balance: symmetrical (formal), asymmetrical (informal), and radial.
Proportion - Proportion refers to the comparative, proper, or harmonious relationship of one part to another or to the
whole with respect to size, quantity, or degree; a ratio.
Movement - Movement refers to a way of combining elements of art to produce the look of action and to guide the
viewer’s eye throughout the work of art. Movement can refer to both implied motion (as in a suggestion of motion in a
painting or sculpture) and actual motion (as in mobiles and kinetic sculptures).
Repetition - Closely related to harmony, repetition refers to a way of combining elements of art so that the same
elements are used over and over again. Thus, a certain color or shape might be used several times in the same picture.
Repetition also can contribute to movement and rhythm in a work of art.
Rhythm – Closely related to movement, rhythm is created by the placement of repeated elements in a work of art to
cause a visual tempo or beat.
Pattern – Pattern refers to a decorative visual repetition. The repetition in pattern is regular and predictable. A pattern
has no movement and may or may not have rhythm.
Contrast - Closely related to emphasis, contrast is a principle of design that refers to a way of combining elements of art
to stress the differences between those elements. Thus, a painting might have bright color which contrast with dark colors,
or angular shapes which contrast with curvaceous shapes.
Emphasis – Closely related to contrast, emphasis is a principle of design that refers to any forcefulness that gives
importance or dominance (weight) to some feature or features of an artwork; something singled out, stressed, or drawn
attention to by means of contrast, anomaly, or counterpoint for aesthetic impact. Emphasis refers to a way of combining
elements to stress the differences between those elements and to create one or more centers of interest in a work. Often,
emphasized elements are used to direct and focus attention on the most important parts of a composition — its focal
point.
Variety - A principle of design that refers to a way of combining elements of art in involved ways to achieve intricate and
complex relationships. Variety is often obtained through the use of diversity and change by artists who wish to increase
the visual interest of their work.
Harmony - A principle of design, harmony refers to a way of combining elements of art to accent their similarities and bind
the picture parts into a whole. It is often achieved through the use of repetition and simplicity.
Unity - The quality of wholeness or oneness that is achieved through the effective use of the elements and principles of
design. Often it is realized through a deliberate or intuitive balancing of harmony and variety. However, this balance does
not have to be of equal proportions. Harmony aids efforts to blend picture parts together to form a whole. Variety adds
visual interest to this unified whole. A composition is unified when the relationships between its parts interact to create a
sense that no portion of the composition may be changed without altering the aesthetic integrity and meaning of the
artwork. When unity is achieved with insufficient harmony and variety, the result is monotony.