STUDY GUIDE FOR 2D DESIGN FINAL EXAM
♣ Ms. Patrick ♣
REVISED SEMESTER #1 2012-2013
Name: _______________________________________________ Hour: ____________
THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN
LINE * SHAPE * FORM * VALUE * COLOR * TEXTURE * SPACE
LINE
Line - Any long narrow mark made by a
person with a pencil or other
drawing/painting tool such as: wavy,
zigzag, loopty-loop (Curly-Q), straight,
and/or combinations & variations there of
(thick, thin, short, long, etc.)
Line Combinations – Attaching two types of lines (such as a zigzag onto a wavy line) to
form a new looking and interesting line
Linear – Relating to, or consisting of, a line or lines
Line Direction – A mark or several marks that lead a
viewer’s eye to a specific area within an artwork
Line Variations – A change in the appearance of the basic
line such as: thick/thin, tall/short, long/short, different
directions (vertical, horizontal and/or diagonal),
combinations, etc.
An example of line variety
Weight - Visual weight can be attained by a concentration of multiple lines, with the
broadside of a pencil or other writing implement.
 visual weight
Contour - To quickly draw the outline, including only the
main details, without lifting your pencil off the paper.
Hatch and Cross-Hatch Lines - A series
of lines that are more or less parallel to
each other are called hatch lines. Bisecting
those lines in series format will yield
cross-hatched lines.
Outline – To draw the silhouette of a subject with one continuous single line.
COLOR
Primary Colors - Red, Yellow, & Blue are the first basic
colors on the Color Wheel chart. From these three (3)
colors, an artist can mix all of the other colors that appear
on the Color Wheel
Secondary Colors - The various mixing combinations of
the primary colors; which yield Orange, Purple, and Green
Intermediate/Tertiary – These colors are formed when a
primary color is mixed with a secondary color that is
immediately next to it on the Color Wheel; which yields
the colors Red-orange, Red-purple, Blue-purple, Bluegreen, Yellow-green, yellow-orange
Shade -A change in a color’s Value from the lightest/brightest towards the
darkest/dullest; and includes the value scale of grays from white to black.
Tint - A change in a color’s Value from the darkest/dullest towards the lightest/brightest;
and includes the value scale of grays from black to white.
Neutral – Having little or no decided color
Hue – The name of a particular color. In casual speech and writing, the words color or
hue are used synonymously
Tone - A relative measure of a color’s lightness or darkness; often-called value. When
grey is added to any color we get tones of that color.
Complimentary color scheme: Colors that are directly opposite
of one another on the color wheel.
blue and orange
Analogous color scheme: Three or maximum four colors,
which are directly next to each other on the color wheel.
(For example: yellow-orange, orange, and red-orange)
Monochromatic color scheme: One color and all the shades
and tints of that color. Neutrals may also be added to this type
of color scheme
An example of a red monochromatic palette
Color wheel – An abstract illustrative
organization of color hues around a circle that
shows relationships between primary colors,
secondary colors, complementary colors etc.
VALUE
Value - A range of various shades and tints and/or white to black; including all the
tones/hues that occur between the two extremes.
value scale
Gradation - Noticeable variations/changes in value, tones, sizes, shapes, forms, etc.
gradation
Light Source/Sun Source – In painting and drawing, the location of the light/sun
source(s) illuminating the subject is critical. Shadows that are important to the entire
effect of the artwork is dependent on the light/sun source – moving the light can change
everything. The artist should always be aware of the problems that extreme differences in
lighting may cause
SHAPE
Shape - Objects that have both height and width. The word ‘shape’ is associated with 2 dimensional artworks
Two Dimensional or 2D - Objects that have or only appear to have both height and
width
Geometric Shapes – The basic geometric
shapes predominantly used in art are the
square, rectangle, triangle, oval and circle
Overlapping - One subject on top/beneath of
another or in front/behind of another subject.
Organic Shapes – Not having angular edges and/or corners; rather
smooth and curvilinear in its shape or form. It is sometimes
referred to, and/or inspired by nature or biomorphic shapes and
forms
FORM
Form - The three dimensional (3D) characteristics of an object – that is height, width and
depth. The word ‘form’ can be used when describing both 2 and 3-dimensional artworks
example of a 3D form
example of a 2D form
Size Variation - A change in height, depth
and/or width
Perspective - Also known as Linear Perspective; which is the art of drawing and painting
where objects appear to have depth and distance. Developed in the 15th century AD, all
parallel lines in a given field converge at a vanishing point(s) on the horizon line
Vanishing Point - A point at which receding lines meet in linear perspective
Horizon Line - The imaginary line where the sky and earth meet
One Point Perspective - Linear perspective that uses only one vanishing point
Two Point Perspective - Linear perspective that uses two vanishing points
TEXTURE
Texture - The use of various techniques to increase either the actual or the apparent
tactile quality of a surface (how it really feels in a 3-D artwork, or how the surface in a 2D artwork appears to have a tactile quality such as rough or smooth)
example of texture in a 2D artwork
example of texture in a 3D
artwork
SPACE
Positive Space: The artwork’s subject, shapes, and/or forms themselves
Negative Space: The empty or open area that is above, below, in-between and/or all
around the defined object
Background/Deep Space – All areas of an artwork that appear to be behind the emphasis
or focal point.
 background
 mid-ground
 foreground
Foreground/Shallow Space – All areas of an artwork that appear in front of the
emphasis or focal point.
THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
PATTERN * RHYTHM * MOVEMENT * BALANCE * EMPHASIS * CONTRAST *
UNITY / HARMONY
PATTERN – Lines, shapes and/or forms that are repeated over and over in a planned
way
RHYTHM – A visual tempo or
beat. A way of combining visual
elements to produce a sense of
action. It is often achieved through
the careful placement of repeated
components which invite the
viewer’s eye to jump rapidly or
glide smoothly from one to the next.
MOVEMENT – A combination of elements that helps the viewer’s eye sweep over the
work in a planned direction
BALANCE – How the different parts of an artwork are arranged to create equal weight
and/or interest
The butterfly below by itself is essentially
symmetrical. Both sides are similar in visual
weight and almost mirrored. Because symmetrical
balance often looks more stiff and formal,
sometimes it is called formal balance.
This image by Robert K. Everest exhibits a sense of balance through
its use of color and shape. The colors seem to flow in a similar
fashion: the dark blue at the top which is contrasted by the yellows
and greens, which therefore moves into reds and purples near the
bottom of the painting. The image is asymmetrical in balance.
EMPHASIS / FOCAL POINT (Dominance) – Areas in an artwork that catch or hold
the viewer’s attention
Emphasis refers to the object or
element which first catches our
attention. In this painting, our eye is
first drawn to the woman's face on
the right edge. It has been
heightened in the value contrast,
color intensity, color contrast
(orange hair and bright red lips
contrast with the green of her
forehead), and proportion (she is the
largest person).
CONTRAST (Variety, or
Gradation) - The use of different lines, shapes, textures, colors and other elements of
design to create interest in a work of art. Closely related to the principle of design,
emphasis, this term (contrast) refers to a way of placing elements of art side-by-side to
stress the differences between them. For example, a painting may have bright color,
which contrasts with dark colors or angular shapes which contrast with curvaceous
shapes. When used this way, contrast can excite, emphasize and direct attention to points
of interest within the artwork.
Melissa White’s painting shows strong
contrast between the foreground and
the background of this costal scene.
The sunny, orange shades of the
background give more emphasis to the
dark shape of the coast. The reflection
of the sun in the water also helps to
create a contrast of the coast.
UNITY / HARMONY - A pleasing agreement of all the individual parts (elements)
within one particular artwork
Theresa Andreas-O’Leary’s
painting exhibits unity through
the consistency of lines and
shapes. The background remains
relatively similar throughout the
whole picture and the trees, which
are all the same kind of tree but
all look different, are placed
within the foreground. These
shapes and lines display a
“coherence of the whole”.