ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES
OF DESIGN
How Do We Make Art?
We mark on the page to create lines, shapes, objects,
and spaces. We color parts in to call attention to
them and make everything aesthetically pleasing
(pretty).
Elements of Design – “The How”
These are the things that make up any work of art. Think of them
as the ‘tools’ or ‘ingredients’ artists use to create their work.
Line
Color
Shape
Form
Value
Space
Texture
Line
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Line is the most basic of the elements.
ALL ARTWORK CONTAINS LINE.
What are some different kinds of line?
Find the Line(s)
Find the Line(s)
Find the Line(s)
Lines are Created by:
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Line of vision
Patterns
Edges of art
Edges of colors
objects
Shapes
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Shapes are 2-DIMENSIONAL enclosed spaces.
There are two different kinds of shapes:
 Geometric
 Organic
Form
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Form is a 3-DIMENSIONAL enclosed space.
They are the same as shapes expect that they
are/or appear to be 3D.
Space
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The feeling of depth or that you could
move/interact with an artwork.
It can be real (like a sculpture) or visual (like a
painting).
Positive and Negative Space
Color
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We reproduce color through pigments.
Pigments are the chemicals that create colors.
They work a bit differently than visible light but
produce similar effects.
Three Properties of Colors
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Hue – The name of a color
Value – The lightness or darkness of a color
Intensity – The brightness or dullness of a color
Color Ranking
•Colors are broken down
into three main rankings.
•Primary (Circles)
•Secondary (Squares)
•Tertiary (Triangle)
The Primary Colors
Red Yellow Blue
•The primary colors are the
main colors.
•They CANNOT be made
through mixing.
•ALL other colors can be
made by mixing primaries
(and white and black).
The Secondary Colors
Orange Green Violet
•These colors are
created by mixing
two primary colors
together.
The Tertiary Colors
•These colors are made
by combining a primary
and a secondary color.
•They typically have
combination names such
as Red-Orange.
•Remember 1+2=3.
Warm vs. Cool
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The color wheel can be
spilt on the diagonal to
divide it into warm and
cool colors.
What are some
differences between
warm and cool colors?
Warm Colors
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Warm colors are reds,
oranges, and yellows –
some greens and
violets can be warm
too.
What are some things
that we associate with
warm colors?
Cool Colors
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Cool colors are
greens, blues, and
violets.
What are some
things that we
associate with
cool colors?
Analogous Colors
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These are colors that are similar.
They share colors.
They are NEXT to each other on the color wheel.
Complimentary Colors
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These colors are
opposites.
They do not share
colors.
They are ACROSS
the color wheel
from each other.
Blue - Orange
Red - Green
Yellow - Violet
Intensity
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If you mix a color with its compliment, you will loose
intensity.
Mixing compliments will make blacks and browns.
Color and Mood
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Color very much changes the mood or feeling of an
artwork.
What happens if you use bright/warm colors?
What happens if you use dark/cool colors?
Value
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The lightness or darkness of a color/area/object.
Value takes a shape and makes it a form.
Texture
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Texture can either be visual or actual
Visual – things look like you could touch them
Actual – real texture, such as a sculpture
Principles of Design – “The Why”
These are the rules or goals that artists follow to
create a successful artwork.
 Balance
 Unity
 Variety
 Emphasis
 Proportion
 Movement
 Rhythm and Pattern
Balance
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How parts of an artwork are arranged to create a
sense of equal weight or interest
Symmetrical Balance:
similar elements on each
side of the work; like a
mirror
Oriental Poppies
1928
Georgia O’Keefe
Balance
Asymmetrical balance:
balance created while
using different sizes,
colors, or shapes
Sunday Afternoon on the Island of
La Grande Jatte
1884
Georges Seurat
Asymmetrical Balance
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Asymmetrical is still balanced!
 One
side has 1 or 2 larger, more important object(s)
 Other side many smaller, less important objects
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Think of it like this:
 One
dollar = four quarters
 Which would you pick up first?
Balance
Radial balance: all
elements radiate from a
center point in a circular
fashion
Rose Window
Notre Dame Cathedral
Paris, France
Unity
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All parts of a design work together to create a
feeling of wholeness. Think of the elements working
as a ‘team’.
Paris Street, Rainy Day
1877
Gustave Caillebotte
Variety
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The use of different lines, shapes, colors, and
textures to create interest in an artwork
Composition VIII
1923
Wassily Kandinsky
Flip side: Where’s the Unity?
Emphasis
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Some visual elements
are given more
importance than
others to catch and
hold a viewer’s
attention
What your eye is
drawn to first
Untitled (I Shop, therefore I Am)
1987
Barbara Kruger
Emphasis
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Emphasis is created through:
 Variety
– The things that are different
 Color – The brighter the more it draws attention
 Placement – Things closer to the center are deemed
more important
 Size – Larger things are considered more important
Rhythm or Pattern
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Repeating elements create visual or actual
movement in an artwork.
Okazaki. Tenshin-no Hashi
1834
Ando Hiroshige
Movement
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Visual elements are combined to create a sense of
action.
Horse Fair
1853-1855
Rosa Bonheur
Movement = Rhythm/Pattern
Proportion
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The relation of an object
to another in size, amount,
or number.
Clothespin
1976
Claes Oldenburg
What size are these objects?
Let’s Practice
Resources
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Piet Mondrian, Composition with Yellow, Blue, and Red, 1921,
oil on canvas, 72.5 x 69 cm, Tate Gallery. London
Stuart Davis, Colonial Cubism
1954 (90 Kb); Oil on canvas, 44 7/8 x 60 1/8 in; Walker
Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Anish Kapoor, Cloud Gate, Millennium Park, Chicago, 20022004
Alexander Calder, Big Sail, MIT campus, 40 feet high,1966
Wassily Kandinsky, Composition VII, 1913
M. C. Escher, Drawing Hands, 1948
Ursula von Rydingsvard, Plate with Dots Detail, 2006