The Elements of art are the basic properties of a work of art that may be perceived through the senses.
They are: texture, form, shape, color, line and value .
The ways the elements of an artwork relate to each other and are organized in the artwork are referred
to as the principles of art.
The principles of visual art are the rules, tools and/or guidelines that artists use to organize the elements
of art in an artwork.
The principles of art are: unity, harmony, variety, balance, rhythm, emphasis, contrast, proportion, and
pattern.
LINE
Line is one dimensional. (length)
Implied lines are those that are suggested by the positions of shapes or objects. (An example is a dotted
line)
Actual lines are lines that are physically present in a design. (Examples, curved, straight, zig zag, bumpy,
and wavy)
The direction lines are horizontal, diagonal, and vertical.
Shape and Form
A line creates a shape when it connects with itself.
Shape is a flat two-dimensional area enclosed by lines.
Form is a three-dimensional area enclosed by a surface.
a. Hollow forms have volume
b. Solid forms have mass
Shape and form define objects in space.
Shapes have two dimensions–height and width–and are usually defined by lines.
Forms exist in three dimensions, with height, width, and depth.(Space 2-D, Form 3D)
Shapes can be geometric
(e.g.: square, circle, hexagon, etc.)
or organic
(such as the shape of a puddle, blob, leaf, boomerang, etc.)
Shapes are 2 dimensional;
Forms can also be geometric (cube, cone, prism, pyramid, cylinder)
or organic (such as the form of the desk, a tree, a dog.)
Three-dimensional form is the basis of sculpture, furniture, and decorative arts.
*Three-dimensional forms can be seen
from more than one side.
Sculptures can be made out of ?clay (ceramics) ,wood, wax, metal, glass, plaster, paper, and much more.
SPACE
Space can either be a flat area or have volume. An enclosed space is usually called “shape” while and
unenclosed space is simply “space”.
Space/shape relationships can create illusions of depth or of foreground and background.
Positive space is the areas in a work of art that are the subjects, or areas of interest.
Negative space is area around the subjects.
Repetition, pattern, and rhythm
Repetition refers to one object or shape repeated; pattern is a combination of elements or shapes
repeated in a recurring and regular arrangement; rhythm--is a combination of elements repeated,
but with variations.
Texture
Implied Texture or Visual Texture: Implied texture, or visual ?texture, is texture that you can see but not
feel. Objects and artworks with implied texture look like they might have the tactile surface quality that
you can observe with your eyes, but when you actually touch the surface, it is not textural at all, or has a
different texture than it ?appears to have.
Real Texture or Tactile Texture: Real texture, or tactile texture, is texture that you can see with your
eyes and actually feel with your fingers. Real texture has a surface quality that may be rough, smooth,
?bumpy, squishy, or spiky, to name just a few textures. Sculptural artists ?deal with real texture, but two
dimensional artists, such as painters, ?also deal with real texture on occasion.
Contrast:
Contrast is the state of being strikingly different from something else, typically something in close
association.
Neutral colors:
Having a color that does not attract attention. Black, Gray and White are considered neutral.
Complementary
Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel are complementary colors (example: red and
green).
Analogous
Analogous color schemes use colors that are next to each other on the color wheel. They blend well.
warm colors : orange yellow and red
cool colors: blue, violet and green
Neutral colors are black, white, and gray.
Primary colors are red, yellow and blue.
Secondary colors are green, violet and orange.
Tertiary colors: Red-orange, Yellow-Orange, Yellow- Green, Blue- green, Blue- Violet and Red- Violet
*Sometimes magenta is used in place of red, and cyan is used in place of blue. In these cases, magenta
and cyan are considered primary.
Intensity refers to the brightness and dullness of colors. Adding black dulls the color.
Highlight is the brightest spot on an object.
Shadows are the darkest spots on an object.
Hue: another word for color.
color scheme is the choice of colors used in design .
Color schemes are used to create style and appeal.
A basic color scheme will use two colors that look appealing together.
More advanced color schemes involve several colors in combination.
Value The lightness or darkness of a hue can be altered by the addition of black or white pigment
1. Tints are hues that have white added
2. Shades are hues that have black added
* Value can be created with any media: pencil, pen, paint, pastels, etc.
* Hue is another word for color.
Emphasis
Emphasis is also referred to as point of focus. It marks the locations in a composition which most
strongly draw the viewers’ attention.
Contrast refers to the arrangement of opposite elements (light vs. dark colors, rough vs. smooth
textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.) in a piece so as to create visual interest, excitement and drama.
Movement is the path the viewer’s eye takes through the artwork, often to focal areas. Such
movement can be ?directed along lines edges, shape and color within the artwork.
Balance :
There are 3 types of Balance
Symmetrical (the same on both sides)
Asymmetrical (not the same on the sides)
Radial (balanced around the center )
Proportion : Proportion is a measurement of the size and number of elements within a composition.
Perspective: a graphic system that creates the illusion of depth and volume on a two-dimensional
surface.
Overlapping: when one object partially covers another object.
Atmospheric perspective: brightly colored objects seem closer to the viewer, and objects with
dull, light colors seem to be farther away.
Diminishing size: large objects appear to be closer to the viewer than small objects.
Placement: objects placed low on the picture plane seem to be closer to the viewer than objects placed
near eye level.
Sculpture:
The art or practice of shaping figures or designs in the round or in ?relief.
To fashion into a three-dimensional figure. (stone, bronze, plaster, ?clay, paper mache or wood, for
example)
Aboriginal : the people of Australia who lived there first.
Dot painting :Dot painting consists of various paint colors like yellow (the sun), brown (the soil), red
(desert sand) and white (the clouds and sky). Mostly indigenous Australians painted nature like animals
or lakes and the dream time.
Subject matter words:
— Abstract: (no obvious subject)
— Cityscape: buildings, man-made, urban, industrial.
— Fantasy: imaginary, invented, mythological.
— Figurative: Picture of a person's whole body
—Portraits: Picture of a person's face
Portrait: a picture of a person
Self Portrait: a picture of the ?artist
Profile: A side view of a person
— Landscape, seascape: Picture of land or sea.
— Still life: Picture of things that can not move, ?usually set on a table, or surface.