Elements and Principles

Elements
Elements ofof Art

Art
-&-
-&- Principles
Principles of
of Design
Design
Elements of Art
• Line • Texture
• Shape • Value
• Form • Color
• Space
Line
• A line is a basic element of art, referring
to a continuous mark, made on a surface,
by a moving point.
• A line is long relative to its width. It can
define a space, create an outline or
pattern, imply movement or texture and
allude to mass or volume. Absolutely
essential in creating art, the line.
• Types of Lines
How do these use line ?
Van Gogh Kandinsky

Shape
• Geometric shapes - circles, rectangles,
squares, triangles and so on - have the
clear edges one achieves when using tools
to create them.
• Organic shapes have natural, less well-
defined edges (think: an amoeba, or a
cloud).
How do these use Shape ?
Picasso Matisse
Form
• Form is an element of art. At its
most basic, a form is a three-
dimensional geometrical figure (i.e.:
sphere, cube, cylinder, cone, etc.), as
opposed to a shape, which is two-
dimensional, or flat.
How do these use Form ?
Seurat Dali
Space
• An element of art, space refers to
distances or areas around, between or
within components of a piece.
• Space can be positive (white or light) or
negative (black or dark), open or closed,
shallow or deep and two-dimensional or
three-dimensional.
• Sometimes space isn't actually within a
piece, but the illusion of it is.
How do these use Space ?
Monet Manet
Texture
• Texture, another element of art, is used to
describe either the way a three-dimensional
work actually feels when touched, or the
visual "feel" of a two-dimensional work.
• Take rocks, for example. A real, 3-D rock
might feel rough or smooth, and definitely
feels hard when touched or picked up. A
painter, depicting a rock, would create the
illusions of these qualities through use of
color, line, shape, etc.
How do these use
Texture ?
Pollack Close
Value
• An element of art, value refers to the
lightness or darkness of a color.
• Value becomes critical in a work which has no
colors other than black, white, and a gray
scale.
• For a great example of value in action, think
of a black and white photograph. You can
easily visualize how the infinite variations of
gray suggest planes and textures.
How do these use Value ?
Reinagle
Color
• Color is the element of art that is produced when
light, striking an object, is reflected back to the eye.
• There are three (3) properties to color. First is hue,
which simply means the name we give to a color (red,
yellow, blue, etc.).
• The second property is intensity, which refers to the
strength and vividness of the color. For example, we
may describe the color blue as "royal" (bright, rich,
vibrant) or "dull" (grayed).
• The third and final property of color is its value,
meaning its lightness or darkness. The terms shade
and tint are in reference to value changes in colors.
How do these use
Color ?
O’Keefe Goings
Principles of Design
• Balance
• Proportion
• Repetition
• Rhythm
• Emphasis
• Unity and Variety
Balance
• Symmetrical balance can be described as
having equal "weight“, horizontal/vertical
• Asymmetrical balance involves placement
of objects in a way that will allow objects
of varying visual weight to balance one
another around a point.
Proportion
• Proportion refers to the size of a
part of an object in comparison to
the remainder of the object.
• For instance, if you are designing a
building, the window should be in
proportion to the building, based on
the chosen scale.
Repetition
• Repetition is used to create patterns
within a design, where a particular element
of design is repeatedly utilized. This
repetition may be clearly visible, or may be
underlying and could be noticed after a
clear understanding of the image.
Repetition is used to create rhythm in a
design.
Rhythm
• Rhythm is used to create order in a
design composition. The pattern of
rhythm may vary depending on the
choice of element used.
Emphasis
• Emphasis is used to grab the
attention of the viewer in a design.
• An element of design can be
emphasized by the use of color,
gradation, contrast, texture, shape,
or placement in comparison to
remainder of the design
Unity and Variety
• Unity is achieved by the use of all or
any of the aforementioned principles
of design.
• It is important to understand that
unity can be achieved even in variety.
• Unity and Variety need to work
together.

Elements and Principles

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Elements

Elements ofof Art

Van Gogh Kandinsky

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