Elements and Principles of Art

elements of art

space, line, shape and form, color, value, and texture.

principles of art

proportion, contrast, variety, movement, rhythm, balance, and emphasis.

LINE

used to define shape, contours, and outlines, also to suggest mass and volume. It may be a continuous mark made on a surface with a pointed tool or implied by the edges of shapes and forms. It can be described as the path of a point moving through space.

Outlines

are made by the edge of an object or its silhouette.

Contour Lines

describe the shape of an object and the interior detail.

Expressive Lines

catch the movement and gestures of an active figure.

Sketch Lines

capture the appearance of an object or impression of a place.

Calligraphic Lines

are the elegant handwriting or lettering done by hand.

Implied Lines

are lines that are not actually drawn but created by a group of objects seen from a distance.

SHAPES

An area that is enclosed by a line or lines. These are two dimensional figures with height and width. 

Geometric Shapes

circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, and other geometric shapes.

Organic Shapes

These are shapes found in nature and are free flowing, informal and irregular (abstract shapes).

Positive Shapes

These are the solid forms in a design.

Negative Shapes

These are the space around the positive shape.

Static Shapes

These are shapes that appear stable and resting.

Dynamic Shapes

These are shapes that appear moving and active.

COLORS

These are the way we see light reflected from a surface or refracted through a prism. ____ we see in nature are reflections of light on the surfaces around us.

Primary colors

Type of color: red, blue, yellow

Secondary colors

Type of color: the resulting colors when the two of the primary colors are mixed. Purple, green, and orange.

tertiary colors

The resulting colors when two of the primary and/or secondary colors are mixed. Amber, vermilion, magenta, violet, and teal.

Analogous Colors

colors that lie next to each other based on the color wheel. Yellow, orange, and red.

Complementary colors

colors that are opposite to each other based on the color wheel. Red and green, blue and orange, purple and yellow.

Monochromatic Colors

several values of one color.

Warm colors

Colors that give the feeling of warmth. Yellow, amber, orange, vermilion, red, and magenta.

Cool colors

colors that give the feeling of coolness. Purple, violet, blue, teal, green, and chartreuse.

SPACE

This refers to distances or areas around, between or within components of a piece and refers to the arrangement of objects on the picture plane (two-dimensional). In visual arts, this may either be positive or negative. 

Positive space

refers to a part which is enclosed in a shape.

negative space

refers to the opposite part which the shape is enclosing.

Perspective

a technical means by which we perceive distance in painting, by which we are made to see the position of objects in space.

one-point perspective

we perceive that the position of objects meets at one point on the horizontal line.

two-point perspective

we perceive that the position of objects meets at two points on the horizontal line.

TEXTURE

This appeals to our sense of feeling on things rough or smooth, bumpy or slippery. It is the character of the surface of artwork.

Real texture 

the actual texture of an object. Artists may create this type pf texture in art to give it visual interest or evoke a feeling.

real

Type of Texture Examples: Sculptures, ceramics, mixed-media collages, fiber art, etc., may have bumpy or varied surfaces.

Implied texture

Texture that makes a piece of art to look like a certain texture. Like a drawing of a tree trunk may look rough but in fact it is just a smooth piece of paper.

implied

Type of Texture Examples: A painting, drawing, print, or other two-dimensional work can be made to look like a textured surface

VALUE

This pertains to the lightness or darkness of a color in a given artwork. It can be changed by adding white or black to a color and these are described as tint and shade.

Tint

This pertains to the lightness of a color.

Shade

pertains to the darkness of a color.

FORMS

the three-dimensionality of an object. It has dimensions of height, width, and length.

RHYTHM

This refers to the repetition of certain elements to produce a pattern. It creates a visual tempo in artworks and provides a path for the viewer’s eye to follow.

MOVEMENT

the illusion of motion in a painting, sculpture, or design.

first preference (movement)

refers to how an artist depicts movement using the elements and principles of art.

second preference (movement)

refers to the visual flow of an artwork, indicated by the path a viewer’s eyes take as they look at the artwork.

balance

refers to the distribution of visual weight in a composition. Each part of the composition works with other parts of the composition to appear equal and harmonious.

proportion

the size relationship between the various parts of an artwork. Artists can use scale and proportion to create sensations such as depth, realism, disorientation, and drama.

contrasts

refers to the arrangement of opposite elements and effects. For example: light and dark colors, smooth and rough textures, large and small shapes. It can be used to create variety, visual interest, and drama in an artwork.

variety

refers to the elements of a composition that differ from one another. This creates visual interest and energy.

emphasis

This refers to the area of an artwork that dominates attention or draws interest. It is often the place a viewer looks first.