Elements and Principles of Art

Balance

is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space. If the design was a scale, these elements should be balanced to make a design feel stable. In symmetrical balance, the elements used on one side of the design are similar to those on the other side; in asymmetrical balance, the sides are different but still look balanced. In radial balance, the elements are arranged around a central point and may be similar. 

Contrast

is the use of several elements of design to hold the viewer's attention and to guide the viewer's eye through the artwork.

Movement

 is the way a viewer's eye is directed to move through a composition, often to areas of emphasis. Movement can be directed by lines, contrasting shapes, or colors within the artwork.

Emphasis

is created in a work of art when the artist contrasts colors, textures, or shapes to direct your viewing towards a particular part of the image.

Pattern

is the repetition of a shape, form, or texture across a work of art.

Proportion

is created when the sizes of elements in a work of art are combined harmoniously.

Variety

is the use of several elements of design to hold the viewer’s attention and to guide the viewer’s eye through and around the work of art.

Unity

is created when the principles of analysis are present in a composition and in harmony. Some images have a complete sense of unity, while some artists deliberately avoid formal unity to create feelings of tension and anxiety.

Line

is the most basic building block of formal analysis. Line can be used to create more complex shapes or to lead your eye from one area in the composition to another.

Value

is the degree of light and dark in a design. It is the contrast between black and white and all the tones in between. Value can be used with color as well as black and white. Contrast is the extreme changes between values.

Shapes

are created when lines are combined to form a square, triangle, or circle. Shapes can be organic (irregular shapes found in nature) or geometric (shapes with strong lines and angles such as circles, triangles, and squares).

Forms

are three-dimensional shapes with length, width, and depth. Balls, cylinders, boxes and pyramids are forms.

Space

is the area between and around objects. Increasing or decreasing the amount of space around an object affects the way we view that object.

Color

differentiates and defines lines, shapes, forms, and space. Even black and white images have a huge number of different shades of gray.

Texture

 is the surface quality that can be seen and felt. Textures can be rough or smooth, soft, or hard. Textures are often implied. For instance, a drawing of rock might appear to have a rough and hard surface, but in reality, is as smooth as the paper on which it is drawn.

Juxtaposition

is when two things are put beside each other for a contrasting effect.

 Exaggeration:

Cartoonists will overdo physical characteristics of people or things in order to make a point.

Labeling:

Objects or people are often labeled by cartoonists to make it clear exactly what they stand for.

Symbolism:

 Objects are used to stand in for larger concepts or ideas.

Allusion:

a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. 

 Analogy:

Cartoonists will 'draw' a comparison between two unlike things.

Irony:

The difference between the way things are and the way things should be. The expression of the opposite of what is expected.