2D

$2$ -Dimensional ( $2$ D): Art that is flat. It only has height and width. Any depth you see is just an illusion (e.g., a photograph or a drawing).
$3$ -Dimensional ( $3$ D): Art that has actual depth and volume. You can walk around it or hold it (e.g., a sculpture or a coffee mug).
Form: The physical structure and appearance of the art. It is "how" the work looks (lines, shapes, colors).
Content: The message or meaning behind the art. It is "what" the work is trying to say (e.g., a skull shape is the form; danger or death is the content).

Think of these as the basic building blocks used to create any visual work:

Line: A mark made by a moving point. It can be thick, thin, horizontal, or vertical.
Shape: A $2$ D area created when a line closes or changes color (e.g., a circle).
Form: In $2$ D art, this refers to the illusion of a $3$ D object.
Space: The area around or within objects. It includes both high-detail areas and empty backgrounds.
Value: The relative lightness or darkness of a color or surface.
Texture: The surface quality—how something feels or looks like it would feel.
Color: Visual sensation produced by different wavelengths of light.

These are the strategies used to organize the ingredients (Elements) above:

Unity: Making all parts of the design work together so they look like a single, cohesive team.
Variety: Adding different elements to keep the design interesting and prevent it from being boring.
Balance: How "visual weight" is distributed. A balanced piece doesn't feel like it is "tipping over."
Emphasis: Creating a focal point that catches the viewer's eye first.
Rhythm: Repeating elements to create a sense of movement or a visual "beat."
Scale/Proportion: The size of objects relative to each other or a standard.

Gestalt Theory: The psychological idea that our brains naturally try to find order and group things together. We see "the whole" before we see the individual parts.
Ways to Build Unity:
- Repetition: Using the same element over and over to tie things together.
- Proximity: Placing objects close together to show they are related.
- Continuation: Creating a line or edge that leads the eye from one part of the art to another.

Naturalism: Art that looks exactly like real life (very realistic).
Idealism: Art that removes flaws to show a "perfect" version of reality.
Distortion: Changing or stretching shapes to create a specific mood or impact.
Abstraction: Simplifying real objects into basic shapes; you can still tell what it is, but it isn't realistic.
Non-Objective: Art that has no connection to real-world objects. It is just about colors, lines, and shapes.

Linear Perspective: Using math and "vanishing points" on a horizon line to show distance.
Atmospheric Perspective: Making distant objects look lighter, blurrier, and more blue/gray to show they are far away.
Overlapping: Stacking one object in front of another to show which is closer.
Hierarchical Perspective: Making the most important person or object the largest, even if they should be smaller based on distance.

The Three Color Attributes:
1. Hue: The name of the color (e.g., Red or Green).
2. Value: How light or dark a color is. Adding White creates a Tint; adding Black creates a Shade.
3. Intensity (Saturation): How bright or dull a color is. You make a color duller by adding its complement (opposite).
Color Systems:
- Additive ( $RGB$ ): Mixing light. Red, Green, and Blue light together make White. Used for screens.
- Subtractive ( $RYB$ / $CMYK$ ): Mixing pigments. Red, Yellow, and Blue are the traditional basics. Used for paint and print.
Color Schemes:
- Monochromatic: One color plus its different tints and shades.
- Analogous: Colors that sit next to each other on the wheel (e.g., Blue and Blue-Green).
- Complementary: Colors opposite each other on the wheel (e.g., Red and Green). They create high contrast.