Elements and Principles of Art
Elements
Elements of Art
Principles of Art
Form
Form is an element of art that is
three-dimensional and encloses volume. Cubes ,spheres,and cylinders are
examples of various forms.
Emphasis in a composition refers
to developing points of interest to
pull the viewer’s eye to important
parts of the body of the work.
Line is an element of art which refers to the continuos mark made on
some surface by a moving point. It
may be two dimensional, like a pencil
mark on a paper or it may be three
dimensional(wire) or implied( the
edge of a shape or form) often it is a
outline,contour or silhouette.
Balance is a sense of stability in the
body of work. Balance can be created by repeating same shapes and
by creating a feeling of equal weight.
Harmony is achieved in a body
of work by using similar elements
throughout the work, harmony gives
an uncomplicated look to your work.
Variety refers to the differences
in the work, You can achieve variety
by using difference shapes, textures,
colors and values in your work.
Line
Shape
Color
Texture
Space
Value
Principles
Emphasis
Balance
Harmony
Variety
Movement
Rhythm
Proportion
Unity
Shape is an enclosed space defined
by other elements of art. shapes may
take on the appearance of two-d or
three- objects.
Color Is an element of art with three
properties1) Hue, the name of the
color, e.g. red, yellow, etc. 2) Intensity
or the purity and strength of the color
such as bright ness or dullness. And 3)
value, or the lightness or darkness of
the color.
Texture refers to the surface quality or
“feel” of an object, such as roughness,
smoothness, or softness. Actual texture
can be felt while simulated textures are
implied by the way the artist renders
areas of the picture.
Space refers to the distance or area between, around, above or within things.
It can be a description for both 2 and 3
dimensional portrayals.
Value describes the lightness or darkness of a color. Value is needed to
express Volume.
Movement adds excitement to
your work by showing action and
directing the viewers eye throughout
the picture plane.
Rhythm is a type of movement in
drawing and painting. It is seen in
repeating of shapes and colors. Alternating lights and darks also give a
sense of rhythm.
Proportion or scale refers to the
relationships of the size of objects in
a body of work. Proportions gives a
sense of size seen as a relationship of
objects. such as smallness or largeness.
Unity is seen in a painting or drawing when all the parts equal a whole.
Your work should not appear disjointed or confusing.
UnderstandingArts
Formal
Analysis
Performing
in Art
Principles of Design
The principles of design describe the ways that artists use the elements of art in a work 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.
Emphasis is the part of the design that catches the viewer’s attention. Usually the
artist will make one area stand out by contrasting it with other areas. The area could
be different in size, color, texture, shape, etc.
Movement is the path the viewer’s eye takes through the work of art, often to focal
areas. Such movement can be directed along lines, edges, shape, and color within the
work of art.
Pattern is the repeating of an object or symbol all over the work of art.
Repetition works with pattern to make the work of art seem active. The repetition
of elements of design creates unity within the work of art.
Proportion is the feeling of unity created when all parts (sizes, amounts, or number)
relate well with each other. When drawing the human figure, proportion can refer
to the size of the head compared to the rest of the body.
Rhythm is created when one or more elements of design are used repeatedly to
create a feeling of organized movement. Rhythm creates a mood like music or
dancing. To keep rhythm exciting and active, variety is essential.
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 the feeling of harmony between all parts of the work of art, which creates
a sense of completeness.
Education
Education
The J. Paul Getty Museum
The J. Paul Getty Museum
at the Getty Center
© 2011 J. Paul Getty Trust
point
© 2011 J. Paul Getty Trust
171
Elements
Line
of
Shape
Art
Form
Space
Texture
Color
Value
Line
Line
Line can create a
shape or be the
edge of a shape,
this is called a
contour line.
Line
divides
space.
Line gives
the feeling of
direction or
movement.
Qualities of Line
The unique character of any line. Line quality is
affected by the tool or medium used to make the mark.
ROUGH
TEXTURE
1. Smooth
SMOOTH
2. Rough
3. Continuous
SKETCHY
4. Broken
BROKEN
5. Sketchy
6. Controlled
7. Thickness
8. Thinness
9. Lightness
10.Darkness
Emotional & Expressive Lines:
can describe an idea, quality, emotion or feeling
without depicting any person or object.
• Wavering
• Firm
• Blurry
• Soft
• Bold
• Gentle
• Weak
• Stiff
• Tense
• Strong
• Fluid
• Sharp
• Delicate
• Nervous
• Joy
Line
Vocabulary
LINE ARTISTS
Picasso
Kline
Pollock
Klee
Marc Chagall
Matisse
Mondrian
Van Gogh
Kandinsky
Hans Holbein
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Horizontal
Vertical
Curved
Diagonal
Zigzag
Straight
Curly
Jagged
Wavy
Broken
Wiggly
Bent
Spiral
Perspective
Point
Dot
Rhythm
Move
Direction
Long
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Length
Wide
Thick
Thin
Dark
Light
Even
Uneven
Up
Down
Across
Cross
Cross-hatching
Linear
Slant
Shape
Short
Continuous
Contour
Shape
& Form
Geometric Shapes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Circle
Square
Triangle
Rectangle
Oval
Organic Shapes
Precise shapes that look as
if they were made with a
ruler or compass and can
be measured and
calculated.
These are not regular or
even Their outlines may
be curved or angular to
make free-form shapes.
They often occur in
nature.
Form
Geometric
Forms
Organic or
Free-Forms
Three-dimensional object.
Forms have both length and width. But forms also have depth.
Like a shape, a form can be classified as geometric or organic.
S P A C E
Positive and Negative Space
In both two and three-dimension art, the shapes or
forms are called the positive area. The empty spaces
between the shapes or forms are called negative spaces.
Perspective
The method for
creating illusion of
depth on a twodimensional surface
is called perspective.
Two Ways of
Experiencing Texture
Through Our Senses
Real Texture:: When you actually
touch something to determine its
texture, you experience real texture.
Visual Texture:: When you look at a
photograph of velvet, tree bark, sand
or ice, you see surface patterns of
light and dark that bring back
memories of how those things really
feel. When this happens, you are
experiencing visual texture.
Rough, Smooth,
Matte, Shiny,
Furry, Prickly,
Sticky, Slick,
Curly
When a color moves to gray and then black.
The intensity of a color.
1. Value is the lightness and darkness of the a color
2. Shade: a value can be darkened by adding black.
3. Tint: a value can be lightened by adding white.
4. Abrupt or gradual changes in value can add
greatly to the visual effect of art forms.
5. Artists use bold contrasts of value in order to
express powerful effects in an image.
6. Each value of light or dark is affected by the value
of its surroundings.
7. Value can help express space. Usually dark values
appear to come forward and light values tend to
recede.
R
L
CO O
COLOR is part of an
orderly world and
has its own rules and
reasons for
happening. The best
way to learn about
color is not by
talking about it but
by using it. From
looking at color,
experimenting with
it, and using it, can
come a true
understanding and
real feeling for it.
Principles
Unity
of
Contrast
Design
Rhythm
Pattern
Balance
Emphasis
Unity
Unity is the feeling that everything in the work
of art works together and looks like it fits.
Gustave Caillebotte used
shape to create unity.
Repetition of shape and color
can make an artwork unified.
Contrast
Contrast creates excitement and interest in artworks. Two things that are very
different have a lot of contrast. White and black have the greatest contrast.
Complementary colors also have high contrast.
Artists use high contrast to make
something show up. In
Wheatfields with Ravens,
Vincent van Gogh used high
contrast colors to make the
yellow wheat fields stand out
against the dark blue sky.
Artists may choose low
contrast for a softer
look, as Claude Monet
did in this painting of a
bridge.
Rhythm
Rhythm is one of the principles of art. Visual rhythm makes you think
of the rhythms you hear in music or dance. Artists create visual
rhythm by repeating art elements and creating patterns.
In Okazaki,
Ando
Hiroshige's
bridge
supports create
a rhythm that
leads your eyes
through the
landscape.
Pattern
Artists create pattern by repeating a line,
shape or color over and over again. .
Lines create patterns on the
headdress of the Golden Effigy
of King Tutenkhaman.
In "Water Lilies," Claude Monet
repeats the pattern of water lilies
floating on the pond.
Balance
Balance is one of the principles of art which
describes how artists to create visual weight.
Symmetrical
(formal) balance
Asymmetrical
(informal) balance
Radial
balance
means both sides of
an imaginary line are
the same.
means each side of an
imaginary line are
different yet equal.
means lines or
shapes grow from
a center point.
Emphasis
Artists use emphasis to make certain
parts of their artwork stand out and
grab your attention. The center of
interest or focal point is the place the
artist draws your eye to first.
In this painting, "The
Letter," Mary Cassatt
emphasized the envelope by
painting it white against the
dark patterns of the
woman's dress. She also
placed the envelope in the
center of the painting to
draw your eye to it.