VISUAL ART QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE
Elements and Principles of Design
The Elements and Principles of Design, also often referred to the Elements and Principles of Art, are the
foundational theory by which every art work is designed and produced. Varying authors may have
differing terms; but they all lead back to the same purpose. The elements are the building blocks of the
artwork. The principles are the concepts by which the artist arranges the elements. The elements and
principles are a part of the Big Idea of Structure in the Kentucky Combined Curriculum Document.
As with many words, the art vocabulary may have a different meaning from common use. It is imperative
that students learn the difference. For example, students may associate the term ‘value’ with the monetary
cost of something. In art theory, ‘value’ is something completely different. Through practice, students
learn to apply the terms to their work rather than simply answering a test question about the definition.
Students who create a project for a class outside of the arts greatly benefit from authentic feedback from
teachers about the art work as well as the content area. This quick reference guide will assist non-visual
art content teachers to learn to give that feedback.
ELEMENTS OF DESIGN:
LINE: Line is the very most basic element. It has many purposes. A line can two-dimensional such a
drawn line or it may be three dimensional such as a piece of string. An outline separates components in an
art work; a contour line indicates the edge of an object; an implied line indicates an edge where on color
or value stops and the next begins. Specific use of lines assists in the feeling of movement within a work,
etc. e.g. a gently curving line gives the feeling of slow peaceful movement whereas a jagged line gives the
feeling of erratic movement.
VALUE: Value is the difference between light and dark. Value gives the illusion of depth in a work,
indicates volume and shadow.
SHAPE: Shape is two-dimensional and encloses area. Examples would be a square, circle or triangle, etc.
FORM: Form is three-dimensional and encloses volume. Examples would be a cylinder, cone, or sphere.
An artist combines elements to give the illusion of form. E.g. by adding value to a circle, it begins to take
on the illusion of being a sphere.
TEXTURE: Texture is the surface quality of an object; how it feels, whether smooth or rough. Real
textures are those that are physically there and can be touched. An implied texture is a combination of
elements to give the impression of a texture.
SPACE: Space is another multi-faceted element. The area of an artwork is its ‘space.’ The use of linear
(line) perspective and atmospheric (value, color) perspective give the illusion of depth in a 2-D work.
Space can be positive, such as the main subject of a work; and negative, such as the background around
the object.
COLOR: Color is the one element that may not be present in an art work. The origin of color is white
light which comes from sunlight. It is visible through a spectrum or rainbow and is often known to
students as ROYGBIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet).
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN:
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BALANCE: Balance is the visual sense of equal-ness in an artwork; as in weights on a scale.
Symmetrical balance is identical on both sides of a work; asymmetrical has differences on each side of
the work.
EMPHASIS: Emphasis is the main subject of an artwork. The artist incorporates many different methods
such as size, placement or color, etc.
UNITY (REPETITION, HARMONY): Unity is where an artist will repeat elements throughout an
artwork for a unified whole.
MOVEMENT: Movement is the arrangement of elements to draw a viewer’s eye through the work.
RHYTHM: An artist will repeat shapes or objects to give a sense of a visual ‘beat’ within an artwork
much like the aural rhythm in a piece of music.
CONTRAST: Contrast is the creation of visual conflict within a work to draw the viewer’s eye to an
area.
PATTERN: Pattern is an organized repetition of shapes or objects within a work.
The Purposes of Art
Man has created art for varied purposes throughout time. From the earliest scratching into a patch of dirt
to the latest computer graphics-infused movie, Mans’ innate need to create comes through. Some artworks
may appear very crude by today’s standards; but show creativity nonetheless.
It may be considered that a particular society creates art based on its level of need. For example, in the
discovery of the New World and its colonization, the Europeans were very advanced and did not have a
high level of need just as the indigenous people already on the continent. For a society to create great
works of art for the sake of creating art, it must have a surplus of material, time, and money. It must be
realized that even though a society may be considered ‘primitive,’ that it does not have everything it
needs.
UTILITY (FUNCTIONAL): Creating art with a useful purpose for survival such as bowls, urns,
baskets, blankets and clothing.
CEREMONIAL: Creating art for religious or superstitious beliefs. This purpose is also very prevalent in
dance and music.
HISTORICAL/EDUCATIONAL (NARRATIVE): Artworks are created that tell a story or record
history of the society; either with purpose or by accident. This purpose is similar with the oral tradition of
a society.
PERSUASION/PROPAGANDA: Societies utilize the arts to convince others to believe the way they do
for political ideals or philosophies. Advertising and marketing are other examples of persuasive art.
ARTISTIC EXPRESSION: At the highest level of artistic creation, artists create works for aesthetic
purposes and for self expression. This purpose is also prevalent in dance, drama, and music.
Composing an artwork for a project
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Creating an artwork to show comprehension of content material must go beyond running a few photos off
of the computer and taping them to a piece of fluorescent poster board. Students should consider utilizing
the elements and principles of design; and the teacher should provide feedback to the student on the
artistic qualities of the project. This can pose a difficulty for both parties. Generally speaking, content
teachers are not familiar with evaluating art works and students often do not make the connection that a
work done outside of art class should show the same time and effort.
Teachers and students should consider three “C’s,” Composition (a conscientious use of principles and
elements of design), Craftsmanship (how neat and clean the work is) and Concept (how it shows
understanding of the content).
CONSCIENTIOUS USE OF PRINCIPLES AND ELEMENTS OF DESIGN: There are a few things
students should look at when putting a project together. If the student is producing a two dimensional
work such as a poster, following the ‘rules of nine’ will help. Think of a tic-tac-toe board placed over the
work.
The dashed lines effectively
divide the picture plane into
thirds. The intersection of
dashed line indicates a primary
placement for the emphasized
subject.
Notice how the intersections meet
very nearly to the weaver’s face and
the left hand working on the loom.
What other methods did Rivera use to
show an emphasis on his subject?
Diego Rivera, “The Weaver,” 1936. Oil and tempera on canvas. 26”X42”
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CRAFTSMANSHIP: A student’s work should be neat and clean when it is turned in, just like any other
assignment. Many students may rush through a work, finding “the easiest” way to do things. Articles,
photographs, etc. should be neatly glued to the project surface from the back of the work and not seeping
out the edges or smudged across the project. Stapling pieces or using tape on the outside is equally
aesthetically unappealing. Suggest that students use non-toxic glue sticks or small amounts of schoolgrade white glue; glues that are easier to clean up with water. Try to avoid the use of more toxic glues,
such as rubber cement, which may present a health problem.
CONCEPT: How well has the student shown comprehension of the content? Is the project a collection
of disjointed pictures pulled from the internet that bares no relevance? Has the student created an original
work which does show deep comprehension? Keep these questions in mind as you evaluate the work for
both content and artistic merit.
Rubric
In the beginning, create a standard rubric to assess the projects with. Perhaps the art teacher and content
teacher could collaborate on this. Be sure that students know that the appearance and artistic merit of their
work is going to be a part of the assessment as well as the content. Students will achieve in both areas at a
higher level if they know that both the artistic and content is going to be assessed. It goes without saying
that projects should be formatively assessed to inform the student about progress with the work.
Eventually, content teachers may wish to have students develop rubrics together or individually.
Validation
Student projects should be validated beyond being turned in and graded. Make every effort to display
student works both in and out of the classroom. Students who know from the beginning their work will be
displayed for the school or even the community will have a higher level of concern for doing the project
well.
Robert Duncan, Arts and Humanities Consultant
Kentucky Department of Education
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