In order to understand and appreciate

art, you must understand it’s

language

So, if Art is a language, what is its

grammar or structure?

We’ll find the answer in the

Elements and Principles of Design
 The Elements and Principles of Design
The Elements of Design are:
Line, Shape, Form, Space, Value,Texture and Color
These are considered to be the “grammar” of art

The Principles of Design are:

Unity, Variety, Balance, Contrast, Emphasis, Pattern,
Proportion, Movement and Rhythm
These are like the “rules of grammar”; they form the
guidelines that artists follow when they combine
the various elements of design

As you study visual art, and the world around you,

you will notice that these Elements and Principles
never appear by themselves.
 Let’s practice looking!

What elements do you see used in this

geranium?
 If you said:
Color (red and green)
Shape (the outlines of flowers and leaves)
Line (the stems, the veins of the leaves) and
Texture (smooth petals and furry leaves)

You were
CORRECT!
What principle(s) do you see used in these pictures?

A glass skyscraper

A plaid scarf

A flying bird
 If you said:

Unity, Pattern,
Proportion

Movement,
Rhythm

Pattern, Unity, Contrast Then you

were
CORRECT!
 Line
Everywhere you look, you see lines.

In nature you can

see lines in tree
branches:
In a curving river:

Or in a spiders web
 The manufactured world provides
examples too
Lines formed by wires: Edges of buildings:

And winding roads

 As you have seen, lines can have many qualities:
They can be: curved or straight

Vertical horizontal diagonal

Thick or thin smooth or rough

Light or dark and continuous or broken

In artworks, straight lines generally suggest directness or clarity while curving lines
imply gentleness or movement. Vertical lines can give an artwork strength while
horizontal lines convey calmness and tranquility. Diagonal lines convey action and
energy—think of a lightening bolt or a falling tree. Very thick lines appear strong
while a thin line appears weak or delicate. Fuzzy lines imply softness while smooth
lines imply harder surfaces. Repeated lines can create patterns, textures and even
rhythms.
 Lines can also be implied or real.

A real line is one you can actually see (Ex. A) while an

implied line is the suggestion of a line (Ex. B) An
implied line may also be suggested by a string of
objects (Ex. C)
(A) (B) (C)
 Shape
Shape is a 2-dimensional object (it is flat) It has
height and width but no depth. Shapes can be
either geometric or organic.

Geometric shapes ---circles, squares and

rectangles---are regular and precise. They
can be measured.

Organic shapes are irregular---seashells, leaves,

flowers, etc.
 Shape
An artwork is often made up of positive and negative shapes. The
positive shapes are usually the solid objects that the artist depicts
(see below). The negative shapes are formed by the areas around or
between the objects (the sky, grass, mountains, etc)
 Form
A form is 3-Dimensional. It has height, width AND depth. As with shapes,
Forms can be regular and precise or irregular and organic.

3-D art, such as sculptures, architecture and crafts, is composed of forms.

In 2-D art, artists can only create the illusion of form.
 Space
In a 2-D work of art, space is limited to the picture plane. By using color and/or
value you can make objects appear to advance (come forward) or recede (go back)
into space to create an illusion of depth. Objects with clear surface detail appear
nearer to the viewer than fuzzy or plain objects. Also, an illusion of space can be
accomplished when objects overlap or are placed higher on the picture plane.
Items farther away appear less
Objects farther away detailed or fuzzy
are placed higher on
the picture plane

Overlapping gives the

illusion of space too.
As you can see in this example of linear perspective, in which parallel
lines recede toward a common vanishing point, the illusion of 3-D space
is created on a 2-D surface. Objects farther away are higher up on the
picture plane, there is overlapping of buildings and less detail as the image
seems farther away from the viewer.

Objects farther away are placed higher on the picture plane and are less detailed
e

Buildings are
overlapped to
create an illusion
of space
 Value
Value refers to the lightness and darkness of a color.
Value is commonly known as “shading” of an
object.
A value scale, such as this one, can show
the full range of a color. This is
accomplished by adding black to a color to
make shades or adding white to a color to
make tints.

TINTS ORIGINAL SHADES

COLOR

Accomplished artists know, that to

make a drawing look as real as
possible, they must show a full
value range in their artwork
 Texture
Texture is the tactile quality of a surface, such as rough, smooth, sticky, fuzzy, soft or
slick. Like line, texture can be real or implied. A real texture is one that can be felt,
such as a piece of sandpaper, a woven mat, or animal fur. In an artwork, real texture
can be created through thickly applied paint, glossy glazes, and gluing objects to the
surface. Implied texture is an illusion of texture created by an artist. As you can see
below, this artist created a sense of smooth water and prickly grass.
 Color
Color
Color is everywhere. In our clothes, the sky,
trees, flowers, billboards designed to attract our
attention, on the web and on television.

There are literally thousands of colors; from bright to dull

(intensity) and light to dark (value). Colors are powerful; they
can make objects seem to glow, to come forward and recede,
or to appear bigger or smaller.

Colors can also be symbolic, with meanings that change from

culture to culture. A color can symbolize an object or thing
such as blue for water and green for grass and the leaves of
trees or it may symbolize an emotion or idea, such as red for
love, yellow for fear and blue for sadness. A trained artist is
familiar with all of these options and can select and combine
colors to create a desired impression or to evoke a certain
mood.
 Color
Color is a property of light. When we say an
object is red, we mean that its surface absorbs
certain wavelengths of light that we call red,
we identify the object as red in color. If all
wavelengths of light are absorbed, we identify
the color as black, if all wavelengths of color
are reflected, we see white.

Color has 3 characteristics: hue, value and intensity.

Hue is actually the color we see—such as red. Value
refers to the lightness and darkness of a hue. For
example, maroon is a dark value (shade) of red and
pink is a light value (tint) of red.

Intensity is the brightness or dullness of a color.

 Color
Red, Yellow and Blue are called
P
Primary colors (P)and are used to
create the rest of the colors on the
color wheel.
I I S
S
When you mix two primary
I I
colors together, you get a
I I Secondary color (S). These colors
are P Orange (yellow and red), Green
P S (blue and yellow) and violet (red
and blue)

And when you mix a primary and a secondary color together you
get an Intermediate color (I). These are yellow-green, yellow-
orange, red-orange, red-violet, blue-violet and blue-green
 Color Schemes
When two colors are located directly across
from each other on the wheel, they are referred
to as complementary colors.

Artists often pair complementary colors together

because the area where they meet seems to
vibrate. You can also lessen the intensity of a
color by adding a small amount of its
complementary color.

What pair of complimentary colors did this artist

use in this picture?
 Color Schemes
A monochromatic color scheme makes use of only one
hue and its tints and shades. This scheme can produce
appealing pictures as you can see below.
Color Schemes
An analogous color scheme is made up
of three or four colors that are adjacent
on the color wheel.

What set of analogous

colors are used in this
example?
 Color Temperatures
Have you ever noticed that colors seem to have different temperatures?

Reds, Oranges and Yellows are

warm colors. They remind us of the
sun or fire and can add a feeling of
excitement, boldness or happiness
to a work of art. Warm colors make
objects seem larger and appear to
advance in an artwork.

Greens, Blues, and Violets are cool

colors. They remind us of lakes,
distant mountains, sky and foliage.
Cool colors tend to be calm and
restful. They recede into the
distance and make objects seem smaller.
 Unity
Unity is a sense of cohesiveness, a feeling that all the parts of
something belong or work together. This is an important principle
because a unified work looks complete and orderly. There are
many ways to create unity in a work of art; a dominant theme or
idea, a texture or repeated color, line, shape, etc.

What creates
unity in this
picture?
 Variety
Variety generally accompanies unity in a work of
art; it adds visual interest by giving the eye
different things to focus on. Artists create variety
by including shapes, textures, lines, etc in many
sizes and/or contrasting colors.

How has this

artist shown
variety? What
elements has he
used to create it?
 Balance
There are 3 basic kinds of balance;
symmetrical, asymmetrical and radial

Symmetrical balance occurs when one

side of an object or painting is identical
(or nearly so) to the other side. In nature,
the human face and butterflies are examples.

Symmetry can create a sense of calmness

and formality, but sometimes it can be
visually boring.
 Balance
Asymmetrical balance occurs when the two sides are
balanced but different. Small objects near the center may
balance out large objects
nearer to the middle or
large areas of light color or
value may balance out small
darker areas.

Asymmetrical balance can

be both subtle and exciting.
Radial Balance
When a design exhibits
radial balance, its parts
spread out from the
center.
The spokes of a wheel
is an example of radial
balance.

Radial balance is also symmetrical and often

produces a graceful rhythm or a sense of turning.
 Contrast
The world around you is full
of contrast: a red flower on a
green plant, a smooth pond
surrounded by a rough
shoreline, a fragile spider web
attached to a sturdy fence post.

Contrast creates interest. In an

artwork, a strong contrast of light
and dark will draw a viewer into
a particular place in an artwork.
As will contrasts of rough and
smooth areas, warm and cool
areas, straight and curved lines, or
plain and patterned areas.
What has the artist used as contrasts in
this work of art?
 Emphasis
Artists use emphasis to create a center of interest—the part of the work they
want the viewer to notice first. Sometimes an artist chooses to emphasize a
single element of design to create a center of interest. And sometimes the artist
separates the center of interest from its surroundings, makes it the largest object
or places it in the center of the composition.

In any work of art, many

elements and principles work
together, but almost every
successful work emphasizes
something.

What is the artist trying to

get us to notice first in this
work of art?
 Pattern
Individual units or motifs repeated again and again, create a
pattern. In nature, the hexagonal shapes in a honeycomb, stripes
of a zebra and the petals of a daisy all form patterns. Patterns can
be found in the columns of buildings, a polka-dot tie or the seats
of a movie theatre.

In an artwork, artists can

use various patterns to
decorate shapes or to add
texture to the entire
surface. Or he or she
may add a pattern to a
small area to add visual
interest or create contrast.
 Proportion
Proportion is the relative size of one thing
compared to the size of something else. In the
paintings below, compare the proportion of the
objects in one painting with one another. Do the
proportions seem correct?
 Movement
In a work of art, movement may be the course that a viewer’s eye
takes as it moves across the surface. Moving from color to color,
shape to shape or value to value, the
eye traces a path around the picture.

Sometimes an artist will add

elements such as spirals, curves,
arrow-like shapes or diagonal
lines to convey a sense of
movement.

How has the artist shown movement

in this picture?
 Rhythm
Rhythm is a pattern of movement caused by colors, shapes, values, lines, etc.
that occur in organized repetition. If the size, shape or color of the repeated
units is the same and if the distance between them remains constant, the rhythm
is predictable and may even be monotonous. This is the type of rhythm you
could find on wrapping paper or wallpaper.
To add variety and visual excitement, an artist may change the size, color or
shape of the repeated units or vary the spacing between them.

How does the artist show an

interesting rhythm in this
painting?

Is the rhythm exciting or

monotonous? How has the
artist accomplished this?
Media: is the material used by the artist to produce art. (Media is
Plural and Medium is singular)

2-Dimensional media include:

Paint (Egg Tempera, Oil,

Watercolor and Acrylic) Fabric

Yarn Paper

Pastels (Oil and Chalk) Fiber

Photography Drawing

Computer-generated art Fiber Art

Ink Photography
 3-Dimensiona Media include:

Clay Wood

Glass Metal

Stone Metal

Plaster Paper
Art Processes: both art methods and the media used for
visual communication in a variety of art forms

2-Dimensional Processes include:

Drawing Painting

Printmaking Photography

Fiber Art: (includes fabric painting, stamping, batik, tie-

dye, etc.
 3-Dimensional Processes include:

Textiles Ceramics

Sculpture Architecture

Fiber Art (includes constructing with fiber, weaving,

rugs, crochet, knitting, quilting)