ELEMENTS OF ART

Definition of Visual Arts…..

• Unique expressions of ideas,

beliefs, experiences, and
feelings presented in well-
designed visual forms.
ELEMENTS OF ART- Defined

Elements of art are the basic

components or “building blocks”
such as value, color, line, texture,
shape, form, and space that artists
use to create an artwork
Line
LINE

LINE is a continuous mark with

length and direction, created by a
point that moved across a surface.
Lines can vary in length, width,
direction, curvature, and color.
A line can be two-dimensional
(drawn on paper), incised in clay,
three-dimensional (wire), or
implied.
TYPES OF LINES
There are 4 types of line :

horizontal

diagonal
vertical curved
 Ando Hiroshige
Fuji from Safami River
19th C.
Colored print
13 ¼ x 8 ¾ in.

Lines create moods and feelings

Thick lines feel bold,
thin lines feel delicate
Contour lines are
the edges and
surface ridges of
an object.
Implied lines are a
series of points
that the viewer’s
eyes automatically
connect. They are
“suggested” lines-
not “real” lines.
LINE:
2 DIMENSIONAL SURFACE

Harmensz Rembrandt
van Rijn
1606-1669
Two Studies of a Bird of
Paradise
Pen and sepia ink and
wash, white highlights

Diagonal lines
Curved lines
LINE:
3 DIMENSIONAL SURFACE

Warren Mather
Overflow,
Stoneware,
multiple firings
15"x 5.5"x 5.5"
1993

DIAGONAL, CONTOUR
LINES
 Value
The lightness or darkness of a
color. Sometimes that color is
black as in a drawing or
photograph
Value Scale
showing a gradation or the steps
of values.

Black fading to white

Rene Magritte
The Listening Room, 1952

The gradual
value
change in
the apple
makes the
apple
appear
round, solid
and more
real.
Value:
3 dimensional work

Allan Houser

Listen
1990 bronze
edition of 8
25"x25"x21"
Color
When a ray of white light is split, a
color spectrum is created and we
can see colors.

Prism
COLOR

Color is seen when light strikes an object

and then reflects back to the eyes.

Light hits an object

Red reflects back to the eye-all other colors

are absorbed into the object
Color Wheel

Artists bend the color spectrum into a circle

which organizes the colors
COLOR WHEEL

When the spectrum is S

organized as a color
wheel, the colors are P
divided into groups
called primary, S
secondary and
intermediate colors. P
S
PRIMARY COLORS

Primary colors are the colors yellow, red and blue

These colors can not be made by mixing other
colors…..however,
it is possible to mix all the other colors of the
spectrum using the primary colors.
Yellow

Red
Blue
SECONDARY COLORS

• Colors made by mixing two different

primary colors

GREEN ORANGE

VIOLET
INTERMEDIATE COLORS

• Intermediate colors are made by mixing

one primary color and one secondary color.

Yellow-orange
Yellow-green

secondary Red-orange
Blue-green

Blue-violet Red-violet
Color Schemes
Colors artists group together that look
good when put with one another

• Triad, complementary, analogous,

split complementary,
• Warm, cool, monochromatic,
• Neutral
Triad Color Scheme

Any three colors spaced

at an equal distance on
the color wheel such as
the primary colors, or
the secondary colors.
Piet Mondrian, Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow c. 1930
Complementary Color Scheme
Two colors opposite each other on
the color wheel
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Boating on the Seine

Vincent van Gogh, Night Cafe

 Analogous Color Scheme
Three colors that are next to each
other on the color wheel: the colors
have a common color.

Yellow-green, green, blue-green

Warm Color Scheme
Colors associated with warm
things: fire, sun, heat
Cool Color Scheme
Colors associated with
cool things-such as ice
and grass
Split Complementary
Color Scheme

One color and

the two colors
on each side of
its complement

Red-orange, yellow-orange, blue

Split complementary color scheme with yellow, red-violet and blue violet
Neutral Color Scheme

Colors such as black, white, gray,

or brown that are not on the
spectrum.
Monochromatic color scheme

 One color and all its tints and shades

Artistic expression

• Red/green
• Blue/gold
• Colors can make • Black
us think of certain
things or feel a • Pink
certain way. • Blue
• What do you think • Yellow
of when you see • Gray
these colors: • Red
Texture
Activity Today: Texture, Shape,
Space Light
Instructions:
1. Use clay to create two opposite textures.
2. Use clay to form any geometric shape and any organic
shape
3. With the use of clay form two cubes of equal sizes. Poke
holes on one cube and label cube A, the one without
holes label cube B.
4. Model a human face and bring it to a dark corner, use
the light of the cell phone and flash it on the upper part
of the face then on the lower part of the face.
On a bond paper write the answers to
the following by filling out the table on
the following slide.
1. What verbs can be used to label each
texture? Discuss each. (6 pts)
2. What nouns can be used to label each
shape? Discuss each.(6 pts)
3. Which cube appear lighter? Heavier? (4
pts)
4. Describe how the facial expression of
the face changed when light was flashed
from above, from below.(4 pts)
1 Texture Verb Discussion
Rough
Smooth
2 Shape Noun
organic
geometric
3 Space Light Heavy
Cube A
Cube B
4 Light Description Description
Above
Below
TEXTURE
An element of art which refers to the
surface quality or "feel" of an object,
its smoothness, roughness, softness,
etc.
TEXTURE is the way a surface feels or the way it is
drawn to look and the viewer imagines how it might feel.

Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471-1528), The

Rhinoceros, woodcut, 1515, British Museum, London.

African Mask
TYPES OF TEXTURE

Textures may be actual or implied. Actual

textures can be felt with the fingers, while
implied textures are suggested by an artist.
ACTUAL
TEXTURE-
3-DIMENSIONAL
SURFACE

ROUGH TEXTURE

SMOOTH TEXTURE

Miriam Novak
SIMULATED TEXTURE-
2 DIMENSIONAL SURFACE

M.C. Escher
Eye, 1946, mezzotint

Shiny & smooth

Hairy
ACTUAL TEXTURE-
3-DIMENSIONAL SURFACE

Meret Oppenheim

Object, (Luncheon in Fur)

1936

ROUGH, HAIRY TEXTURE

Shape and
Form
SHAPE
SHAPE is a two-dimensional area that has
length and height.
Geometric
shapes

Organic shapes
SHAPE:
3 DIMENSIONAL SURFACE
Barbara Mazur

Cup and Saucer

Porcelain, salt-glaze
6"x 4"x 4"
1994

ORGANIC
SHAPES
SHAPE:
2 DIMENSIONAL SURFACE

Piet Mondrian
Composition in
Red yellow and blue
1937-1942
Oil on canvas
60 X 55 cm

SQUARES &
RECTANGLES
FORM
Form refers to an element of art
that is three-dimensional (height,
width, and depth) and encloses
volume.

height
depth
width
FORMS
For example, a square, which is two-
dimensional, is a shape, but a cube, which
is three-dimensional, is a form. Pyramids,
spheres, cones, and cylinders are
examples of various forms.

SQUARE
2-D SHAPE rectangle
CYLINDER
2-D
CUBE shape 3-D FORM
3-D FORM
Space
SPACE
Space is an empty place or surface in or
around a work of art. Space can be two-
dimensional, three-dimensional, negative
and/or positive.
 SPACE

Artists create positive and negative space

in two-dimensional artworks.

2 dimensional
Negative space
2
dimensional
Positive
space
SPACE-
3 DIMENSIONAL WORK

POSITIVE SPACE
Jonathan
Kaplan
Still Life with Teapot
Cast Terra Cotta with underglaze pigments
20"x6"x6"
1994

Negative space
Light
The actual or imaginary luminosity
of a work
Perspective
The actual or suggested point of
view of the work
Principles of
Design
Definition

The Principles of Design

are the rules that govern
how we use the Elements
of Art.
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

– Balance – Proportion
– Rhythm & – Unity
Movement – Variety
– Pattern – Emphasis
Balance
BALANCE

Balance is a principle of design referring to

the arrangement of elements to create
stability in an art work.
Expressive Qualities of Balance

• The type of balance an artist uses to

organize a work of art affects the feeling
expressed by that work. Artists choose
balance based on the feeling they wish to
convey.
TYPES OF BALANCE

There are 4 types of balance:

• symmetrical
• approximately symmetrical
• asymmetrical
• radial
SYMMETRICAL BALANCE

• A balance arrangement in which the parts of a

composition are organized so that one side duplicates
or mirrors the other.

• It can be very stiff and formal.

• Used to express dignity, endurance, and stability.

Central
axis

Each side is identical

Approximate symmetry

qApproximate symmetry is an
arrangement where the parts of a
composition are similar yet different, on
either side of a vertical axis.
Leonardo da Vinci (Italian, 1452-1519), The Last Supper,
1498, modified fresco, 15 x 29 feet ,Convent of Santa Maria
delle Grazie (Refectory), Milan.

It shows approximate symmetry

Central Focal
axis point

There are 6 men on each side of Christ-

each are painted differently.
With approximate symmetry,
artists express the same
sense of calm stability but
they avoid the rigid formality
of pure symmetry.
ASYMMETRICAL
BALANCE
A feeling of balance when the visual
parts on either side of a vertical axis
are actually different but are placed
in the composition to create a “felt”
balance of the total artwork.
Asymmetrical balance is
a balance of unlike objects.
Asymmetrical balance
Also called informal balance, and
it creates a casual effect.
This balance is more complex. An
artist must consider all the visual
weight factors when using
asymmetrical balance….
Weight factor #1

size and contour

– A large shape or form appears to be heavier
(having more visual weight) than a small shape.
– Several small shapes or forms can balance one
large shape.
– An object with a complicated contour is more
interesting and appears to be heavier than one with
a simple contour.
– A small, complex object can balance a large,
simple object.
Weight factor #2

Color
A high-intensity color has more
visual weight than a low-intensity
color.
The viewer’s eyes are drawn to the
area of bright color. Warm colors
carry more visual weight than cool
colors.
Weight factor #3

Value
The stronger the
contrast in value
between an object
and the background,
the more visual
weight the object has.
Dark values appear
heavier than light
values.
 Weight factor #4
Position
A large object close to the
dominant area of the
work can be balanced by
a smaller object placed
farther away from the
dominant area.
A large, positive shape
and a small, negative
space can be balanced
against a small, positive
shape and a large,
negative space.
RADIAL BALANCE

Radial a kind of
balance in which
lines or shapes
spread out from a
center point.
Christoph
Hormann
(German, 1979-)

Star,
2001-02,
digital image
produced by
combining
several spiral
and radial
patterns,
using
Persistence of
Vision
Raytracer
(POV Ray)
software.
Pattern, Rhythm, & Movement
Pattern, Rhythm, and Movement

• PATTERN is the principle of design used

when the same element is repeated in a
special way.
• RHYTHM is the principle of design created
by repeating element(s) in a pattern.
• MOVEMENT shows the look of action by
the repetition one or more elements. This
principle makes the viewer’s eyes move
all around the artwork.
Vincent
van Gogh
(Dutch,
1853-
1890),
The
Starry
Night,
1889
(Saint-
Rémy),
oil on
canvas,
29 x 36
inches
Museum
of
Modern
Art, New
York
Types of Pattern

• Random
• Regular
• Flowing
• Alternating
• Progressive
Random Pattern

• No special spacing or placement

Random Pattern

Poor Man's
Cotton
by
Hale Woodruff
Art Print
24 x 32 in
Alternating Pattern

One way to make alternating patterns is to

add a second motif
Alternating
pattern
William Morris
Length of
Printed
Cotton, 19th-
20th century,
cotton,
8 feet 7 1/2 x
38 1/4 inches
(Metropolitan
Museum of Art,
NY.
Alternating Pattern

A second way to
make alternating
pattern is to
change the
placement
Alternating Pattern
Alternating Pattern

The third way to

make an
alternating pattern
is by turning the
motif
Wayne Bates
Flowing Pattern

• Repeated curved lines

Wayne Bates
Flowing Pattern
Starry Night by Van Gogh
Progressive Pattern

• Gradually change the motif

Progressive Pattern

Victor
Vasarely
Boo
200 x 200 cm.
1978
 M.C.
Escher Progressive
Pattern
Sky and
Water II
1938
woodcut
Regular Pattern

Same spacing, same motif

 Regular Pattern

Teapot

Val
Cushing
Proportion
Proportion

PROPORTION is the principle of design

concerned with the size relationship of
one part to another or one object to
another (a ratio).
Scale is like proportion but it compares
an object to a standard reference.
Spoonbridge and Cherry

Is the spoon out of scale or out of proportion to the buildings?

Is the cherry in scale to the spoon?
Variety
Variety

Variety is a principle of design

that refers to a way of
combining the elements of art
to create difference or
contrast.
A work that is too much alike
can be dull.
Miroslav
Sutej
Ultra AB,
1967.
color
silkscreen,
19 x17 “
Emphasis
Emphasis

Emphasis is how the artist

arranges the elements to
catch a viewer’s attention.
These areas usually have
contrasting size, shape, color,
or distinctive features.
Tom Turner
Often, emphasis is used to
direct and focus attention
on the most important parts
of a composition – which
becomes the focal point.
Gustav Klimt,
Serena Lederer (died
1943), 1899, oil on
canvas, 75 1/8 x 33 5/8
inches (190.8 x 85.4
cm), Metropolitan
Museum of Art, NY.

The head in this portrait

is emphasized by
contrasting its dark
features to the
whiteness everywhere
else.
Robert Minor (American, 1884-1952), Pittsburgh, 1916, lithographic
crayon and India ink, published in The Masses, no. 8, August 1916.
Robert Minor produced this drawing as an editorial cartoon, commenting
on a 1916 steel workers' strike. He emphasized the thrust of the
soldier's bayonet by drawing its direction as the counterpoint to that of
the worker's body.
Line of sight creates
an emphasis

Virgin of the Rocks

1483-1486

Leonardo da Vinci
A design lacking
emphasis may be
monotonous
Unity
Unity
Unity is the principle of
design that refers to the
feeling that all parts of a
design are working
together as a team.
Unity can be achieved by:

Simplicity--making a very plain and

simple piece without it being dull
Repetition--repeating the same
elements all over the work
Proximity--which is achieved by
limiting the amount of negative
space between objects
 Joern Utzon. Sydney Opera House,
Australia 1959-1972

Unified with surroundings by repeating the sails seen in the harbor

The color of the gowns is
repeated leading the eye
into the painting. The
pattern on the floor also
creates repetition

 Movement is created in the painting

as your eye travels from the little girl
on the blanket and moves up the
stairs.
 The painting creates a  Grouping of similar
sense of unity by the objects (proximity)
effective use of repetition. was used to create
See how the artist has unity within this
repeated similar forms painting.
(ducks) and color (brown)
throughout the
composition?