Module 1: The Elements and Principles of Design

Part 1: Art Appreciation: Why It Matters?

 Whether an artist creates two-dimensional or three-dimensional art, works in a

traditional medium like painting, or makes art using the latest technology, all
artists use the same basic visual building blocks of the form (elements) and
strategies of visual organization (principles) to achieve visual unity.
 Now, you will learn about the differences between form and content and be
introduced to the basic elements and principles of design. You’ll also learn about
types of representation in art. All these concepts are integral to formalism, which
is a method of studying artwork by analyzing and describing it purely in terms of
visual effects.
(Three-dimensional art pieces, presented in the dimensions of height, width, and depth,
occupy physical space and can be perceived from all sides and angles. On the other
hand, two-dimensional works of art, which are created on flat surfaces, can only be
observed in terms of height and width.) https://www.artdex.com/what-are-the-different-
types-of-three-dimensional-art/

Part 2: Form and Content

 There are three levels on how a person can view art:

o Personal Level – Based on the viewers’ prior experience and personal
biases.
o Formal Analysis – Based on the technical components of the artwork.
o Content – Based on the subject matter of an artwork.

Part 3: Elements and Design

 The different Elements of Design are also known as Artistic Elements, which
include the following:
o Point
o Line
o Shape
o Plane
o Space
o Colors

Artistic Element
Artistic Elements Variants and/or Example/s
Definition
 The visual element
upon which all others
are based. In
geometric terms, the
Point area where two
coordinates meet.
When an artist marks
a simple point on a
surface.

Actual Lines – Lines

that are physically and
visually present

Line

Implied Lines – Lines

that are created by
visually connecting
two or more areas
together

Straight or Classic Lines

 Provides structure to a composition. They can be oriented to the horizontal,

vertical, or diagonal axis of a surface. Straight lines are by nature visually stable,
while still giving direction to a composition.

Expressive Lines
  Are curved, adding an organic, more dynamic character to a work of art.
Expressive lines are often rounded and follow undetermined paths.

Outline or Contour Line

 Outline or contour line is the simplest of these.

 They create a path around the edge of a shape. In fact, outlines define shapes.

Cross Contour Lines

 Cross contour lines follow paths across a shape to delineate differences in

surface features.
 They give flat shapes a sense of form (the illusion of three dimensions) can also
be used to create shading.

Hatch Lines
  Repeated at short intervals in generally one direction. They give shading and
visual texture to the surface of an object.

Crosshatch Lines

 Crosshatch lines provide additional tone and texture. They can be oriented in any
direction.
 Multiple layers of crosshatch line can give rich and varied shading to objects by
manipulating the pressure of the drawing tool to create a large range of values.

Shape

 Positive Shapes (The Figure)

 Negative Shapes (The Ground)
 One way to understand this is to open your hand and spread your fingers apart.
Your hand is the positive shape, and the space around it becomes the negative
shape.
Plane

 Any surface area in space.

 In two-dimensional art, the picture plane is the flat surface an image is created
upon; a piece of paper, stretched canvas, wood panel, etc.
 A shape’s orientation within the picture plane creates a visually implied plane,
inferring direction and depth in relation to the

Space

 The empty area surrounding real or implied objects.

 Outer space, that limitless void we enter beyond our sky
 Inner space, which resides in people’s minds and imaginations
 Personal space, the important but intangible area that surrounds each individual
and which is violated if someone else gets too close
 Pictorial space is flat, and the digital realm resides in cyberspace. This covers
different artistic perspectives

o One-point Perspective – an image that vanishes at a single point on the

horizon
o Two-point Perspective – occurs when the vertical edge of a cube is facing
the viewer, exposing two sides that recede into the distance.
 o Three-point Perspective – used when an artist wants to project a “bird’s-
eye view”, that is, when the projection lines recede to two points on the
horizon and a third either far above or below the horizon line.

Colors

 The most complex artistic element because of the combinations and variations
inherent in its use.
 Color Theory – English mathematician and scientist Sir Isaac Newton discovered
that white light could be divided into a spectrum by passing it through a prism.
The study of color in art and design often starts with color theory.

 Color theory splits up colors into three categories:

o Primary – red, blue, and yellow, equidistant from each other on the color
wheel. These are the “elemental” colors; not produced by mixing any other
colors, and all other colors are derived from some combination of these
three.
o Secondary – orange (mix of red and yellow), green (mix of blue and
yellow), and violet (mix of blue and red).
o Tertiary – colors are obtained by mixing one primary color and one
secondary color. Depending on amount of color used, different hues can
be obtained such as red-orange or yellow green. Neutral colors (brown
and grays) can be mixed using the three primary colors together.
o White and black lie outside of these categories. They are used to lighten
or darken a color. A lighter color (made by adding white to it) is called a
tint, while darker color (made by adding black is called a shade.

 Additive Color Theory

 The creation of a new color by a process that adds one set
of wavelengths to another set of wavelengths
o The primary colors are red, blue, and green.
o The secondary colors are yellow (mix of red and
green), cyan (mix of blue and red).
o The tertiary colors are obtained by mixing the above
colors at different intensities.

 Subtractive Color Theory (Process Color)

 Color mixing in which a new color is made by the removal of
wavelengths from a light with a broad spectrum of
wavelengths
o The secondary colors are orange, green and violet.
o The tertiary colors are created by mixing a primary
with a secondary color.
o Black is mixed using the three primary colors, while
white represents the absence of all colors.
Part 4: Principle of Design

 Visual art manifests itself through media, ideas, themes, and sheer creative
imagination.
 Incorporating the principles into your artistic vocabulary not only allows you to
describe artworks you may not understand objectively but contributes to the
search for their meaning.
 The principles of design help you to carefully plan and organize the elements of
art so that you will hold interest and command attention. This is sometimes
referred to as a visual impact.
 Are also known as Artistic Principles, which include the following:
o Visual Balance
o Repetition
o Scale and Proportion
o Emphasis
o Time and Motion
o Unity and Variety

Artistic Principle Examples

Artistic Principle Variants and/or
Definition
 Symmetrical
The most visually
stable and
characterized by an
exact-or nearby
exact-compositional
design on either (or
both) sides of the
Visual Balance
horizontal or vertical
axis of the picture
plane.
Are usually
dominated by a
central anchoring
element.

Asymmetrical
Uses compositional
elements that are
offset from each
other, creating a
visually unstable
balance.
The most dynamic
because it creates a
more complex
design construction.

Radial
Suggests movement
from the center of a
composition towards
the outer edge-or
vice versa
Many time, radial
Balance is another
form of symmetry,
offering stability and
a point of focus at
the center of the
composition.
Golden Ratio
The natural world
expresses radial
balance, manifest
through the golden
 ratio. In many of its
structures.
Galaxies Tree rings
Waves
Generated from
dropping a stone on
the water’s surface.
The use of two or
more like elements
or forms within a
composition.
The systematic
arrangement of
repeated shapes or
forms creates a
Repetition pattern.

Pattern
Created through the
systematic
arrangement of
repeated shapes or
forms.

Rhythm
The lyric or
syncopated
(accented, modified,
or shifted) visual
effect helps carry
the viewer, and the
artist’s idea,
throughout the work.
Show the relative
size of one form in
relation to another.

Are incremental in
nature. Works of art
do not always rely
on big differences in
scale to make a
strong visual impact.

When scale and

proportion are
greatly increased
 the results can be
impressive, giving a
work commanding
space or fantastic
implications.
Scalar Relationships
Used to create
illusions of depth on
a two-dimensional
surface, the larger
form being in front of
Scale and the smaller one.
Proportion The scale of an
object can provide a
focal point or
emphasis in an
image. The area of
primary visual
importance.
The area of primary
visual importance.

Can also be
obtained by isolating
Emphasis an area or specific
subject matter
through its location
or color, value and
texture.
Time and Motion One of the problems
artists face in
creating static
(singular, fixed
images) is how to
imbue them with a
sense of time and
motion.

Solution: employ the

use of spatial
relationships,
especially
perspective, and
atmospheric
perspective.
 Scale and proportion
can also be
employed to show
the passage of time
or the illusion of
depth and
movement.

For example, as
something recedes
into the background,
it becomes smaller
in scale and lighter
in value.

A work of art is the

strongest when it
expresses an overall
unity in composition
and form, a visual
sense that all the
parts fit together;
that the whole is
greater than its
parts.
Unity and Variety We can think of this
in terms of a musical
orchestra and its
conductor: directing
many different
instruments, sounds
and feelings into a
single
comprehendible
symphony of sound.
This is where the
objective functions
of line, color,
pattern, scale and all
the other artistic
elements and
principles yield to a
more subjective
view of the entire
work, and from that
an appreciation of
the aesthetics and
 meaning it
resonates.

Part 5: Types of Representation

Representational Art

 Also known as Figurative art, this represents objects or events in the real world.

Abstract Art

 Includes non-representational Art, which refer to compositions (all the artistic

elements of the work when considered as a unified whole).
 Sometimes, these are meticulously planned out.
 Other times they come together intuitively or are reworked later) that is derived
from a figurative or another natural source.
 It can also refer to nonrepresentational art and non-objective art that has no
derivation from figures or objects.