they can be measured.

You can measure its

ELEMENTS OF ART HEIGHT and its WIDTH.
An element is one of those basic visible things. In There are two basic types of shape.
science, the elements are what everything thing on the
earth has been created from (like those in the periodic o Geometric shapes- have smooth even
table of elements). In art, it is an element if it is visible edges and are measurable. This include the
and there is nothing more simple or basic to define it. square, the circle, the triangle and the
This section contains the Ingredients for a great rectangle.
Composition. o Organic shape- have more complicated
edges and are usually found in nature.
The Elements of Art are the “tools” that artists use to Leaves, flowers, ameba, etc.
make art. There are 7 of them:
1. Line 3. FORM
2. Value ➢ It is a three-dimensional object having volume
3. Texture and thickness. A Form is a shape that has
become 3- Dimensional (3-D) Form has
4. Shape
HEIGHT, WIDTH and DEPTH--which is the
5. Form 3rd dimension. Depth shows the thickness of
6. Space the object. Forms are NOT flat like shapes are!
7. Color ➢ It is the illusion of a 3-D effect that can be
implied with the use of light and shading
1. LINE techniques in a 2-D work of art. Form can be
o It is a mark on a surface that describes a shape viewed from many angles.
or outline. It can create texture and can be thick
Turning Shapes into Forms
or thin. Line can be actual or implied, such as
the horizon line in a Landscape. o A triangle becomes a cone or a pyramid
• Five basic line types – horizontal, vertical, o A square becomes a cube
diagonal, curved, and zig zag o In order to turn a circle into a sphere, you must
shade it. You can’t add another side to it.
• Line quality refers to the description of a line –
thick, thin, dotted, etc.
4. VALUE
a. Horizontal Lines- are generally restful, like ➢ is the degree of light and dark in a
the horizon, where the sky meets land. design. It is the contrast between black
b. Vertical lines- seem to be reaching, so they and white and all the grays
may seem inspirational like tall majestic trees between. Value applies to colors as well,
or church steeples. with all the tints, shades, and tones
c. Diagonal lines tend to be disturbing. They between the primary, secondary and
suggest decay or chaos like lightening or intermediate colors.
falling trees. ➢ Value makes objects appear more real
because it imitates natural light. When
o Lines can convey emotion as well. They may showing value in a work of art, you will
show excitement, anger, calmness, tension, need a LIGHT SOURCE.
happiness and many other feelings. Because of ➢ A light source is the place where the light
this, some are said to be expressive. is coming from, the darkest areas are
always on the opposite side of the light.
a. Expressive Lines- tend to be found in nature ➢ In order to have a successful drawing, you
and are very organic. will need to show a full value range, which
b. Constructive lines- measured, geometric, means that there are very light areas,
directional and angular.They tend to appear to middle tones, and very dark areas. This is
be man-made because of their precision. a way of giving a work of art Contrast.
In drawing value can be added several ways:
2. SHAPE
o Shape is created when a line becomes A. Cross-hatching- when you use irregular lengths
connected and encloses space. It is the outline or of parallel lines that cross over each other diagonally.
outward appearance of something. Shapes are 2 The closer together the lines are placed, the darker
Dimensional (2-D) which means there are 2 ways the value.
 B. Stippling- use of dots to create shade. This is Color Wheel
accomplished by placing dots very close together to
create dark values and farther apart to create lighter ➢ A long time ago, artists decided that these
values. colors would be more useful to them if they
were placed in a wheel fashion. This became
C. Soft shading- use your pencil to create soft known as the color wheel.
gradual movements from one value to the next using ➢ There are 3 primary colors: Red, Yellow and
full value range. Blue
5. COLOR
➢ refers to specific hues (another word for color)
and has properties of Intensity and
Value. The color wheel is a way of showing
the chromatic scale in a circle using all the
colors made with the:

a. Primary triad (red, blue, and yellow)

b. Secondary colors (orange, purple, and
green) are mixed from the primary colors. These colors are primary for 2 reasons:
c. Intermediate (tertiary) colors are a
combination of a primary and a secondary 1. They can’t be mixed to be made
color (found next to each other on the color 2. They make all the other colors on the color
wheel) mixed (blue-green). wheel
3. When you mix 2 primary colors together, you
get a secondary color. For example:

➢ When you mix a primary and a secondary color

together you get an intermediate (or tertiary)
color. For example:
a. Red and Orange= Red-Orange
b. Yellow and Green=Yellow-Green
➢ When light is reflected through a prism, colors can c. Blue and Green=Blue-Green
be seen. These colors are: Red, Yellow, Orange, d. Red and Violet=Red-Violet
Green, Indigo, Blue and Violet. e. Yellow and Orange=Yellow-Orange
➢ Remember the anagram: ROY G BIV f. Blue and Violet=Blue-Violet
➢ Black and white can be added to produce tints (add
white), shades (add black), and tones (add gray). Color Schemes
➢ Color is divided into groups based on the way
they are placed on the color wheel:
a. Analogous color scheme- 3-4 colors
“next-door-neighbors” to each other.

➢ Complimentary colors are opposite each other on

the color wheel (yellow, purple).
➢ Color can add interest and reality to artwork. The use
of a 12-step color wheel will help us understand color
more effectively.
 b. Complimentary color scheme- colors ➢ It is important that artists understand the
that are directly opposite each other effects of color when they are trying to get the
(going across the center). viewers of their art to feel a particular way.
a. Warm colors are those that have
Reds, Yellows and Oranges. Warm colors
seem to advance (or come forward) in an
artwork.
b. Cool colors are those that have Blues,
Greens and Violets. Cool colors seem to
recede (or go back into) an artwork.

6. TEXTURE
➢ It is the way the surface of an object actually
feels.
c. Split-Complimentary color scheme- ➢ In the artistic world, we refer to two types of
a complimentary color and the two texture---tactile and implied:
colors on either side of its compliment. a. Tactile (or Real) Texture is the way the
surface of an object actually feels. Examples
would be sandpaper, cotton balls, tree bark,
puppy fur, etc.
b. Implied Texture is the way the surface of an
object looks like it feels. This is the type of
texture that artists use when they draw and
paint. Textures may look rough, fuzzy, gritty, or
scruffy, but can’t actually be felt.

7. SPACE
d. A Triadic color scheme uses 3 colors ➢ is basically divided into 3 parts:
that are equally spaced apart on the Foreground, Middle Ground and
color wheel. Background
a. background area- is the upper 1/3 of the
picture plane.
b. middle ground area- is the middle 1/3 of the
picture plane.
c. foreground area- is the lower 1/3 of the
picture plane.

➢ Space can be shallow or deep depending

on what the artist wants to use.
➢ When you use only one color plus its tints and a. Shallow space is used when the artist
shades, you are using a monochromatic has objects very close to the viewer.
color scheme.
a. A tint is a color plus white
b. A shade is a color plus black

b. Deep Space may show objects up

close but objects are shown far away
Color have temperatures too.

➢ Colors can convey emotion and feelings too.

Have your ever felt “blue?”
Been “green’ with envy?
Called a “yellow” coward?
c. Positive and Negative space When WEEK 6 LESSON
planning a work of art, both areas must
be examined so that they balance one PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
another. Drawing items running off the
A principle is something that can be repeatedly and
page and zooming in on objects are
dependably combined and used with the elements to
ways to create visual interest within a
produce some visual effect in a composition. The
work.
principles of design are the recipe for a good work of
o Positive space is the actual
art. The principles combine the elements to create an
object(s) within the artwork
aesthetic placement of things that will produce a good
o Negative Space is the area in
design. Principles of design help artists carefully plan
and around the objects. It is the
and organize the elements of art so that an artwork
“background” and it contributes to the
will hold interest and command attention. This is
work of art---you can’t have positive
sometimes referred to as visual impact. Principles of
space without negative space
design successfully “glue” the artistic elements
together.
a. BALANCE – a feeling of visual equality in shape,
form, value, color, etc. Balance can be symmetrical
(evenly balanced) or asymmetrical and unevenly
balanced.
1. SYMMETRICAL Balance
➢ Achieved by placing identical objects on either
d. Perspective is also a way of showing side of a central point.
space in a work of art. Perspective is
• Creates a quiet, restful feeling.
when the artist uses a vanishing point
• Suggests restraint, orderliness, formality.
on the horizon and then creates a
• Also called, FORMAL balance.
sense of deep space by showing
objects getting progressively smaller 2. ASYMMETRICAL Balance
as they get closer to the vanishing
point. ➢ Achieved by placing different objects of equal
visual weight on either side of a central point.
• Creates more interesting arrangements.
• Suggests informality, relaxed.
• Also referred to as INFORMAL balance.

b. RHYTHM – a sense of movement in which some

elements recur regularly. Like a dance, the work will
have a flow of objects (shapes), lines, or colors that
will seem organized similar to the beat and rhythm of
music.
e. Objects may overlap as well. When
objects are overlapped it is obvious ➢ It leads the eye from one point to another,
that enough space had to be in the creates motion.
picture to contain all the objects that c. SCALE & PROPORTION
have been included.
o Scale
- relates to the size of a design in relation
to the height and width of the area in
which it is placed.
- Relates to the actual and relative size
and visual weight of the design and its
components.
- Furniture and accessories must be in
scale to the room
 o Proportion There are 2 types of harmony.
- relates to the parts of the object and
how one part relates to another. o Unity occurs when all the parts of a home or
room are related by one idea. A unified
The Golden Mean – the division of a line or form so design has consistency of style.
that the smaller portion has the same ratio to the larger
as the larger has to the whole.
• Effective Ratios are 2:3, 3:5, 5:8, 4:7, etc.
• Square is the least pleasing shape.
• Rectangles are more pleasing, especially with
a ratio of 2:3.
The creative use of color, texture, pattern, and
furniture arrangement can create illusions of properly
proportioned space. o Variety- when two or more different elements
of design are used to add interest to a design.
d. CENTER OF INTEREST/EMPHASIS Variety can be achieved by combining different
➢ This refers to the area that first attracts attention styles and materials, as long as they are
in a composition. When there is a feature that compatible.
commands attention and makes a design
visually interesting. This area is more important
when compared to the other objects or elements
in an artwork. Emphasis can be created by
placement in the format, contrast of values or
more colors.
Ways to create emphasis:
• Arrangement of furniture around a focal point.
• Use of color, texture, or pattern.
• Placement of accessories.
Harmony is achieved when unity and variety are
• Use of lighting.
effectively combined.
• Carrying variety too far creates confusion.
➢ The point of emphasis should command
• A lack of unity may make a small home seem
attention, but not dominate the overall design.
➢ Other features within the room should not even smaller.
compete for the emphasis.
e. HARMONY/UNITY/VARIETY
➢ A composition brought together with similar
units or elements. If an artwork were begun
using wavy lines and organic shapes, it would
need to be finished with the same types of line
and shapes. A single geometric shape or a
single straight line would disrupt the harmony
and unity. Using the combination of wavy lines
as well as organic shapes creates variety in
the composition.