Elements of Art & Principles of Design

Shape

A flat figure created when actual or implied lines meet to surround a space.

Line

A mark with length and direction, created by a point that moves across a surface.

Types of Shape

Circle, Square, Rectangle, Oval, Diamond, Triangle, Hexagon

Types of Line

Straight lines are vertical, horizontal, & diagonal; curvy, zigzag, thick, thin, dotted,spiral, swirly, loopy.

Value

The darkness or lightness of a surface; the element of art that refers to the lightness or darkness of a color.

Space

The empty or open areas between, around, above, below, or within an object.

Elements of Art

The visual "tools" an artist uses to create art. The elements include: line, shape, color, value, texture, space, and form.

Texture

The way a surface feels (actual texture) or how it may look (implied); surface quality or feel of an object such as its smoothness, roughness, softness, etc.

Movement

a way of combining Elements of Art to produce a sense of action or implied action.

Symmetrical Balance

balance created through the duplication of an image, or of an element on either side of a composition divided in half; an exact copy of an object on both sides of a composition.

Harmony

combining similar Elements of Art to create a pleasing appearance.

Balance

how parts of an artwork are arranged to create a sense of equal weight or interest; Balance can be symmetrical, a-symmetrical, or radial.

Contrast

refers to the differences in the elements such as color, texture, value, and shape; a large difference between two things such as rough and smooth, black and white.

Repetition

repeating an Element of Art throughout a composition; when a line, shape color, form, texture, or value repeat in the same manner.

Proportion

scale of an object; the relation of one object to another in size, amount, number, or degree

Negative Space

the area around the objects in a work of art; often called the background.

Pattern

the creation of a set texture, line, shape, or color that repeats over and over again in exactly the same manner.

Positive Space

the objects in a work of art.

Composition

the ordered arrangement of elements in a work of art, usually according to the principles of design; also called visual design; organization of elements in a space.

Color

Another word for hue, which is the common name for a color in or related to the spectrum, such as yellow, yellow-orange, blue-violet, green. A element of art produced when a wavelength of light strikes an object and reflects back to the eyes.

Form

Any 3-D object such as a cube, a sphere, a pyramid, or a cylinder; any 3-D object that can be measured by height, width, and depth.

Rhythm

A visual tempo or beat- often described as alternating, regular, flowing, or gradual.

Principles of Design

Guidelines for the arrangement of the Elements of art. Principles of Design include: Pattern, Emphasis, Balance, Proportion(scale), Unity, Movement, Rhythm, Repetition, Contrast, and Harmony.

Unity

a feeling that all parts of a design are working together as a team; quality of wholeness.

A-symmetrical Balance

a type of visual balance in which one side of a composition appears different than the other side, while remaining balanced with it. Visually equal, without being identical.