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.