art 9 per
Neutral Colors
"Earth Colors" not found on the color wheel; black, white, gray, brown
Closed Composition
A composition in which all of the artwork is contained within the boundaries of the picture plane.
Open Composition
A composition in which the artwork seems to continue outside the boundaries of the picture plane.
Landscape
A large area with a particular kind of scenery
Primary Colors
red, yellow, blue
Watercolor Paint
Water-based paint that is activated by water and is transparent.
Tempera Paint
Water-based paint that is creamy and opaque.
Color Wheel
a circle with different colored sectors used to show the relationship between colors.
Portrait
a drawing, painting, or photograph of a person, especially the face
Self-portrait
a portrait of an artist produced or created by that same artist.
Collage
artistic technique of pasting or gluing materials over other materials.
Monochromatic colors
All the hues (tints and shades) of a single color
Transparent
Allowing the passage of light or able to be seen through.
Surrealism
An art movement that displayed vivid dream worlds and fantastic unreal images. Popularized by Magritte and Dali.
Impressionism
An art movement where painters try to catch visual impressions made by color, light, and shadows. Popularized by Monet.
Still Life
An artwork made up of inanimate objects, such as fruits, flowers, or other objects.
Line of Symmetry
A line that divides a figure into two halves that are mirror images of each other.
Oil Pastels
A painting and drawing medium with pigment suspended in a waxy crayon-like tool.
Variety
A principle of design concerned with diversity or contrast. Variety is achieved by using different shapes, sizes, and/or colors in a work of art.
Emphasis
A principle of design that defines an area or object in an artwork that draws attention and becomes a focal point.
Rhythm
A principle of design that is used repeatedly to create a feeling of organized movement.
Pattern
A principle of design that organizes art elements in a consistent and regular manner; along with repetition it creates visual excitement.
Balance
A principle of design that refers to the arrangement of the parts in an artwork to give a sense of overall equality in visual weight.
Proportion
A principle of design that refers to the relationship of size and scale between certain art elements in an artwork.
Unity
A principle of design that relates to the sense wholeness in a work of art and connects a variety of art elements and principles.
Movement
A principle of design used to create the look and feeling of action and to guide the viewer's eye throughout the work of art.
Geometric Shape
A shape that has clearly defined edges that are mathematically consistent.
Expressionism
A style of art in which the artist uses their artwork to express their inner feelings or ideas.
Cubism
A style of art in which the subject matter is portrayed by geometric forms, especially cubes; popularized by Picasso in the early 20th century.
Abstract Art
A style of art that does not show a realistic subject, usually transforming the subject into lines, colors or shapes.
Radial Balance
A type of balance in visual art in which all elements are balanced around and radiate from a central point.
Symmetrical Balance
A type of balance in visual art where a design is evenly distributed around a central vertical or horizontal axis.
Assymmetrical Balance
A type of balance in visual art where a design looks balance even though it is not symmetrical.
Vanishing Point
A vanishing point is a point in space, usually located on the horizon, where parallel edges of an object appear to meet.
One point perspective
A way to show three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface, using one vanishing point on a horizon line.
Non-representational Art
Abstract art that does not attempt to reproduce the appearance of objects, figures, or scenes in the natural world.
Layering
Adding multiple media on top of each other when creating a piece of art
Line
An element of art that is the path of a moving point through space
Form
An element of art that is three-dimensional and encloses volume; includes height, width AND depth.
Shape
An element of art that is two-dimensional, flat, or limited to height and width.
Color
An element of art that refers to light reflected off of objects and is made up of three properties: hue, value, and intensity.
Space
An element of art that refers to the distance or area between, around, above, below, or within things.
Value
An element of art that refers to the lightness or darkness of a color.
Texture
An element of art that refers to the way things feel, or look as if they might feel if touched.
Positive Space
Any space in an artwork that is being filled by some other art element.
Negative Space
Any space in an artwork that is empty of other art elements and surrounds a shape or form.
Mixed media
Art made with a combination of different materials or more than one medium.
Complementary Colors
Colors located directly opposite one another on the color wheel; red-green, blue-orange, yellow-violet
Tertiary Colors
Colors made by mixing a primary color with a secondary color; yellow-orange, red-orange, red-violet, blue-violet, blue-green, yellow-green
Secondary Colors
Colors made by mixing two primary colors; orange, green, violet (purple)
Warm Colors
Colors that advance in space and create the illusion of heat and active energy; reds, oranges, yellows
Analogous Colors
Colors that are next to each other on the color wheel
Cool Colors
Colors that recede in space and create the illusion of cold or soothing energy; blues, greens, purples
Atmospheric Perspective
Creating the illusion of depth of space by fading colors and eliminating detail in objects that are further away.
Shades
Darker values of a color made by adding black
figure drawing
Drawing the whole body of a person
Futurism
Early 20th century Italian art movement that emphasized the machine as art and used force lines and hard edges to imply technology and speed.
Organic Shape
Free forms, or shapes and forms with irregular edges; a non-geometric shape.
Principles of Design
How the elements of art can be organized to achieve the following visual effects: Unity, variety, emphasis, rhythm, movement, balance, pattern, and proportion.
Horizon
In a landscape, the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet.
Tints
Lighter values of a color made by adding white
Opaque
Not allowing the passage of light or not able to be seen through.
Juxtaposition
Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts.
Contrast
Refers to the arrangement of opposite elements in an artwork to create visual interest, excitement, and drama.
Medium
The materials that are used to create a work of art.
Contour Lines
The outlines of a shape or figure or object.
Middle Ground
The part of a composition that appears between the background and the foreground.
Foreground
The part of a composition that appears closest to the viewer.
Background
The part of a composition that appears to be farthest away from the viewer.
Composition
The placement or arrangement of visual elements in a work of art.
Craftsmanship
The quality of neatness and attention to detail
Elements of Art
The visual components of color, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value that are considered the building blocks of art.