Elements of Art and Principles of Design

Arbitrary color

A Color Scheme that refers to a choice of color in an artwork that has no basis in the realistic appearance of the object depicted (think purple cows, yellow sky, pink sun, etc.).

Bird's eye view

A General View from Above

Curved Line

A line that bends or a line that could be a semi-circle or a line going around and around

Diagonal Line

A line that is slanted or a line that is falling

Horizontal Line

A line that moves from side to side or left to right or east to west

Vertical Line

A line that moves up and down or north to south

Scumbling technique

A shading technique is a method of shading using tiny circles, sometimes called the 'Brillo pad' technique, due to the texture of that brand of steel-wire scourer.

Stippling technique

A shading technique that adds countless dots to create the value of the drawing. The higher the concentration of dots, the darker the value. The more space between the dots, the lighter the value. Stippling may be time consuming, but it allows the artist to have complete control the application of value, which can produce highly realistic results.

Cross hatching technique

A shading technique that refers to a softer, woven application often used to build up tonal areas of shadow. It is similar to hatching except that the lines cross over each other. They are perpendicular Lines: lines that cross each other. *Every new layer added should be going a different direction*

Smudging technique

A shading technique where you take your finger and smudge or smear the graphite of the shading. The smudging of the shading will blur the shading, make it less crisp. It is very messy & The oils on your finger will not allow for clean erasing

Blending technique

A shading technique with smooth gradations of value are produced either by adjusting the amount of pressure applied to the medium or by using a blending tool, such a blending stump, or q-tips or paper towels.

Actual Texture (Real texture)

An actual thing like tree when we can touch it you can feel the texture

space

An element of art, space refers to distances or areas around, between or within components of a piece. Space can be positive (white or light) or negative (black or dark), open or closed, shallow or deep and two-dimensional or three-dimensional.

Organic Shapes or Irregular Shapes

Are free flowing and typically irregular or asymmetrical. These shapes are found in nature and are curved shape reminiscent of a living thing.

Aerial perspective and atmospheric perspective

Artists gradually lessen value and value contrasts for objects that appear further back in a composition

Light

As the surface curves, it does not get as much light so value becomes slightly darker. One of the Properties of Light

Size Relationship

As your eye moves back into a picture, objects become progressively smaller. (Larger objects should be at the foreground)

Neutrals

Black, white, gray, and sometimes brown and beige. They are sometimes called "earth tones." These colors don't usually show up on the color wheel.

Cool colors

Blue, green, purple and anything in between. These colors seem to recede from you in space.

Print or printing

Coat the surface with a thin layer of ink or paint, and use it as a sort of rubber stamp to create the illusion of texture

Color Triads

Consist of three colors found on the color wheel that are equally spaced apart from each other or separated by 3 colors.

Rubbing

Covering the surface (with texture to be duplicated) with a thin paper, then using a pencil lead or crayon, on its side, to rub across the surface of the paper, transferring the appearance of the texture to the surface of the paper.

art critique

Describe: What is the viewer seeing in this artwork? Include a title for your work. List all the things you see in your artwork. Give two characteristics of the style of the work. Analyze: How is your work organized? Identify whether your artwork is realistic or abstract. Tell which art theory your work represents—imitationalism, formalism, or emotionalism. How are the art elements and design principles being used? Use as much art vocabulary as you can, and point out at at least three different design principles at work. Be specific. Explain how the elements of art—line, shape and form, space, color, value, and texture—have been used in your artwork. As well Interpret: What are the artists saying? What mood does this artwork convey? What message or meaning was the artist (you) trying to communicate? Explain the meaning or mood of each of these artworks. It is okay to make guesses here. Base your interpretation on what you've collected from the first two steps. If you are comparing functional objects or buildings, you may find the meaning of the object by interpreting its purpose. Judge: Are these successful works of art? Give your opinion as to whether or not you feel these artworks succeed. If you are comparing functional objects or buildings, consider how the object works when it is used. Does it function properly for its purpose? Explain your answer.

Organic Forms

Do not have specific names associated with them and are often associated with naturally occurring forms. Freeform 3-D Forms.

Geometric Forms

Have specific names associated with them and are typically man made such as cubes, rectangular prisms, triangular prisms, cylinders, spheres, cones, pyramids.

Achromatic Value Scale

Illustrates the change from white to black in evenly gradated steps. The Achromatic values, consist of white, black, and the limitless degrees of gray without color.

Hatching technique

Is an artistic technique used to create tonal or shading effects by drawing (or painting) parallel lines. The closer these lines are it will create a darker tone or shading effect.

unity

Is the quality of wholeness or oneness that is achieved through the effective use of the elements and principles of art. Example The same form

Color Wheel

It shows relationships between the colors. It is the color spectrum bent into a circle. Artists often use the it to help understand how colors

One point perspective

It uses one vanishing point to accomplish this illusion. Things that are seen face on, which means you are looking at the front of them directly.

Cast Shadow

Light that is blocked by an object. and it casts on a wall, another object, etc. The further it is from the object the lighter it gets

calligraphic line

Lines that are generally flowing and rhythmical swooping, swirling quality - Smooth changes from thick to thin, like the qualities found in the kind of writing called calligraphy or Font.

Receding Lines or Orthogonal lines, Converging Lines or Construction Lines

Lines that are parallel to each other that gradually move away from the viewer. Lines drawn to the vanishing point and converge at the horizon line.

Expressionistic Lines

Lines that convey a sense of emotion. Such as: Brittle, Energetic, Somber, Chaotic, So much more

implied line

Lines that fade, dim, stop and/or disappear. The missing portion of the line is implied to continue and is visually completed by the observer. A Series of points that the viewer's eyes automatically connect.

Tertiary Colors or Intermediate Colors:

Mixing primary and secondary colors. On the color wheel, these colors are located between the primary and secondary colors they are made from.

form

Objects that are 3-Dimensional have length, width, and height

Secondary colors

Orange, Green and Purple are colors made from mixing the primary colors.

Golden Mean

Ratio is 1:1.6. The line is divided into two parts where the smaller section has the same ratio to the larger line as the larger line has to the whole line.

Drawing

Recreating a texture through the use of drawing, paying close attention to surface details

Primary colors

Red, Yellow and Blue These colors cannot be made from other colors.

Warm Colors

Red, orange, yellow, and anything in between. They are called warm because they remind you of the sun or fire. These colors seem to come out at you in space.

Angular (Zig Zag) Lines

Several diagonal lines put together

Implied Lines or Shapes

Shapes that do not have clear defined boundaries

Positive Spaces

Space defined by objects, shapes or forms

Placement or Position of Objects

The Further the item is the closer it is to the Horizon line. Objects placed low on the picture plane seem to be closer to the viewer on the foreground

Negative Spaces

The Space defined around objects

Implied Texture (Simulated Texture)

The appearance or the illusion of a 3-D surface. In 2D, artists use this texture to imitate and to provide how a visual sense of how an object would feel if real texture. A convincing copy or translation of an object's texture.

shade

The dark value in a hue created by adding black

Ant's Point of View

The unusual perspective of ground-level also makes objects in the foreground appear larger compared to the background, mirroring our own perception. From the low perspective, the ground and the horizon either intersect or sandwich the subject material, creating emphasis and guiding the eye around the image.

Split Complementary

These color schemes are made up of a color and the two colors on each side of its complement

Geometric Shapes

These shapes generally have name associated to them like circle, square, rectangle, ect.

Width

Thick or thin (line quality). A Description of a Line

tint

a light value of a hue, created by adding white

Impasto

a painting technique in which the oil paint is built up on the surface to create a texture, that would be rough if you were able to touch it like Vincent Van Gogh's paintings

free-form

a shape having a Unique, irregular contour that does not resemble a living thing, chiefly used in nonrepresentational art and industrial design.

Foreshortening

a visual effect in which an object is shortened and turned deeper into the picture plane to give the effect of receding in space

perspective

a way of portraying three dimensions on a flat, two-dimensional surface by suggesting depth or distance.

rhythm

adds a sense of movement to a work of art by leading the viewer's eye to follow the visual beats in the work. A visual tempo or beat. The principle of design that refers to a regular repetition of elements of art to produce the look and feel of movement.

focal point

an area in the composition that has the most significance, an area that the artist wants to draw attention to as the most important aspect.

color

an element of art that is derived from reflected light. Another name is hue

line

an element of art that is the path of a moving point through space.

complementary colors

are colors opposite each other on the color wheel or are the colors that are directly across from each other on the color wheel.

monochromatic color

color scheme that uses only one hue and the tints and shades of that same hue (color).

analogous colors

colors sit next to each other on the color wheel. They tend to look pleasant together because they are closely related. Orange, yellow-orange, and yellow are an example of analogous colors.

Linear perspective

has 3 necessary components like a horizon line, a vanishing points, and constructions lines

Horizon line

is a line drawn across a picture. The line representing the perceived eye-level of the viewer. It can be high, low or centered

vanishing point

is an imaginary point, the point on the horizon line at where the receding parallel lines, orthogonal lines, construction lines are viewed in perspective appear to converge and vanish.

Reflected Light

is light that is bounced off the surface, making the value slightly lighter (While direct light from the light source cannot reach the underside of the sphere, it can reach the surface on which the sphere rests). A property of light.

Core Shadow

is the darkest value of the object. This is where no direct light hits the surface of the object. One of the properties of light

visual texture

is the illusion of a three dimensional surface. If you touch visual texture you do not feel what your eyes tell you to expect. Simulated textures imitate real texture while invented textures appear as two dimensional patterns created by the repitition of lines or shapes. Invented textures do not represent real surface qualities but the patterns of light and dark suggest real texture.

Highlight

is the lightest value of the object. This is where direct light hits the surface of the object, Usually white. One of the properties of light

movement

is the path the viewer's eye takes through the artwork, often to a focal area. It can be directed along lines, edges, shapes and color. Movement is closely tied to rhythm.

texture

is the perceived surface quality of a work of art. Tactile texture is the texture you actually feel . Rough, smooth, shiny and matte are the four types of texture.

emphasis

is the principle of art that makes one part of a work more dominant over the others.

shape

is two dimensional has width and height.

Two point perspective

it uses two vanishing points to create the illusion of space. Things that are seen at an angle, which means you aren't looking at the front of something but at the angle or corner.

contrast

light vs. dark colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.) in a piece so as to create visual interest, excitement and drama.

contour

line which defines a form or an edge. It is, essentially, the outline or silhouette of a given object or figure. The contour describes the outermost edges of a form, as well as dramatic changes of plane within the form.

Length

long or short. A Description of a Line

pattern

means the repetition of an element (or elements) in a work. Progressive, alternative, random and flowing are four examples of rhythm and patterns. Often used in 2-D artwork to create an illusion of texture, add interest and decorativeness

asymmetrical balance

not identical on both sides of a central line; unsymmetrical; lacking symmetry:

Shadow

once the surface curves away from the light source, it does not receive any direct light, but it does get some indirect light from the surroundings - that's why it's not completely black. A property of Light

harmony

principle of art that that creates unity by stressing the similarities of a separate but related parts.

hue

refers to a pure color—one without tint or shade. The name of the color (red, green, blue, etc

Point of view

refers to the angle at which you view an object.

proportion

refers to the relative size of parts of a whole (elements within an object).

symmetry

special type of formal balance in which two halves of a balanced composition are identical, mirror images of eachother.

value

the element of art that describes darkness, and lightness of an object.

variety

the principle of art concerned with difference or contrast a principle of design that refers to a way of combining several visual elements to achieve intricate and complex relationships. It is a technique used by artists who wish to increase the visual interest of their work.

balance

the principle of art concerned with equalizing visual forces, or elements in a work of art. refers to the ways in which the elements (lines, shapes, colors, textures, etc.) of a piece are arranged .The art elements become visual forces, or weights, in a art object.

scale

the size measured against a standard reference while proportion is the principle in art concerned with the size relationship of one part to another. The scale of the work itself and the scale of objects elements within the design are the two kinds of scale in art.

Overlapping

when one object covers part of a second object, the first seems to be closer to the viewer.

radial balance

when the forces or elements of a design come out from a central point.

collage

where the artwork is made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole.