elements of art & principles of design

ELEMENTS OF ART&

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN

The elements and principles of design are the building blocks used to create a work of art. The elements of design can be thought of as the things that make up a painting, drawing, design etc. Good or bad - all paintings will contain most of if not all, the seven elements of design.

The Principles of design can be thought of as what we do to the elements of design. How we apply the Principles of design determines how successful we are in creating a work of art.

SEVEN ELEMENTS OF ART

LINE COLOR

TEXTURE SHAPE FORM

VALUE SPACE

LINE

Lines are used to define shape, contours, and outlines and also used to suggest mass and volume.

It may be may be a continuous mark made on a surface with a pointed tool or implied by the edge of shapes and forms.

A thin mark on a surface created by a pencil, pen, brush, or other tools. There are many types of lines. Lines can be joined together to create shapes.

COLOR

PRIMARY COLORS

RED, YELLOW, BLUE

SECONDARY COLORS

INTERMEDIATE COLORS

COMPLEMENTARY COLORS

Helen Frankenthaler

Bay Side (1967)

Acrylic on Canvas

The Golden WallHans Hofmann 59½ x 71½"Oil on Canvas1961The Art Institute of Chicago

Claude Monet. Haystack at the Sunset near Giverny. 1891. Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA

Claude Monet, Impression: Sunrise (1872): oil on canvas

Emil Nolde

Still Life, Tulips (1930)

Watercolor on paper

Judy Pfaff

Voodoo (1981)

Contact paper collage on mylar

TEXTURE

The surface quality of an object.

Real Texture

The actual texture of an object.

Artists may create texture in art to give it a visual interest or evoke feeling

Implied Texture

A two-dimensional piece of art is made to look like a certain texture but is in fact just a smooth piece of paper.

SHAPEFORMSPACE

SHAPEAny two-dimensional image or

element that is used in the artwork

FORMAn object that has three

dimensions.

SPACEThe perception of depth or dimension. It defines whether objects are in front or behind other objects, are situated around them, or projects from them.

Shapes found in nature with characteristics that are free flowing,

informal and irregular.

Positive Shapes&

Negative Shapes

Static ShapeShapes that appear stable and

resting

Dynamic ShapeShapes that appears moving and

active

LINEAR PERSPECTIVE

One-Point Linear Perspective

Two-Point Linear Perspective

VALUE

The element of art and design dealing with the lightness and darkness of color in an artwork.

A color can be darkened by adding black that

results in a shade of that color.

A color can be lightened by adding white

that results in a tint of that color.

There are many elements of art that are involved in creating, that an artist uses or manipulates to create artwork.

A. Choose three elements of art and define them.

B. Using the three elements that you defined, describe how the Picasso uses or manipulates each one in “The Old Guitarist”.