Elements and Principals of Art

Elements of Art

The Basic Building Blocks of Art

LINE

The most basic element of art.

Any mark connecting two points

Narrow

Horizontal

Narrow

Vertical

Narrow

Curving

Zig Zag

Narrow

Curving

Wide

Sharp

Zig Zag

SHAPE & FORM

Shape: Areas contained by lines

Form: 3D shapes

2D 3D Organic Geometric

There can be 2D & 3D, organic & geometric shapes

SPACE

Shows a feeling of depth

VALUE

Shows lightness and darkness through shading

TEXTURE

How something feels (tactile)

or

or looks like it feels (visual)

Furry Smooth Looks furry

but is

actually

smooth

COLOR

a visual part of things that depends on the light they reflect which we see as blue, red, green etc.

Elements of Art Summary

Color

Line

Shape (2D)

Space

Value

Texture

Form (3D)

Principles of Art Organize the Elements of Art

Create Visual Comfort

&

Interest

Why Use The Principals of Art?

Why Use The Principals of Art?

BALANCE Similar amount of information in two parts

Symmetrical

is exactly equal on both sides

Asymmetrical

unequal but balanced through color and/or design

MOVEMENT

Leads the eye to the focus of the image

color, value (light to dark), long shapes, and lines

guide the eye

RHYTHM/REPITITION/PATTERN

The same element is used over and over

Regular

repeating in a pattern

Irregular

repeating with no regular pattern

CONTRAST/VARIETY

Creates excitement (opposite of sameness = boring)

Uses different Elements of Art together: sharp and

soft edges, pattern and space, dark and light, bright

and dull color, warm and cool color, smooth and

rough texture, organic and geometric shapes.

I like slugs!

EMPHASIS

The focus on an area

Using the Elements of Art/Design

(line, color, shape, form, space, value & texture)

UNITY

Looks like it belongs together

Makes sense of the image, brings it together.

(opposite of chaos)

Uses same or similar Elements of Art/Design

(line, color, shape, form, space, texture, & value)

PROPORTION/SCALE

The relative size of objects to one another

Example: Use appropriate scale in surface design. An

overly large textile design can overwhelm the form

of a garment or a piece of furniture.

FIGURE GROUND RELATIONSHIP

What you notice

The FIGURE(S) is/are the recognizable part we pay

attention to, the positive shape(s).

The GROUND is everything that is not the figure(s).

PRINCIPALS OF ART SUMMARY

1.BALANCE: Similar amount of information in two parts

2.MOVEMENT: Leads the eye to the focus of the image

3.RHYTHM/REPITITION/PATTERN: The same element used over & over

4.CONTRAST/VARIETY: Opposite of sameness

5.EMPHASIS: The focus on an area

6.UNITY: Looks like it belongs together

7.PROPORTION/SCALE: The relative size of objects to one another

8.FIGURE GROUND RELATIONSHIP: What you notice

Assignment: School/Class Rule Poster Using the poster guidelines (10 points)

Cut out colored construction paper scraps and pieces of magazines in shapes representing each of the Elements of Art (6 points)

Use all of the Principals of Art to organize the Elements (8 points)

Write how you used each one with specific examples (14 points)

Example: The orange thin rectangle is the Element of Art, line. I put it under the red sphere to add the Principal of Art, emphasis.

(38 points)

Assignment 2: Principals of Art Book Using the Principals of Art

NEATNESS COUNTS

Fold 3- 8 ½” x 11” sheets of paper in half vertically & cover them with a piece of colored construction paper slightly larger. Staple them together at the spine with a book stapler. (10 points)

Each page of the book will represent one of the Principals of Art. You will draw & label them. (6 points)

Draw using all of the Elements of Art on each page organized by at least one Principal of Art per page. (6 points)

Write on each page, using complete sentences, how you used that Principal & the Elements of Art with specific examples. (18 points)

Example: The Element of Art, line, is orange and it is around the red sphere to add the Principal of Art, emphasis. Red and orange are the Elements of Art, color, which are bright colors that also add to the Principal of Art emphasis. I used the Element of Art, value, to make the red circle look like a sphere and also uses the Element of art, space, because a sphere is 3D. I made little lines coming out of the sphere to look like hair which adds the Element of Art, texture.

(40 points)

Assignment 3: Analyzing Look at these pieces of artwork and describe

how each of the Principals of Art are being

used or not for each painting.

Be very specific to that particular piece of

artwork give examples from the art.

Example:

Unity is achieved through the off white background throughout the painting. Scoring:

1 point for each correctly identified Principal

used

1 point for the specific supporting

information

There are 2 points possible per Principal

There are 8 Principals

There are a total of 16 points possible per

painting analyzed

32 points for both pictures combined

Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944 Transverse Line, 1923, Oil on canvas

Claude Monet - Water-Lilies -1914

16 points per painting = 32 total

REVIEW

1) List the Principals of Art

2) Describe each of the Principals of Art

REFERENCES

Monet

www.writedesignonline.com/.../rules/color.html

Kandinsky http://www.abstract-

art.com/abstraction/l2_grnfthrs_fldr/g029b_kand

insky_tr_ln.html