unit elements principles

8/13/2019 Unit Elements Principles

1/11

The Elements and Principles of Design

ElementsandPrinciplesOfDesign

Pembina Trails School Division

An Overview


2/11

The Elements and Principles of Design are the building blocks of making, looking

at and talking about art. With an understanding of how artists break down art into

elements and principles the student artist has the tools to look at master artworks

from the past, contemporary art and art of their own making.

Generally speaking, there are five elements of art and six principles of art. This

often varies depending on the source!

Elements1. LineA line is a mark having length but little width. Lines are symbols of direction, of

simple forms and the boundaries of shapes. See example below:

2. Colour / ValueColour is a property of light. It is not an object itself. When a white light is

projected through a prism, six different hues (colours) will emerge.

Colour is divided into three different categories:1. Primary – Red, Yellow, Blue

2. Secondary – Green, Purple, Orange

3. Tertiary – all of the colours in-between (yellow-green, blue- purple, red-orange etc.)Colour Schemes Families)

1. Monochromatic – One colour with many different shades of that colour2. . Analogous – any colours beside each other on the colour wheel3. Complimentary- two colours that are opposite on the colour wheel4. Split-Complimentary- two colours opposite, but split on one end5. Triadic – any three colours that form an equal triangle on the colour wheel

The Elements and Principles of Design


3/11

Colour can produce the following effects on the viewer:

Illusion of space Psychological effects Symbolic reference Calming or chaotic effects

alueValue is the degree of light and dark. Value is evident in both black and white and

colour. With black and white pictures, shading is used to create light and dark

value. In colour, white and black are added to colour to create different values. It

is said that the human eye can detect 40 different shades to any colour.


4/11

3. TextureTexture - refers to the surface quality of objects. Texture appeals to our sense of

touch. There are generally two types of texture. a.) Tactile and b.) Visual

Tactile Texture – is texture that can be actually felt or touched. Paint that is

applied thick or uneven or the roughnesses of a sculpture are examples of Tactile.

Visual Texture – is when the artist creates the impression of texture on a flat

surface. Pattern work or a still life often gives the illusion of texture.

4. Shape / FormForm is an area created by an enclosing line or colour. Forms can occur naturally

or be created by the artist. Subject matter does not have to be present in order for

forms to appear.


5/11

5. SpaceSeveral art forms are three-dimensional and therefore occupy space: sculpture,

ceramics etc. For the purpose of two-dimensional art (drawing and painting) the

artist will use skills to produce an illusion of space. This can be achieved by

various means. For example, through size, value, overlapping, place on the page,

more and less detail etc.

Principles1. Balance

When a painting is divided in half, does it appear to balance properly?

There are basically three different types of balance in art: a.) Symmetrical

b.) Asymmetrical c.) Radial


6/11

Symmetrical balance –

Similar images

are repeated in the same position on either side of the imaginary centre line.

Asymmetrical balance – is a “felt” balance that can be achieved by using: colour,value, shape, and texture. People often say, “It just feels balanced”. One side

equally weighs out the other side by unlike objects or colours depending on their placement.


7/11

Radial Balance – radiates out from the centre like the spokes of a wheel.

2. RhythmRepeating a shape, line or object enough times that a ‘rhythmic’ pattern is

formed. Certain types of wallpaper or abstract art have patterns on them,

which indicate that a rhythmic pattern is present.


8/11

3. ContrastUnlike objects or colours are placed together to form an uneasy balance. Contrast

is the exact opposite of unity.


9/11

4. Unity / HarmonyUnity is the characteristics, which pull together all the elements of a

composition into a total visual picture. It is accomplished through repetition of

one or several elements in a picture, e.g., repeated use of color, or shape of a

texture.

Harmony Harmony is the arrangement of similar thing to produce consistency. Nothing

in the picture seems out of place. Everything is working together with respectto size, colour, shape etc.


10/11

5. Emphasis Emphasis occurs when our eye is drawn to one particular part of a painting at first

glance. This can be achieved by creating a light area in a huge area of darkness. It

can also be achieved by a solo image, or by making one area detailed while the

rest of the picture is blurry.


11/11

6. Movement

The eye is forced to move around the picture dynamically in order to see all

the different elements. Curved forms that keep your eyes moving in a

circular pattern throughout the picture can enhance optical movement.

Similarly, showing multiple overlapping images gives us the impression of

motion. We can see that the person or figure has moved through a series of

poses.

unit elements principles

Documents