Elements of Art and Principles of Design

Elements of Art

Line- are marks made by a pointed tool: brush, pencil, pen, etc. Lines can vary in width, direction, curvature, length, or color.

I chose this painting because the status are shaped in lines.

I chose this photo because the walk way represents the lines and also the rails along the side.

Shape- are formed wherever the ends of a continuous line meet. Geometric shapes such as circles, triangles or squares have perfect, uniform measurements and don't often appear in nature. Organic shapes are associated with things from the natural world, like plants and animals.

I chose this painting because the Campbell's soup show the sizes and the shapes they are in which is a cylinder and each of them are in a rectangle shape frame.

I chose this photo because the rails on the benches represent the shapes which are circles.

Color- wheels show the primary colors, secondary colors, and the tertiary (intermediate) colors. They also show the relationships between complementary colors across from each other, such as blue and orange; and analogous (similar or related) colors next to each other such as yellow, green, and blue. Black and white may be thought of as colors but, in fact, they are not. White light is the presence of all color; black is the absence of reflected light and therefore the absence of color.

I chose this painting because it has a lot of different colors.

I chose this photo because its a natural color effect, and the colors are bright.

Value(tone)- refers to dark and light; the value scale refers to black and white with all gradations of gray in between.  Value contrasts help us to see and understand a two-dimensional work of art.

I chose this painting because the man is in black and white and the flowers that he has in his right hand that seems like his about to throw are in colored.

I chose this photo because it captures the person running and its not blurry. I also like that the dust is blowing as the person is running.

Form- describes objects that are three-dimensional, having length, width, and height.

I chose this painting because ball that the hand is holding makes this painting look like 3 demential and in the ball is the reflection of the things around.

I chose this photo because of the way the glass cups are arranged and you can see the class cup getting smaller and smaller.

Texture-can be rough, bumpy, slick, scratchy, smooth, silky, soft, prickly--the list is endless.  Texture refers to the surface quality, both simulated and actual, of artwork.

I chose this painting because of the way the ground is breaking apart making the painting look so realistic. 

I chose this photo because of the specific shapes of the flower and what's around it, making the flower pop out.

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. 

I chose this painting because of all the people doing different things some are talking, many are hugging, and the spaces between everybody is all different.

I chose this photo because I thought it was pretty cool how the straws look like and shows the spacing between them especially because its bright different colors.

Principles of Design

Balance- the comfortable or pleasing arrangement of things in art.  There are three different types of balance: symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial. The human figure is symmetrically balanced; the same on the left and right side. The tree is asymmetrically balanced; its branches are not distributed equally on each side, but their total weight is balanced left and right. The sun is an example of radial balance; all its rays are equal in length from the center.

I chose this painting because even though the figure on the right looks like a human head its shaped like             the tree on the far left, and the hair on the head match the branches and leaves on the tree.

I chose this photo because even though its all rocks they levels look uneven which makes the balance of the figure being uneven pop out pretty well.

Contrast-created by using elements that conflict with one another. Often, contrast is created using complementary colors or extremely light and dark values. Contrast creates interest in a piece and often draws the eye to certain areas. It is used to make a painting look interesting.

I chose this painting because the man is in black and white and the flowers that look like his about to throw are colored which makes the flowers pop out even more.

I chose this photo because all the fishes are gray going the same direction except the orange fish going to opposite direction, making itself unique.

Emphasis- the focal area of an artwork gives it importance.  An artist may stress some elements of the design over others. The eye of the viewer will focus on the area of emphasis or center of interest first, then take in the rest of the composition. 

I chose this painting because the artist's focus is center to the bull in the center and then goes off looking at the other animals around it.

I chose this photo because the first thing someone will notice first is the big bright red door then go and looking at the rest of the photo.

Movement- an artwork means the artist is taking viewers on a trip through the work by means of lines, edges, shapes, and colors often leading to the focal area.  Movement is a visual flow through the composition. It can be the suggestion of motion in a design as you move from object to object by way of placement and position.  Directional movement can be created with a value pattern. It is with the placement of dark and light areas that you can move your attention through the format.

I chose this painting because the focus is towards the man and the moves to what he is doing with the two lines.

I chose this photo because the image captures the figure in a position a person wouldn't normally be in.

Pattern-made in art when the same shapes or elements are repeated again and again.  Pattern uses the elements of art in planned or random repetitions to enhance surfaces of paintings or sculptures.

I chose this painting because of shapes that are on the mans and lady's clothing. The man's clothing has a bunch of rectangles and the lady's has a bunch of circles.

I chose this photo because of the building shapes it creates and the pattern is all going down the same way.

Rhythm-the repetition of shapes, lines, and forms.  Rhythm is a movement in which some elements recurs regularly.  Like a dance, it will have a flow of objects that will seem to be like the beat of music.

I chose this painting because of the ripples on the lake and how peaceful it looks.

I chose this photo because of the rhythm of the flow of the water.

Unity- that all elements in an artwork are in harmony.  Unity brings together a composition with similar units.  For example, if your composition was using wavy lines and organic shapes you would stay with those types of lines and not put in even one geometric shape.

I chose this painting because of how simple but beautiful this painting is.

I chose this picture because of the position they captured this photo and the way the boats are formed