Elements and Principles

of Art & Design

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 Learning Goals
Today, I will…
• Have knowledge and understanding of the
elements of design and art
• Be able to communicate my understanding of
the elements of design
 The Elements & Principles
Elements Principles
• The basic building • What we do with the
blocks; building blocks
• The things inside, that (elements)
make up a piece of art • (Think of it as your chef’s
• Most art will contain al technique and
of the elements preparation of a dish)
• (Think of it as the
ingredients)
Elements of Art & Design
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The of a composition.
• The basic building blocks; the ingredients
LINE
 Line
• Directs the eye – horizontal,
vertical, diagonal, curvy, zig-zag,
etc.
• Has greater length than width
• Can be a mark made by a moving
point
• Can be actual obvious lines or
the borders or edges of shapes
SHAPE AND FORM
Shape/Form
• A contained area.
• Can be GEOMETRIC (man-
made) example: square,
triangle, circle, etc.
• Can be ORGANIC (natural)
example: leaves, humans,
puddles, etc.
• Used to create a sense of
space and substance.
 Shape/Form
Shape
• Shapes are 2-Dimensional
and flat; created when a line
is enclosed
• Can be measured in width x
height
• For example, a circle
Form
• Form encloses volume;
3-Dimensional
• Can be measured in width
x height x depth
• For example, sphere
The basic arch
shape takes on
form when depth
is created with
different shadow
and highlight
values.
The basic
square shape
takes on form
when depth is
created with
different shadow
and highlight
value as well as
the camera’s
perspective
helps emphasize
the form.
SPACE
 Space
• The area used or unused in a composition; can
contribute to balance within a composition
• Use of space can create dimension for the viewer;
the area around, within, or between objects/subjects
in an image create perspective; positive and
negative space.
• Positive space – the area the objects/subject
takes up.
• Negative space – the area around, under, through
and between.
• Foreground (closest), Middle ground, and
Background (farthest).
• Can be open, crowded, near, far, etc.
• When used effectively, it can define importance and
lead the eye.
VALUE
 Value

• Black and White and all the Grays in

between
• The darkness or lightness of a colour;
adding white to a colour makes it a tint;
adding black to a colour makes it a shade
• Can add drama and impact to composition
COLOR
 Color
• Colour can alter the overall
mood/feeling.
• Hue (refers to the name; i.e. red)
• Saturation (intensity or amount)
• Temperature (cool, warm;
measured in Kelvin)
• Related to value.
The Color Wheel
TEXTURE
 Texture

• The appearance of how a surface feels

• Rough, smooth, bumpy, gooey, sharp, etc.
• Adds interest! Sense of sight and sense of
touch involved.
Principles of Art & Design
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 Learning Goals
Today, I will…

• Have knowledge and understanding of the

principles of design and art
• Be able to communicate my understanding of
the principles of design
Principles of Art & Design:

• What you do with/how you arrange the

basic building blocks (elements) to create
artistic, interesting, more visually
powerful artworks.
 Principles
What you do with the basic building blocks (elements)

• Emphasis • Movement/Rhythm
• Balance • Pattern/Repetition
• Unity/Harmony • Scale/Proportion
• Contrast
EMPHASIS
 Emphasis

• Creating a focal point;

• Emphasis in a composition refers to
creating points of interest to pull the
viewer's eye to important parts of the
body of the work.
Emphasis is created through
contrasting colour.
Even though all
elements share a
green hue, emphasis
is created due to the
difference in
shape/form.
Da egg is different, so….
BALANCE
 Balance
• Balance is the impression
of stability or equality in a
composition.
• Balance is often referred to
as symmetrical,
asymmetrical, or radial.
Symmetrical
balance is created
through the
reflection of the
cliff in the water.
*Although, this does look heavily
Photoshopped ;)
Symmetrical balance is achieved as
the photograph has equal weight.
Asymmetrical balance
is created by using
space and perspective.

The pole in the foreground

is emphasized, however,
the right side of image
contains multiple poles to
help balance the
photograph.
Radial balance is
created with the majority
of the weight centred in
the image and repeated
elements circle away
from the centre point.
UNITY/HARMONY
 Unity / Harmony

• Unity is achieved when the components of

a work of art are perceived as harmonious,
giving the work a sense of completion
• How things are linked, similar, common
- when all the parts equal a whole.
CONTRAST
 Contrast

• Contrast refers to the opposites and differences in

the composition.
• You can achieve contrast by using different
shapes, textures, colors and values in your
work.
• For example, something light against something
dark, rough against smooth textures, etc.
MOVEMENT/RHYTHM
 Movement/Rhythm

• Rhythm or movement refers to the

suggestion of motion through the use
of various elements.
• The way elements are arranged to lead
the eye to or from the focal area.
Rhythm and motion
are created through
the repeated
pattern of ripples in
the sand.
PATTERN/REPETITION
 Pattern/Repetition

• An element that occurs over and over

again in a composition
• Can repeat the element in a consistent
or varying pattern
SCALE/PROPORTION
 Scale / Proportion

• Scale/proportion refers to the relative size and

scale of the various elements in a design; the
relationship between objects, or parts, of a whole
• For example, a person compared to large building,
or different sized people in same photograph.
Hi.
Nope.