Elements of Art

Art is a powerful language. Artists communicate thoughts, ideas, and emotions through art.
Similar to languages, the language of art has its vocabulary and is not made up of words;
instead, it is made up of visual, auditory, and tactile elements. The visual elements are
color, line, shape, form, space, and texture.

The medium is the physical means through which we can have contact with a work of
Fart; the elements are its qualities or properties. Medium is concrete whereas elements
are abstract.

The elements of art are the following:

1. Color – It is harder to see colors when the light is dim. Color relies on light. Color is
what the eyes see when the light is reflected on an object. Color refers to the hue
and value, which means the amount of white or black in the hue and intensity or
brightness.

∙ Characteristics of Color

1. Hue – Hue is the name of a color, such as red, blue, or yellow. Hue is the dimension
of color, which refers to a scale ranging through red, yellow, green, and blue.

Primary Colors – red, blue, and yellow

Secondary Colors – violet, green, and orange

Complementary Colors – those that are opposite in the scale

Intermediate Colors – those that are adjacent to each other in the wheel

1. Value – Value is the lightness or darkness of a color. It can be changed by adding

black or white. Color is the name given to the relative degrees of light and dark.

∙ Scale of Medium – White, light, medium, and dark sources of values, that is, the
object itself (local color), the creation of value through shadows or reflection of light,
and the intensity or saturation (the brightness or darkness of a hue).
∙ Color Schemes – Colors can be combined to produce many interesting and exciting
results. Artists use different types of color schemes to create various effects. The
following are examples of the color schemes:

Monochromatic – This scheme uses different values of a single hue, such as dark green,
medium green, and light green.

Analogous – This color scheme uses colors that are side by side with the color wheel and
share a hue.

Warm or Cool Color Scheme – Warm color schemes with red, yellow, and orange colors
project the sun and its warmth. Artists use blue, green, and violet, that is, a cool color
scheme, to make the preceptors/viewers think of cool items, such as ice or grass.
∙ Ways of Using Color

1. Representational Use – The artist paints objects from the real world in hues
approximating the colors that are present in ordinary illumination, thereby indicating
color constancy in the color of the objects.
2. Impressionist Use – It rejects the use of painting or colors in the local order;
instead, it seeks to render nature with a sensitive perception of the effects of
changing conditions of lights on objects.
3. Decorative or Ornamental Use – This is related to pattern and design in which
colors appear as design components to enhance rhythm and sensuous appeal. 4.
Personal Use – Artist uses hues to express his feelings and emotions and their
spontaneous impulses and whims.
5. Scientific Use – This refers to using a consistent format of a colored square of a
different hue.
6. Symbolic Use – The meaning of colors changes from one culture to another and
may also vary from one period to another.

2. Line – A line as an element of art is defined as the path of a moving point through
space. Line is the simplest, most primitive, and most universal means for creating
visual arts. Line is defined as the shape of the artwork.
∙ Kinds of Lines

1. Horizontal Lines – They run parallel to the ground and appear to be at rest
projecting a sense of quiet relationship and contemplation. Long horizontal lines give
a sense of infinity that is difficult to obtain in any other way.
2. Vertical Lines – Vertical lines are associated with the body in an upright standing
position and generally express poise, alertness, equilibrium, firmness, strength and it
connotes a static position though not without tension.
3. Diagonal Lines – The diagonal line is associated with the body forward and
charging purposefully towards an objective. It signifies energy, dynamism, impulse,
will power, aspiration, and passion, as well as emotion.
4. Curved Lines – Curved lines show action, life, and energy. They suggest grace and
beauty with the body in movements that create a rhythm of curved lines in space.
Curved lines are allied to feelings, impulse, spontaneity, play graces, charm
eroticism and sensuality.
5. Zigzag Lines – Lines, which are made from combined diagonal lines, can create
confusion or suggest action.

3. Shape – Shape is an element of art that refers to an area set off by one or more of
the other elements of art. Shapes are limited to two dimensions – length and width.

∙ Kinds of Shapes

1. Geometric Shape – They are to be made with a ruler or drawing tool. Square, circle,
triangle, rectangle, and oval are the five geometric shapes.
2. Organic - They are also called free form. Organic shapes are not regular or even.
Their outlines may be curved or angular or may be a combination of both.

4. Form – Like shapes, forms have length and width. They also have a third-dimension
depth. Form is an element of art that refers to an object with three dimensions. With
forms found in the works of art, such as sculpture, one can experience the three
dimensions by walking around or perceive directly through these artworks.
 5. Space – refers to the distance between around, above, and within things. In both two
and three-dimensional works of art, the shapes or forms are called the positive area.
The empty spaces between the shapes are called negative shapes. The relationship
between the positive and the negative spaces will affect how the artwork can be
interpreted.

∙ Kinds of Space

1. Positive Space – the composition field that is partly occupied by an object or subject
2. Negative Space – the open or empty space surrounding an object
6. Texture – generally used as the tactile element or the use of the sense of touch; run
your finger over the top of your desk or worktable and you feel the surface’s texture.
Texture refers to the way things feel or look, as though they might feel, if touched.

∙ Types of Texture

1. Optical Texture – An artist may use his skillful technique of painting to create a
color illusion.
2. Physical texture – an artist can use dynamic brushstrokes, the shape of which
transmits both the artist and his subject's physical and emotional strength. The
actual nature of the components may often be used to indicate their unique
characteristics, such as wood grain, sand flakiness, rust flak, fabric coarseness, and
paint smear.
3. Ephemeral Texture – This is the third group of textures whose transient shapes,
including clouds, dust, fire, bubbles, and liquids, are subject to shift.
Elements of Music

v Meter and Beat – A beat is the rhythm of music; it may be normal or irregular. The
notes and rests correspond to a certain number of beats; beats are grouped in a
measure.

v Dynamics – Dynamics refer to performance volume. Dynamics are indicated in

written compositions by abbreviations or symbols that signify the power to play or sing
a note or move.

v Harmony – Harmony is what you hear when you play two or more notes or
strings simultaneously. Harmony encourages and gives structure to the melody.

v Melody – It refers to the overall melody that is created by playing a sequence of notes
or succession and is influenced by pitch and rhythm.

v Pitch – The sound pitch is based on the vibration frequency and the vibrating
object’s dimension.

v Tempo – Tempo refers to the speed of performing a piece of music.

v Texture – Musical texture refers to the number and form and how these layers
are connected in a composition.

Elements of Literature

v Emotional Appeal – accomplished if the reader is affected by literary work emotionally

v Intellectual Appeal – adds information or knowledge to remind you of what he forgot

v Humanistic Meaning – can be accomplished by rendering a literary work an improved

individual with an improved outlook in life and a good view of his inner self

Elements of Poetry

v Denotation/Conation – Denotation is the true meaning of a dictionary word.

v Imagery – This is the image of the meaning through experience.

v Figurative Language – Similarity and metaphor are the most commonly used and most
important parts of the language.

v Rhythm/Meter – In language, meter is the accents arranged to occur at seemingly equal

intervals. Metrical language is known as a line.

v Meaning and Idea - A poem’s meaning is the experience it is expressing. Here, we can
distinguish between a poem’s total meaning and its prose significance.

Elements of Short Story

v Plot – Plot refers to the succession of incidents or events that make up a story.

v Character –Character reading is more complicated, varied, and ambiguous than reading
for a ploy. Most short stories focus on one character or evolve into one.

v Themes – Theme refers to a master understanding of a fictional work or its central

perspective. This is the unifying generalization of life, which the story tells or implies.

v Symbol and Irony – A literary sign is more than what it says. It is an object, a person, a
situation, an action, or something else that has a literal meaning in the story but also
suggests or presents other meanings

Elements of Dance

v Body – Dance consists of many movements of the body, reflecting sentiment and feeling.
Our bodies act to express themselves through locomotive and nonlocomotive movements.

v Energy – Energy refers to the force that our body works to convey.
 v Space or Level – We need to make good use of our surroundings to show variation
and movement.

v Relationship – We also dance with another person or a huge number of people in a

band or group. We communicate and react with our bodies similar to having a
conversation.

v Time – Timing is an essential part of any dance. We follow the beat or rhythm of
our actions to match the music.

Elements of Drama

v Theme – A play’s theme refers to its core premise. It can either be stated through
a dialog or action or can be concluded after watching the entire performance.

v Plot – The order of events that occur in a play make up its plot.

v Character – The characters are parts of the story that are intertwined with the
dramatic plot. Every character in a play has its personality and a set of principles and
convictions.

v Dialogue – The story of a play is conducted through dialogues. The narrative is

revealed to the viewer through the engagement of the characters in the form of
dialogues.

v Setting – The period in which the events happened affects personalities and
characters.

v Performance – Performance is a major aspect of the drama because the effect of a

plot on the viewer is primarily affected by the actors’ performances.

v Music – This dimension involves the use of sound and rhythmic compositions used
in dialogs and musical compositions.

v Visual Element – The narration and music are the auditory elements of the film, while
the visual dimension includes situations, costumes, and special effects.

Principles of Design

The principles of design are the rules a designer must follow to create an effective and
attractive composition. The fundamental principles of design are emphasis, balance and
alignment, contrast, repetition, proportion, movement, and white space.

1. Emphasis – Make a mental outline. Let your brain organize the information and then
lay out your design in a way that communicates that order. If the band’s name is the
most essential information, then place it in the center or make it the largest element on
the poster; you can also place it in the strongest, boldest type. Similar to writing without
an outline or building without a blueprint, if you start your composition without an idea of
what you are trying to communicate, then your design will not succeed.
2. Balance and Alignment –Every element you place on a page has a weight. The
weight can come from color, size, or texture. In the same way that you would not
 place all your furniture in one corner of a room, you should not crowd all your heavy
elements in one area of your composition. Without balance, your audience will feel
as if their eye is sliding off the page. Symmetrical design creates balance through
equally weighted elements aligned on either side of a centerline. Meanwhile,
asymmetrical design uses opposite weights to create a composition that is not even
but0 still has equilibrium. Symmetrical designs are always pleasing, if not
occasionally boring. Asymmetrical designs are bold and can bring real visual interest
and movement to your composition.
3. Contrast – Contrast is what people mean when they say a design “pops.” It comes
away from the page and sticks in your memory. Contrast creates space and
difference between elements in your design. Your background needs to be
significantly different from the color of your elements for them to work harmoniously
together and are readable.
4. Repetition – Repetition unifies and strengthens a design. If only one thing on your
band poster is in blue italic sans-serif, then it can be read as an error. If three things
are in blue italic sans-serif, then you created a motif and are back in control of your
design. Repetition can be important beyond one printed product. Current packaging
design is heavily embracing beautifulillustrated patterns.
5. Proportion – Proportion is the visual size and weight of elements in a composition
and how they relate to each other. It often helps to approach your design in sections
instead of as a whole.
6. Movement – Movement controls the elements in a composition. Thus, the eye is led
to move from one to the next, and the information is properly communicated to your
audience. Movement creates the story or the narrative of your work. For example, a
band is playing at this location and time; here is how you can obtain tickets.
7. White Space – White space (or negative space) is the only one that specifically
deals with what youdo not White space is the empty page around the elements in
your composition. For beginning designers, white space can be a perilous zone.
Giving a composition room to breathe can often upgrade it from mediocre to
successful. White space creates hierarchy and organization. Our brains naturally
associate ample white space around an element with importance and luxury. It is
telling our eyes that objects in one region are grouped separately from objects
elsewhere.
Principles of Art

The principles of art include balance, variety, harmony, proportion, movement, and rhythm.

1. Balance – Balance is concerned with arranging elements to ensure that no one part
of a work overpowers or outweighs any other part. In art, balance is either seen or
felt by the viewer.

Kinds of Balance

1. Formal Balance – This refers to symmetrical balances between the two halves that
are mirror images.
2. Informal Balance – This refers to asymmetrical balances two dissimilar elements
that seem to carry equal weight. For example, a small shape painted bright red will
balance several larger items painted in duller red.
3. Variety – Routine activity day after day can become dull and boring. The same color
or shapes repeated over and over in an artwork can become equally dull. To avoid
dullness, artists use the principle of variety in their works. Variety is a principle of art
that is concerned with combining one or more elements to create interest by adding
slight changes.
4. Harmony – If limited variety can become dull and boring, then excessive variety can
also create disorder and chaos. Artists avoid such predicaments in their works by
using the principle of harmony. Harmony is a principle of art that is concerned with
 blending elements to create a calm and restful appearance.
5. Emphasis – To attract and gain the viewer’s attention to significant aspects of an
artwork, artists use the principle of emphasis. Emphasis is making an element in a
work stand out. It can be created by contrast or by extreme changes in an element.
6. Proportion – Proportion is a principle of art that is concerned with the relationship of
one part to another and the whole. It is not limited to size. Elements, such as color,
can be used in differing proportions to create emphasis.
7. Movement – Artists use the principle of movement to lead the viewer’s eyes
throughout the work. Movement is the principle of art used to create the look and feel
of action and guide a viewer’s eye through the work of art. It encourages the viewer
to scan, visualize, and probe the artwork.
8. Rhythm – Artists make use of the principle of rhythm, which is a principle of art that
is concerned with repeating elements to make a work seem active or to elicit
vibration. To create rhythm, an artist can repeat the element and the same objects
over and over.