PRINCIPLES OF

ART
GROUP 4
What you can expect
to learn from this class:
To know what are the principles of art specifically the
HARMONY,PROPORTION, UNITY, SCALE, AND VARIETY
To learn the differences of each principles and what is
their significance in art;
To have fun
 What does
PRINCIPLE OF
ART mean?
Principle of Art
The principles of art describe how an artist use
the various components of art to get a desired
result and further their intended message.
Balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern,
rhythm, and unity/variety are among the concepts
of art and design. These guidelines can be applied
to judge whether or not a painting is successful
and whether or not it is finished.
Let's START!
SCALE
In art and design, the principle of scale
refers to the relative size of one object
compared to another, typically the size
of the artwork to the viewer’s body.
Scale can also refer to the size
relationships of different visuals within a
singular piece of art.
SCALE
PROPORTION

Proportion in art can be defined as

the relation based on size
between parts or objects within a
composition.

It is crucial when creating realistic drawings or

paintings. The outcome will look less realistic or
abstract if the proportions are off.
TYPES OF PROPORTION
Standard Proportion - means that
accurate or correct proportions are
utilized for the subject matter. This
applies to facial and body features as
well as the general congruency of
proportion between parts in the art
composition that would suggest normal
proportion.
TYPES OF PROPORTION
Altered Proportion in art refers to an
artwork where the proportion has been
changed, distorted, or altered for specific
reasons; this is also called “exaggerated”
proportion by some. This type of
proportion is utilized to tell a story, have a
specific meaning or message, or
emphasize certain aspects to create an
effect.
TYPES OF PROPORTION
Hierarchical Proportion in art
focuses on the importance of the
subject matter, in other words, the
hierarchy of figures in a composition
to denote their status or level of
power or importance in a monarchy
or social structure.
TYPES OF PROPORTION
Out of Proportion in art simply refers
to the subject matter, be it figures or
objects, that are not in proper
proportional relation to one another.
For example, a figure’s head could be
the size of an apple in relation to the
rest of the body, which appears larger.
David by
Michelangelo
Here, we see a 17-feet
sculpture of the Biblical
figure David, however,
regardless of his large
scale, he is in seemingly
perfect proportion.
Mother and
Child by
Pablo Picasso
Here, we see the
exaggerated features in
the mother’s figure; not
only are her arms quite
large and her head
smaller, but her facial
features have an
angularity.
Nebamun
fowling in
the marshes
(c. 1350)
depicts the figure of
Nebamun standing on a
boat with his wife and
daughter, who are
depicted as smaller
figures. .
The Elephants
(1948) by
Salvador Dalí
depicts two elephants with
elongated legs that appear
wholly out of proportion to
their bodies. This painting
is believed to symbolize
ideas of weight and power,
as is characteristic of
elephants, and
weightlessness due to
their thin and gangling legs.
PROPORTION AND
SCALE

Scale is the size itself and

proportion is concerned with
the relationship size to each
other.
VARIETY
Variety is a principle that the artist adds to a
piece of artwork in order to add interest by
using art elements like Shapes, Colors, or
Lines, etc., and positioning them in a new
location, position, or angle.
VARIETY
HARMONY
A way of combining similar
elements in artwork to accent
their similarities (achieved
through the use of repetitions and
subtle gradual changes)
HARMONY
Harmony is the principle of art that
creates cohesiveness by stressing the
similarities of separate but related
parts. One should note that harmony is
not the same as unity. Harmony does,
however, enhance unity in a work of art.
 HARMONY
Specifically, harmony uses the elements of art (color, line,
shape, form, value, space, texture) as a vehicle to create a
sense of togetherness amongst otherwise separate parts.
Examples
 UNITY
Unity is the principle of design that
unifies all other principles within a
piece of work, allowing each individual
element to coexist with one another to
form an aesthetically pleasing design.
 UNITY

Unity is the principle of art that gives

an artwork a feeling of “oneness”. Unity
and harmony are similar, but unity is
more broad.
 UNITY
It is difficult to achieve unity without
harmony. Harmony is accomplished
by the repetition of a particular design
element, such as color, shape, texture,
etc… that harmony is what creates the
sense of unity.
Examples
Any questions?
QUESTIONS
1. Why does harmony,
variety, and unity work in
art creation?

2. How does scale differ

from proportion?
 Thank
You For
Listening!