Elements &

Principles of
Art
The ELEMENTS of Art
The elements of design can be thought of as the
things that make up an artwork (the ingredients)
Elements of Art
LINE

An element of art defined by a point moving in space. Line may be two-or

three-dimensional, descriptive, implied, or abstract.
There are two different kinds of lines
• STRAIGHT LINE
• CURVED LINE
Straight lines may be drawn in different directions and
are given three names.
• HORIZONTAL LINES
• VERTICAL LINES
• DIAGONAL LINES
Arturo Luz
Elements of Art
SHAPE

An element of art that is two-dimensional, flat, or limited to

height and width.
Wassily Kandinsky
Elements of Art
FORM
An element of art that is three-dimensional and encloses volume; includes
height, width AND depth (as in a cube, a sphere, a pyramid, or a cylinder).
Form may also be free flowing.
Auguste Rodin
 Elements of Art

COLOR
An element of art made up of three properties: hue, value, intensity
• Hue: name of color
• Value: hue’s lightness and
darkness ( a color’s value
changes when white or black is
added)
• Intensity= color is strong and
bright; low intensity= color is
faint and dull)
Piet Mondrian
 Elements of Art
VALUE
The lightness or darkness of tones or colors. White is the lightest value;
black is the darkest. The value halfway between these extremes is called
middle gray.
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio
Elements of Art

SPACE
An element of art by which positive and negative areas are defined or a
sense of depth achieved in a work of art.
Maurits Cornelis Escher
Elements of Art
TEXTURE
An element of art that refers to the way things feel, or look as if they might
feel if touched.
TWO KINDS OF TEXTURE

TACTILE TEXTURE
Tactile texture, or Actual
texture is the way a surface
would feel if you could touch
it. You may find actual
texture in a sculpture or
collage.

VISUAL TEXTURE
Visual texture is the way a
surface appears through the
sense of vision. It is the way
something looks like it would
feel.
Vincent van Gogh
The PRINCIPLES of Art
The principles of design are ways to organize the
elements of design
Principles of Art
BALANCE
Balance is the comfortable
or pleasing arrangement of
things in art. The three
different kinds of balance
are:
• SYMMETRICAL balance-
things on either side of a
centre line are almost
alike.
• ASYMMETRICAL balance-
a large shape is balanced
by a smaller shape
• RADIAL balance- all lines
and shapes lead to a focal
point in the centre of a
work of art.
Leonardo da Vinci
Principles of Art

EMPHASIS
Is the center of interest in a work of art, the most important element, were
the viewer focuses, the focal point.
Rene Magritte
Principles of Art
UNITY
Unity makes a work of art feel
complete and finished because
all the elements seem to be in
harmony and work together.
Unity means that all is in
harmony. Variety adds interest.
Georges- Pierre Seurat
Principles of Art
CONTRAST
Refers to the differences in
values, colors, textures and
other elements.
Contrast creates visual
excitement and adds interest
to the artwork.
Temperature contrast refers
to the difference between
warm and cool colors.
Size contrast can provide
drama in art.
Claude Monet
Principles of Art
RHYTHM
Refers to a repetition of elements of art to produce the look and
feel of movement. It is often achieved through the careful
placement of repeated components
Hokusai
Principles of Art The repetition of elements to help

PATTERN
the eye move around the artwork.
The repetition of anything,
shapes,lines or colors in a design.
A pattern can be planned, radial or
random.
Andy Warhol
Principles of Art
MOVEMENT
Show actions. It is the path the
viewers eye follows throughout
an artwork.
Edvard Munch
 Exercise 1:
In each box create an
example of each of the
elements
of art and the Principles of
Design.
Example Exercise
Name______________________________ 7____ Class No.___

Line Shape Form Color Value

Space Texture Balance Emphasis Unity

Contrast Rhythm Pattern Movement

Name______________________________ 7____ Class No.___

Line Shape Form Color Value

Space Texture Balance Emphasis Unity

Contrast Rhythm Pattern Movement

STOP HERE.
The Magic of
CREATING
Art doesn't just happen.
Whether it's a simple
line drawing or an
involved, realistic
painting, there is a
definite path to the
creative process.
Beginning with the
spark of inspiration
and finishing with the
completion of a work.
1. INSPIRATION
This is one of the most exciting moments in the
process of creating art: that beautiful moment when
inspiration strikes.
# inspire
me
 Where does
inspiration
come from?
Well, that's a
subject that
has confused
and
mystified
people for
centuries.
Perhaps it's
a film or
piece of
fine art
that inspires
you;
perhaps it's
something from
nature or an event
that has occurred in
your life.
Sometimes, an idea seems
to come out of nowhere.
Wherever ideas come
from, they have a strange
way of striking at the
oddest moments:
 while waiting
for the bus, in
the middle of
rush hour, or
while you're in
the bath.
 While it's not the most glamorous part of the creative
process, the "percolation" period is vital to creating art.
Basically, this is the time that elapses after you've had your
idea, but before you start making art. It can transpire in
many different ways.

2. PERCOLATION
Sometimes this involves refining your idea by making sketches
(and tossing out just as many) or playing around with ideas
visually. Other times, it's just a matter of giving an idea space
to germinate. Sometimes, you may have an idea years before you
create the piece of artwork it inspired. It doesn't mean you've
been resting on your laurels that entire time, though. There's
part of you that is always processing and refining your idea.
3.PREPARATION
Preparation can be confused with the
"percolation" period, but it is a more active
and focused time. You've settled on your
inspiration and how you'd like to proceed.
Now, it's a matter of figuring out how to
make it happen.
Preparation includes the time spent acquiring and organizing
your supplies, plus creating a design for what your piece will
be. Maybe that means making roughs or creating a dummy
outline for a book project.
 4. CREATION

Finally, it's time to make it happen! Creation is the time

during which you are solidly on your path. You have your
pen to paper, your brush to canvas. You are creating.
 The process of creation can vary depending on your
personal temperament, your artistic style and your medium.
For some, the process of creation is actually quite short
and much of the work has been done in the previous phases
— for instance, a simple line drawing. While it might take
minutes to complete the drawing, the thought and time
developing that idea was the more time-consuming part of
that project.

For a detailed painting, it might be just the opposite — you

might spend hours, days or weeks refining the perfect light
on a realistically painted flower petal in oil.
 5. REFLECTION
After you create a piece of art, there might be a slight tizzy
of activity: sharing it with family and friends, delivering it
to a client or hanging it on the wall. But regardless of the
end point of the art, its completion often leads to a period
of reflection.
 This reflection will be different for everyone. For some
artists, there's a sort of low-grade post-creative depression
that occurs, making them feel a little empty and "spent." For
others, there's relief: "It's done! I can move on to the next
thing!" For others, there are regrets: "I wish I had made this
line longer, I wish I had made that part of the composition
blue."

Regardless of how it feels to create a piece, though, its

completion is a milestone. But your creative work isn't done
forever: it won't be too long before the entire cycle begins
again!
STAGES IN CREATING ART

1.INSPIRATION
2.PERCOLATION
3.PREPARATION
4.CREATION
5.REFLECTION
 ARTIST STATEMENT
Classifying: Check: PAINTING
I WOULD LIKE TO NAME THIS WORK OF ART:
#TITLE

I CREATED THIS WORK OF ART BECAUSE:

#INSPIRATION

SOME OF THE THINGS I LEARNED WHILE CREATING MY ARTWORK

WERE:
#LEARNINGS, #DISCOVERIES, #DIFFICULTIES

MY FAVOURITE PART IS:

In creating this artwork which stage did you find more challenging to you as an artist? Why?
Stage 1: INSPIRATION
Stage 2: PERCOLATION
Stage 3: PREPARATION
Stage 4: CREATION

IF I COULD CHANGE SOMETHING ABOUT IT, IT WOULD BE (include why)

(PERCOLATION STAGE)
# CHANGE
# IMPROVE ON

WHILE MAKING IT, I WAS SURPRISED THAT:

# REALIZATION

SOMETHING ELSE I WANT TO SHARE ABOUT THIS ARTWORK IS:

# REFLECTION
 ART
APPRECIATION
Benedicto Cabrera
Juan Luna
Ang Kiukok
Felix Resurrección Hidalgo
Fernando C. Amorsolo
Bernat Sanso
Galo B. Ocampo
Hernando Ruiz Ocampo
Cesar Legaspi
Anita Magsaysay-Ho
Napoleon Abueva
Vicente S. Manansala
Fernando Zobel
Federico Aguilar Alcuaz
Lee Aguinaldo
Mauro Malang Santos