THE ELEMENTS OF VISUAL

ARTS
 Line

● The line is man's invention. It does not exist in nature the lines we "see "in
nature are, on close observation, veins of leaves, the joining of two different
surfaces, or the edge of objects. The artist uses lines to imitate or to represent
objects and figures on a flat sur face.

● Lines have many qualities which the artists exploit. They may be short or
long, fine on think, heavy or light, wavy or jagged straight or waved. They
usually delineate shapes.

● Used across on within a shape, they give the effect of solidity or create an
illusion of volume, or rough or smooth texture. A series of heavy lines draw
close the another hand a few light strokes can give a sensation of softness and
delicacy. A painter can use lines to simulate the gentle movement of the
following river, the graceful swaying of trees, on the sharpness of crags.
 A. Horizontal line creates an impression of serenity and perfect stability since
we associ- ate it with reclining forms in nature such as a sleeping person or
with the horizon.

B. A vertical line appears poised and stable. We feel that a straight tree is strong,
and that person who stands tall is one who has confidence in himself.
C. Diagonal line implies action a man who is running bends forward
assumes a diago- nal positon. A tree that is about to fall takes a
diagonal direction with diagonal lines; artist can convey a feeling of
unrest, certainly, and movement.
 D. Curved line results when there is a gradual change of
direction, because it is gradual, it shows fluidity we see this
in the curves of a woman's figure in the rounded petals of
flowers, and in the shape of a crescent moon.
E. Circular line is the abrupt change of direction.
The abruptness creates tension and an
impression of chaos, confusion, or conflict.
 Shape

●Over world is composed of a variety of shape, some of which, because of

constant use, have gained permanent meanings. They can be used to simplify
ideas. Shapes nay be natural, abstract, non-objective, or geometric; natural
shape is those we see in nature, such as shapes of men, animals on trees.

● They may be interpreted realistically, or they may be distorted.

●Abstract Shapes are formed after the artist her drawn out the essence of the
original object and made it the subject of his work Non-objective shape seldom
have reference to recognizable objects but often they show a similarity to
some organic forms Many of Hernando Ocampo's abstraction such as on the
stage curtain of the main treats of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, one of
this kind.
 ● Shape in Painting Shape is an area on flat surface encloved by a line.
●It stands out from the surface became of difference in colour, value, texture, or a combination of
these.
● Que way of developing our ability to res shapes is to see texture.
● We moved soon discover that people are combinations of cylinders, Trianglese vdes
lilackboards are rectangles, electric fans are Siecles Shapes can give the lusion of weight, volume
flames istic painters can make objects appear as more than two dunensional with the use of lines
or colour.
●Shape in Sculpture since sculpture is three dimensional, shapes are
identified an mem or as volume, Mas matter that has weight and
solidity. It can be lifted, pushed, or viewed in the round. When a mus je
structure on has a definite shape, it is sand to have volume.

● The fundumental unit in wulpture is the single volume an example

of this is the movement of sultan kudarat in Makati, Several volumes
may be tightly grouped, or in the movement, or they may be grouped
but seperated by open space, or in the redemption at the Laste
memonel Park
Sculpture may have plane surfaces.

● We those of solids pyramik cubes and prins: Cylinders and care ore
sitzfaces which are curved in a single direction and are cold single
sted surface When a surface curves directions so that on two
directions are parallel to one another, it is said to be a satmet ander
Coated Surfaces are curved in all directions so that it is extremely
difficult.
 ●Shape in Architecture a house, a church, or an office
building has a shipe of its man, defined by to mall and roots.

●The individual pars that corpore each hudding and other

arwitures depend upes The mus of construction used.
 Texture

●When we speak of texture, we usually refer to the feel or tactile quality of the
surface of an object, whether the surface is ridged, funny or silly rough or
smooth, grooved or

●For the sculptor and the architect, texture results chiefly from the physical
properties of the materials they use.

●The sculptor can produce any blend of texture that he wants his work to have.
If the material is soft, such as clay or wax, the artist manipulates or pulls and
pushes it into its final shape, leaving the marks of his manipulations on the
surface as wishes. He can polish finished work to give it a smoother texture.
TEXTURE
●An architect can use brick and wood to produce
patterns on the walls and positions. He can exploit
materials to create surfaces that may blend
interestingly on contrast with the site on which the
building inbuilt.

●Artist also uses passages of journal lettering and

manuscript as part of textural areas in their paintings.
When the painting was regarded as an illustration to
written narratives, as in the case of the early Christian
miniatures and illuminations, lettered texture was
common.
 Color

● Color is not a permanent property of things we see around us It is derived from light whether, like
sunlight, or artificial, like the fluorescent light under a weak light, we see some color, but under a bright
light, we see more color.

●Color is the sense of wavelengths which strike our retina Every ray of light coming from the sun is
compound of different waves which vibrate at different speed, we can confirm this scientific fact if we
allow a beam of light coming from the sun is compound of different waves which vibrate at different
speed, we can confirm this scientific fact if we allow a beam of light to pass through a prism.

●Since a beam of light contains all the different colors, why do we see natural objects as having are
color? Any object has a color quality called pigmentation which enables it to absorb some of the colors
and reflect only one. A red rose appears red because it reflects red waves of light and absorbs all others
Some objects do not have color. Some are black, white or gray. These are not present in the color
spectrum. They do not have any color.

●Quality,Instead, they differ in the quality of light that they reflect. They are called neutralk once they do
not reflect all colors and gray results from a partial reflection.
 Physical Properties of Color

●Hue is the quality which gives a color its name, the colors
of the spectrum are therefore called hues.
 ● Value adding neutrals, such as black or white, to any hue (eg, blue or red) results in
changing the quality of light it reflects. A color combines with black will reflect less light
than the same color combined with white.

●When black is combined with a color, a shape is produced, when whit is a added to it, a
tint results. Black added to red results in dark red. When white is added, we get light red,,
when white is added, we get light red The lightness or darkness of a color is called value.
● Intensity or Saturation - Intensity is the strength of The color's hue. It refers to the
quality of light in a color. Red for Instance, may be seen as bright red if only re rays of
light are reflected. But if any of the complementary greed rays were reflected in it, the
effect will be duller color

If green and red were balance, the resultant color will be a neutral gray.
 Uses of color

● Color may give spatial quality to the pictorial field

● Color may create a mood and symbolize ideas and express personal emotions Color has the
ability to arouse sensations of pleasure because of a well ordered sys tem of tonality.

●The color is not exclusive to painting. In architecture, color plays a secondary role. The
materials used in a building have their integral color which the architect takes into account
when he designs a building there is the gray of concrete, the red of brick, and the great
Variety of brown which wood has.

●In sculpture, color is linked to the material chosen by the sculpture to enhance the depth of
the shallow areas or to dramatize the sections which take the light some sculptors use steel
and then coat the finished works with brass, copper or nickel.
Do you have any questions?