Elements of Art

Line refers to the continuous mark made on a surface by a moving point. It may be an actual line, like a pencil mark on paper, or it may be implied (a line in an artwork that is not physically there but suggested by points in the artwork), such as a dotted line.

Shapes are formed by line. Shapes have only height and width, therefore shapes are always flat (2-dimensional).

There are 2 types of shapes:

▪ Geometric shapes appear frequently in man-made objects. These shapes can be made using a geometry set.

▪ Organic shapes appear most often in nature.

Forms are 3D objects, like sphere, cones and cubes. These have height, width and depth. Artists can also create the illusions of form by using different techniques such as shading and perspective.

Space refers to the distance or area between, around, above or within things. Space can be 2-dimensional, 3-dimensional, negative and/or positive.

Colour is produced when light, striking an object, is reflected back to the eye. Colour has three properties:

• Hue - the name we give to a color (red, yellow, blue, etc.)
• Intensity - the brightness and dullness of a color
• Value

Value describes the lightness or darkness of a colour. Artists use value to create the illusion of 3D objects (form). When painting, you can get different values of a color by making shades (add black) and tints (add white). When drawing, you create different values depending on how hard you apply pressure to the drawing material.

Texture refers to the surface quality or "feel" of an object, such as roughness, smoothness, or softness. Actual texture can be felt; however, artists can also create the illusion of texture in a painting, drawing or print.