Art Elements Help!
Colour
Colour is how our eyes perceive light. Colour is said to be one of the most expressive art elements. The main characteristics of colour are hue, intensity and value.
Word to describe colour:
Bright, Vibrant, Intense, Saturated
Dull, Muted, Subdued, Desaturated
Natural, Earthy
Cool, Warm
Primary, Secondary
Neutral (browns, greys)
Monochromatic (one colour)
Contrasting, harmonious
Tone
Tone refers to the degrees of lightness and darkness of a colour or shade. Using tone often creates a feeling of depth or form, as it creates a three-dimensional effect in artworks.
Words to describe tone:
Realistic, dramatic, harsh, subtle, gradual, mid-tones, shadow, highlights, shading, natural, blended, hatching, rendered, lighting
Line
Line can be described as a path created by a moving point. It is one of the most basic art elements, and can be used to create other elements, like Tone and Shape.
Words to describe line:
Straight, horizontal, vertical, diagonal, parallel
Curved, sweeping, flowing, overlapping
Fine, delicate, thin, broken
Solid, dark, bold, thick
Shape / Form
Shape is an enclosed area, often created by line. Shapes appear two-dimensional- e.g. circles, squares- when Forms appear three-dimensional- e.g. spheres, cubes.
Words to describe shape / form:
Organic, free-form, natural
Geometric, triangular, rectangular, circular
Soft-edged, jagged, angular, fluid, solid, overlapping
Flat, three-dimensional
Texture
Texture refers to how something feels, or how something appears to feel if you could touch it. Artists can use real texture / actual texture, which means that the texture is real and has been created by materials and techniques, but they can also use implied / simulated texture, which means they have created an illusion of texture (for example in a realistic painting of a fluffy dog).
Words to describe texture:
Real, actual, implied, simulated
Smooth, glossy, varnished, even
Rough, uneven, raised, impasto, coarse
The Principles
Advanced students can aim to talk about how the use of the art elements in an artwork can create art principles!
What are the principles?
Focal Point / Emphasis (where your eyes look first)
Contrast (a feeling that something stands out as different)
Balance (the distribution of visual weight of the work- can be asymmetrical or symmetrical)
Unity (a feeling that things belong, are similar, or work well together)
Scale (how big something is compared to other things)
Movement (a sense of slow or fast movement or the way your eyes move)
Repetition / Pattern (something repeated to create a regular or irregular pattern)
Variety (something standing out as a bit different from other things)
Space (the placement of things to create a sense of depth, or flat space)
Rhythm (something repeated to create a sense of a visual ‘beat’ like in music)
Proportion (the comparative amounts or ratios of a certain element)
