The elements and principles of art and design are important to understand so that you have a common language with other artists (and examiners) when it comes to talking about art.

Think about which are the most obvious elements that have been used in each work; how the principles have been manipulated to make the image; in what ways the artist is controlling your interaction with the work.

Ultimately you will need to look at how YOU are going to do these same things.

Sometimes, whilst an artwork appears to be slapped together, it is actually the aesthetic understanding of a long working career that has allowed the artist to work the elements and principles in the way they have.

Scroll through the following page to find the elements and principles of art.

Formula for writing about elements and principles:

• Describe the element and/or principle within the composition. Note its exact location. Eg: Colour is used to create emphasis on the figure in the right hand of the foreground who is wearing a black dress.

• Discuss the technical impact of the element and/principle. Eg: The black dress drawers the viewer’s eye to the figure as it contrasts against her surroundings.

• Explain how this element and/or principle impacts mood, atmosphere, artist motive and/purpose, symbolic references. Eg: The use of black creates a sombre mood in the composition. A sense of sorrow surrounds the figure, as if she is in mourning or perhaps she is a symbol of the artists own loss.

• Back it up with another element or principle. Eg: The use of organic lines in the figures dress also creates emphasis on the figure and adds to the sense of loss and fragility.

LINE

Line - is a mark on a surface that describes a shape or outline. It can create texture and can be thick and thin. Types of line can include actual, implied, vertical, horizontal, diagonal and contour lines.

Characteristics of line:

Width - thick, thin, tapering, uneven

Length - long, short, continuous, broken

Direction - horizontal, vertical, diagonal, curving, perpendicular, oblique, parallel, radial, zigzag

Focus - sharp, blurry, fuzzy

Feeling - sharp, jagged, graceful, smooth

Types of line:

Outlines - lines made by the edge of the object or its silhouette

Contour Lines - lines that describe the shape of an object and the interior detail

Expressive lines - lines that are energetic and catches the movement and gestures of an active figure

Sketch Lines - lines that capture the appearance of an object or impression of a place

Implied Lines - lines that are not actually drawn but created by a group of objects seen from a distance

COLOUR

Colour - refers to specific hues and has 3 properties, Chroma, Intensity and Value. The colour wheel is a way of showing the chromatic scale in a circle using all the colours made with the primary triad. Complimentary pairs can produce dull and neutral colour. Black and white can be added to produce tints (add white), shades (add black) and tones (add grey).

Categories of Colour

Primary colours - red, yellow and blue - these colours cannot be mixed

Secondary colours - orange, purple and green - these colours are created by mixing two primaries

Tertiary or Intermediate colours - red/orange, yellow/green, blue/purple etc. Created by mixing a primary with a secondary

Analogous Colours - colours that lie on either side of any given colour

Complementary Colours - colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel. When they are placed together they look bright and when they are mixed together they neutralise each other

Monochromatic Colours - when one colour is used, but in different values and intensity i.e: light brown, brown, dark brown

Warm Colours - all one one side of the colour wheel. Can be used to create feelings of warmth. Red, orange and yellow are colours of fire and would make us think ‘warm’

Cool Colours - are on the other side of the colour wheel and give the feeling of coolness. Blue, purple, colours of water, and green, the colour of cool grass

TEXTURE

Texture - is about surface quality either tactile or visual. Texture can be real or implied by different uses of media. It is the degree of roughness or smoothness in objects.

Categories of Texture

Real Texture - actual texture of an object. Artist may create real texture in art to give visual interest or evoke feelings. If you were to touch the artwork, you would feel the texture.

Implied Texture - when a piece of art is made to look like a certain texture. Like a drawing of a tree trunk may look rough, but is in fact just a smooth piece of paper.

Words to discuss texture:

Smooth, Rough, Coarse, Sensitive, Rustic, Rugged Descriptive, Bold, Minimal, Prickly, Sensuous, Tactile, Slippery, Soft, Stippled, Crazed

FORM

Form - is a 3-dimensional object having volume and thickness. It is the illusion of a 3-D effect that can be implied with the use of light and shading techniques. Form can be viewed from many angles.

Here are some words that help you think about and describe shape and form

Two dimensional, Three dimensional, Solid, Void, Concave, Convex, Positive, Negative, Figure, Ground, Organic, Geometric, Free form, Ambiguous, Complete, Square, Cube, Circle, Sphere, Triangle, Pyramid, Cone

SHAPE

Shape - is a 2-dimensional line with no form or thickness. Shapes are flat and can be grouped into two categories, geometric and organic.

Categories of Shapes:

Geometric Shapes - circles, squares, rectangles and triangles. We see them in architecture and manufactured items

Organic Shapes - leaves, seashells and flowers. We see them in nature and with characteristics that are free flowing, informal or irregular

Positive Shapes - in drawing, or painting, they are the solid forms in a design such as a bowl of fruit. In a sculpture it is the solid form of the sculpture

Negative Shapes - the space around the positive shape or the shape around the fruit bowl. In sculpture it is the empty shape around and between the sculptures

Static Shape - shapes that appear stable and resting

Dynamic Shape - shapes that appear moving and active

VALUE

Value - is the degree of light and dark in a design. It is the contrast between black and white and all the tones in between. Value can be used with colour as well as black and white. Contrast is the extreme changes between values.

Categories of Value

Tint - adding white to coloured paint to create lighter values such as light blue or pink

Shade - adding black to paint to create dark values such as dark blue or dark red

High-key - where a painting/picture is all light values

Low-key - where a painting/picture is all dark values

Value Contrast - where light values are placed next to dark values to create strong differences or contrast

Value Scale - the scale that shows the gradual change in value from its lightest value, white, to its darkest value, black.

SPACE

Space - refers to variations in the proportions and location of objects, lines or shapes. There is a variation of space in objects either real or imagined. It can be described as being anywhere between vast and confined.

Categories of Space

Positive Space - Like in a positive shape, it is the actual sculpture of building

Negative Space - also like negative shape, it is the space around the sculpture or building

Picture Plane - is the flat surface of your drawing paper of canvas

Composition - the organisation and placement of the elements on your picture plane

Focal Point - is the object or area you want the view to be drawn to first

Perspectives - perspectives is the representation of an image as it is perceived by the eye

Non-Linear Perspective - the method of showing depth that incorporates the following:

Position - placing an object higher on the page makes it appear further back than objects placed lower

Overlapping - when an object overlaps another object it appears closer to the viewer, and the object appears further away

Types of Perspective

Non-Linear Perspective

Size Variation - smaller objects look further away in the distance. Larger objects look closer

Colour - Bright colours look like they are closer to you and neutral colours look like they are further away

Value - Lighter values look like they are further back and darker values closer

Linear Perspective - the method of using lines to show the illusion of depth in the picture. The following are types of linear perspective

One-point perspective - When lines created by the sides of objects/buildings look like they are all pointing to the distance and they all meet at one point on the horizon.

Two-point perspective - Lines created look like they are meeting at two points on the horizon line.

Words to talk about Space:

Depth, Receding, Point perspective, Minimal, Two dimensional, Three dimensional, Vortex Positive, Negative, Open, Closed, Filled, Empty, Actual, Implied, Interior, Exterior, Scale, Orientation, Spaced, Perspective, Foreground, Middleground, Background, Aerial perspective, One-point perspective, Two-point perspective, Visual depth, Point of view

Principles

Emphasis - is an area that first attracts attention in a composition. This area is more important when compared to the other objects or elements in a composition. This can be by contrast of values, more colours, and placement in the format.

Balance - is a feeling of visual equality in shape, form, value, colour, etc. Balance can be symmetrical or evenly balanced or asymmetrical and un-evenly balanced. Objects, values, colours, textures, shapes, forms, etc., can be used in creating a balance in a composition.

Unity - brings together a composition with similar units. If your composition was using wavy lines and organic shapes you would stay with those types of lines and not put in just one geometric shape.

Contrast - offers some change in value creating a visual discord in a composition. Contrast shows the difference between shapes and can be used as a background to bring objects out and forward in a design. It can also be used to create an area of emphasis.

Directional Movement - is a visual flow through the composition. It can be the suggestion of motion in a design as you move from object to object by way of placement and position. Directional movement can be created with a value pattern. It is with the placement of dark and light areas that you can move your attention through the format.

Pattern - is a movement in which some elements recurs regularly. Like a dance it will have a flow of objects that will seem to be like the beat of music.

Note: The video above is American and uses some American terms. Unity = Harmony and Variety we link in with Contrast.