PRINCIPLES: these are the recipes when creating your art, as in what to do with the ingredients. These components help you figure out the WHY and HOW in your art. There is also a lot of debate on what kinds of principles of art/design there are, and it really depends on who you talk to (graphic designers and traditional artists use varying ones, for example). Here are the ones we will use in the art room:

Balance - Balance is one of the most important of the Principles of Art because this is how all of the elements are either placed appropriately and balanced. In a work of art you can have symmetrical or asymmetrical balance depending on what you're going for in your concept. For example, you can have a whole group of smaller soldiers on the left side of the drawing and a larger, close-up image of the General on the right side (the sizes are not equal, but the mass that they take up is balanced). Another example could be a whole field of flowers but three trees are standing tall: one in the front right bottom, one in the left middle, and one smaller one near the top middle to indicate a foreground, middle ground, and background balance.

Variety - An artwork becomes instantly more aesthetically interesting relative to the level of variety found within the edges of the art space. Different colors, different textures, multiple uses of line in thickness and direction, overlapping forms, different sizes and proportions of objects, and others create a varied use of space within the work of art and gives the viewer more content to pay attention to. No, Variety is not on the chart provided here, but again, there's a huge discrepancy of what to actually include in the Principles list.

Contrast - Contrast is used to indicate components in the concept that are opposing each other or have some kind of dynamic tension. Opposites in art can provide the viewer with a level of uneasiness that can be necessary to get the point across. For example, contrast can be indicated in complementary colors or textures that fight with each other in a work of art, such as a cacti field and bubbles, or perhaps it takes on a more subtle conceptual design, like a woman standing there in a fur coat, fuzzy hat, and tortoise shell glasses next to a man in ragged and holed pants, loose fitting shirt, and a disheveled and dirty appearance shows contrast in outward visual appearance.

Emphasis - This particular Principle of Art is used to showcase a specific area, concept, idea, or another focal point for a purpose. Perhaps the focal point is indicated with a different color because it's supposed to stand out for a reason, or maybe a different texture in an area gives off a new feeling to the viewer. Emphasis is used to draw attention to a certain area in a work of art for a purpose of highlighting the meaning of the concept.

Pattern/Repetition - These two are often used in conjunction with the other and can provide a sense of easiness and predictability in an artwork. Train tracks, brick walls, footprints, braids in a hairstyle, and other patterned areas can elicit the calming emotion of knowing what to expect. It can also be used to provide the opposite: pattern, when used correctly, can give off a sense of entrapment and confinement, whether physically or mentally: picture jail cell bars, chain link fences, rows and rows of people in a crowd, etc. I would consider Pattern and Repetition to be the unsung and overlooked principles of art, but just as powerful.

Movement/Rhythm - Movement and Rhythm are similar to Pattern and Repetition but have a more fluid and growth mindset in a work of art. Water can show pattern in the waves rolling in, but how the waves are moving show a movement that provides the viewer with a sense of adaptability and flexibility, whereas the use of Pattern is more stable and rigid. The braid of a hair is considered pattern, but if you have that hair blowing in the wind in your drawing, instantly you've created motion and flow.

Harmony/Unity - Harmony and Unity would be considered more difficulty of a concept to grasp because it encompasses all of the Principles together, even more so than Balance. Harmony and Unity surrounds the idea that all of the elements and principles are working well together and does more with aesthetic appearance rather than conceptual design and subject matter placement.