what are the elements of art and why are they important?

SKETCHBOOK COVER:

COLLAGE ABOUT VISUAL

INTERESTS.

1. BACKGROUNDLARGE AREA OF

PATTERN OR COLOR

2. MIDDLE GROUNDMAIN FOCUS

3.FOREGROUNDEMBELLISHMENTS

(INITIALS AND HR#)

HALF OF CLASS

TO FINISH

WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF ART AND WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?

When faced with art snobs. When stumped for conversation at art

galleries. If ever you have to write a paper on art.

It is all elemental, my dear friends!

BUT FOR REAL… Elements: 6

fundamental aspects of art, they make ART

Line SpaceValue

Shape/FormColor Texture

Principals: 7 ways incorporate elements into an artwork.

Balance EmphasisMovement Pattern Repetition RhythmVariety UnityProportion

DO YOU LIKE TO COOK? Elements are like

the INGREDIANTS

Principals are like the RECIPE

LINE Is a continuous

mark.  The artist Paul Klee said “ Line was a dot taking a walk.”

It has five characteristics: length, width, curvature, depth, and texture.

SHAPEA shape is an enclosed

line.

It has height and width and is usually considered flat…2-D.

There are Geometric shapes… circle, square, rectangle, or triangle.

There are also Organic shapes that are derived from living things.

FORMA form is two or more

shapes combined. It has height, width, and

depth. It is considered 3-D and

you usually can walk around and/or through it.

The basic geometric forms are sphere, cone, cylinder, and cube.

SPACE

Is the area the artist works on. It can be paper, clay, canvas, walls, etc. It has two characteristics: positive…the

object and negative… the voided area surrounding the object.

POSITIVE SPACE positive…the

object

NEGATIVE SPACE negative… the

voided area surrounding the object.

COLOR Hue is another word for

color. It is the specific shade of a particular color.                    

There are: 3 Primary colors 3 Secondary colors 6 Intermediate colors

placed evenly around the basic color wheel.

PRIMARY

SECONDARY

INTERMEDIATE

NEUTRALS

Mixing two secondary colors together creates…browns

Orange + Green = Yellow Brown (Amber)

Green + Violet = Green Brown (Olive) Violet + Orange = Red Brown (Rust)

VALUE Is the lightness and

darkness of a color or neutral gray.

White added to a color is a tint.

Gray added to a color is a tone.

Black added to a color is a shade.

These are also called NEUTRALS.

TEXTURE The feel of a surface.

There are two kinds: Actual or real…             usually made by

nature Implied or fake…

usually created by man

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGNBalance Equilibrium … the feeling of being

comfortable in artwork. Where the Elements are placed in the picture in a  way so they  have equal weight.

There are three kinds…Symmetrical, Radial and

Asymmetrical

SYMMETRICAL BALANCE Symmetrical or

formal balance which is objects centered

ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE Asymmetrical or informal balance which is

more objects on one side or off centered.

EMPHASIS Drawing

attention to the main object. All elements; like line, color, and shapes, direct your eye to the main point.

MOVEMENT This is the path

the viewer’s eye takes through the artwork, often to focal areas. Such movement can be directed along lines edges, shape and color within the artwork.

PATTERN is the repeating of

an object or symbol all over the artwork.

REPETITION The act of doing

something again. Repeating design elements.

PROPORTION is the feeling of

unity created when all parts (sizes, amounts, or number) relate well with each other.

The relationship between two objects

RHYTHM Using the elements of

design repeatedly to create a feeling of organized movement.

Variety is essential to keep rhythm exciting and active, and moving the viewer around the artwork.

Rhythm creates a mood like music or dancing.

VARIETYThe use of several elements of design to hold the viewer’s attention and to guide the viewer’s eye through the artwork.

UNITYThe feeling of harmony between all parts of the artwork creating a sense of completeness.

FIND 3 PIECES OF CERAMICS SCULPTURE OR POTTERY. 1. Glue it in your sketchbook and beside

it

2. List and describe the Elements (ingredients) that are apparent in the piece.

3. List and describe the Principles (Recipe) that makes use of these Elements

EXAMPLE:Elements: Value: The use of white makes more dramatic shadows and high contrast Color: The neutral palette makes for a more dramatic piece. Texture: Very realistic textures Space: The space inside the lung cavity. Shape/Form: Obviously a 3D realistic form.Principles: Variety: Lots of textures and shapes creates variety. Unity: Similar textures and the monochromatic color scheme unify

the piece. Balance: The piece has very equal weight distribution Rhythm/Movement: The many lines and textures of the birds give

them movement. Proportion: Shapes and Forms in are proportion according to the

space.