art elements and design principles

Art Elementsand

Design Principles

© 2015 Museo Art Academy & Gallery LLC. All Right Reserved.

A Helpful Guide to Understanding Visual

click to begin

http://museoartacademy.weebly.com/

Art Elements


Color Form

Line

Texture

Value Shape Space

click to next page



Color

- Subtractive Color Theory: Primary, Secondary & Tertiary- Warm vs. Cool- Complementary & Analogous- Tints, Shade & Tones- Hue

click to next page


Color | Subtractive Theory*


*This guide focuses on subtractive theory only. Enroll in a class at Museo Art Academy to learn more about subtractive vs. additive color.

click to next page



Color | Primary


red

yellow

blue

Primary colors are the root of every other hue imaginable. They are the purest of colors.

click to next page


Color | Secondary


red + yellow

yellow + blue

red + blue

orange

violet

green

Mix two primary colors tocreate a secondary color.

click to next page


Color | Tertiary


Mix a primary color with a secondary color to create a tertiary color

red-orange

yellow-orange yellow-green

blue-green

blue-violetred-violet

click to next page



click to next page

The Color WheelA color wheel organizes color hues into a circular pattern which shows relationships between primary colors, secondary colors and tertiary colors.


Color | Warm vs Cool


warm

cool- Warm colors advance

click to next page

- Cool colors recede


Color | Warm vs Cool


click to next page

Photo by Audrey Knutsen Photography


Warm

Cool


Color | Complementary


Complementary colors sit directly across from one another on the color wheel.

click to next page


Color | The Science of Seeing


Step 1Stare at the white dot in the center of the image for one minute (it’s ok if you blink).

Step 2Click to the next page and stare at the black dot in the open white space.

Jasper Johns, Flag, 1965

click to next page


Color | The Science of Seeing


What do you see?

Enroll in a class at Museo Art Academy to learn why this happens.

click to next page



Color | Analogous


Analogous colors are groups of three colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel.

click to next page


Color | Tints & Shades


Add various percentages of white to a color to create a tint.

tints

Add various percentages of black to a color to create a shade.

shades

click to next page


Color | Hue


The range of tints and shades of a single color comprise a hue.

red hue

green hue

blue hue

click to next page


Art Elements


Color Form

Line

Texture

Value Shape Space

click to next page



FormForm describes objects that are three-dimensional, occupying space. A cube is the 3D form of the two-dimensional shape, the square. A sphere is the 3D form of a circle.

click to next page

Stonehenge, Wiltshire England


Art Elements


Color Form

Line

Texture

Value Shape Space

click to next page



LineA line is a continuous mark made on a surface by a moving point (tool). Lines vary in weight (width) and can define shape, pattern, form and space.

click to next page

Wassily Kandinsky, Composition V, 1911



Art Elements


Color Form

Line

Texture

Value Shape Space

click to next page



TextureTexture describes the visual or tactile “feel” of a surface…smooth, rough, bumpy, prickly, etc.

click to next page



Art Elements


Color Form

Line

Texture

Value Shape Space

click to next page



ValueValue is the lightness or darkness of an object, regardless of its color.

click to next page

high contrasthigh contrast

low contrast

The greater variation between light and dark, the higher the contrast.


Art Elements


Color Form

Line

Texture

Value Shape Space

click to next page



ShapeA shape is a two-dimensional, defined area. It can be organic (found in nature) or geometric (man-made).

Organic | Henri Matisse

Geometric | Piet Mondrian

click to next page


Art Elements


Color Form

Line

Texture

Value Shape Space

click to next page



SpaceSpace is an actual or perceived three-dimensional area. 2D artists use perspective, scale, value, foreshortening and contrast to define space in their work.

click to next page



Art Elements

click to next page

Design Principles


Design Principles


Balance Contrast Emphasis

MovementPattern Rhyth

mUnity

click to next page



BalanceBalance is the equal distribution of weight in a design.

click to next page


Balance | Symmetrical, Asymmetrical & Radial


click to next page

Geo

rgia

O’K

eeff

e, B

lue

Flow

er, 1

918

Rach

el, P

aint

MyW

orld

Rain

bow

SymmetricalAsymmetrical

Radial

Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889




click to next page

Geo

rgia

O’K

eeff

e, B

lue

Flow

er, 1

918

Symmetrical- Known as formal balance (bilateral symmetry)- It is created by repeating the reverse of a design on the opposite side of the vertical axis; each side, in essence, becomes the mirror image of the other. Symmetrical balance is considered formal, ordered, stable and quiet.




click to next page


AsymmetricalWhile symmetry achieves balance through repetition, asymmetry achieves balance through contrast. Asymmetrical, or informal balance, involves different elements that have equal visual weight; the weight is equal but the elements are not identical.




click to next page


10 ways asymmetry is created…1. Position - the farther an element is from the center, the heavier it will feel; a large object placed near the center can be balanced by a smaller object placed near the edge

2. Size - larger feels heavier

3. Texture - an element with more complex texture is heavier visually than one with a simple texture or no texture at all




click to next page


Asymmetry is created through…4. Isolation - an isolated element has more visual weight

5. Value - darker feels heavier

6. Value contrast - the higher the value-contrast, the heavier the weight

7. Quantity - multiple small objects can balance one larger object




click to next page


Asymmetry is created through…8. Orientation - a diagonal orientation carries more visual weight than a horizontal or vertical one9. Shape - elements that have more complex shapes feel heavier than those with simple shapes

10. Color - the brighter and more intense its color, the heavier the element will feel




click to next page

RadialRadial balance occurs when all the elements radiate out from a central point and the visual weight is distributed equally. Radial balance creates a strong focal point in the center of the design. Clock faces and daisies are examples of radial balance.

Rach

el, P

aint

MyW

orld

Rain

bow


Design Principles




mUnity

click to next page



ContrastContrast is the arrangement of opposite elements (light vs. dark colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.) in a piece so as to create visual interest, excitement and drama.

click to next page

high contrast



low contrast


Design Principles




mUnity

click to next page



EmphasisAlso called “dominance”, emphasis refers to the area where the artist intends to direct the viewer’s attention. This area is the focal point and is created through use of placement, pattern, color and contrast.

click to next page


Maria, age 12 (Museo Art Academy student)


Design Principles




mUnity

click to next page



MovementMovement is the path the viewer’s eye takes through the artwork, often to a focal area. It can be directed along lines, edges, shapes and color. Movement is closely tied to rhythm.

click to next page

Katsushika Hokusai, The Great Wave of Kanagawa, C1830



Design Principles




mUnity

click to next page


pattern

repetition


PatternPattern is an intentional and orderly repetition of one or more elements.

click to next page

Wassily Kandinsky, Squares with Concentric Circles, 1913

MC Escher, Lizard Tessellation


Design Principles




mUnity

click to next page



RhythmWith rhythm, elements of a pattern are used, but with variation.

click to next page

pattern

rhythm

Paul Klee, Castle and Sun, 1923


Design Principles




mUnity

click to next page



UnityUnity is the fundamental principle of design and it is supported by all the other principles. Unity creates an integrated image in which all the elements are working together to support the design as a whole.

click to next page

Claude Monet, Water Lilies

Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa


presented by

Museo Art Academy


cultivating creativity and individual expressionin each and every student

MuseoArt.com | [email protected] | 425.391.0244

http://www.museoart.com/

mailto:[email protected]


art elements and design principles

Education