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The Elements:

Are the ingredients used to create design; the PRINCIPLES combine to create your recipe for
good design. In both art & nature the elements are seldom seen alone, but in combination.
1. Line- a series of connected points.
Outlines- Lines made by the edge of an object or its silhouette.
Contour Lines- Lines that describe the shape of an object and the interior detail.
Gesture Lines- Lines that are energetic and catch the movement and gestures of an active
figure.
2. Shape- a closed area bounded by lines. When a line crosses itself or intersects with other lines
to enclose a space it creates a shape. Shape is two-dimensional; it has height and
width but no depth.
Geometric Shapes- Circles, squares, rectangles and triangles. We see them in architecture
and manufactured items.
Organic Shapes- Leaves, seashells, flowers. We see them in nature and with characteristics
that are free flowing, informal and irregular.
Positive Shapes- In a drawing or painting positive shapes 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- In a drawing it is the space around the positive shape or the shape
around the bowl of fruit. In sculpture it is the empty shape around and between the
sculptures.
3. Form- a two-dimensional shape becomes three-dimensional it is no longer called a shape but a
form. Shading a circle (2-D) can turn it into a sphere (3-D).
4. Value- the range of lightness and darkness within a picture. Value is created by a light source
that shines on an object creating highlights and shadows.
5. Color- the property of objects that, depending on the light they reflect, is perceived as red,
blue, yellow or other hues.
6. Texture- surface quality. It is the degree of roughness or smoothness in objects.
7. Space- an illusion created in a 2-dimensional work of art. Lines and shapes are organized to
help a viewer see depth.

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