ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES

OF DESIGN
DESIGN: dened
!To plan, to organize
!To seek solutions to visual problems
Elements Principles
!1. LINE
!2. SHAPE & FORM
!3. VALUE
!4. COLOR
!5. TEXTURE
!6. SPACE
!1. SCALE & PROPORTION
!2. BALANCE
!3. CONTRAST
!4. EMPHASIS
!5. UNITY & VARIETY
!6. RHYTHM
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.
Line
A series of connected points.
1. Outlines- Lines made by the edge of an object or
its silhouette.
2. Contour Lines- Lines that describe the shape of
an object and the interior detail.
3. Gesture Lines- Lines that are energetic and catch
the movement and gestures of an active figure.
More Types of Line
4. Sketch Lines- Lines that captures the
appearance of an object or impression of a
place.
5. Calligraphic Lines- Greek word meaning
beautiful writing. Precise, elegant
handwriting or lettering done by hand.
6. Implied Line- Lines that are not actually
drawn but created by a group of objects seen
from a distance.
Leonardo da Vinci Alphonse Mucha
Ben Shahn used contour line to draw this portrait.
A Tahitian artist stamped this tapa design with repeated
lines to form patterns.
Shape
A shape is 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.
Types of Shapes
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.
Does the
artist use
organic
or
geometric
shapes?
Wassily Kandinsky
Does the
artist use
organic
or
geometric
shapes?
Wassily Kandinsky
More Types of Shapes
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.
Positive vs. Negative
Still Life With Quince, Apples and
Pears by Paul Cezanne
Aurora by Mark di Suvero
Positive or Negative Shapes?
Form
When 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).
Value
Value is 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
Value
Creates
Depth
Value makes
an object look
three-
dimensional
with highlights
and cast
shadows.
Rind by M.C. Escher
Or in a landscape where the colors get lighter in value
as they recede into the background.
A Value Scale
A Value Scale is a
scale that shows
the gradual change
from its lightest
value, white, to its
darkest value,
black.
Color
the property of objects that, depending on
the light they reflect, is perceived as red,
blue, yellow or other hues.
Color is considered
warm
or cool.
Cool Colors vs. Warm colors
Color can evoke moods and
feelings, or a sense of place.
Color Wheel
Primary
colors: red,
yellow, blue.
Secondary
colors:
orange,
violet, green.
Tertiary
colors
Complementary Colors
Colors that are
opposite each other
on the color wheel.
The primary colors &
their complements
are:
red and green
blue and orange
yellow and purple
Complementary Colors
When placed next to each other
they look bright and when
mixed together they neutralize
each other.
In the example above different
amounts of green are mixed
with its complement red.
Tints & Shades
White added to a
color makes a tint of
that color
A tiny bit of black
makes a shade of
that color.
http://www.artsconn
ected.org/toolkit/wat
ch_value_tint.cfm
Texture
Surface quality
either tactile(you can actually feel it) or
visual
It is the degree of roughness or smoothness
in objects
Texture can be real or implied by different
uses of media.
Actual vs. Implied Texture
Actual texture in
the jewelry (above)
Implied texture in
the Vermeer
painting
Student
assignment:
Using
pencil to
create a
variety of
implied
texture on
a grid.
Space
Space describes an illusion created in a
2-dimensional work of art.
Lines and shapes are organized to help a
viewer see depth.
Ways to show the illusion of space:
Overlapping
Red Room: Harmony in Red--Matisse
Take a shape
and allow it to
partially cover
another shape
he shape that
is whole
appears to be
closer to you.
Perspective
A system of lines used
to create an illusion of
depth
Parallel lines appear
to converge at a single
point (vanishing point)
on the horizon. The
horizon is always at
our eye level.