“GUIDELINES” FOR MAKING GOOD ART PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN “GUIDELINES” FOR MAKING GOOD ART
“B VEERRS” Balance Variety Emphasis Economy Repetition Rhythm Scale
BALANCE Symmetrical Asymmetrical Same or “mirror image” on both sides, like a paper heart folded in half Asymmetrical NOT the same on both sides, but still balanced Approximate symmetry—not perfectly symmetrical, but not really asymmetrical either
VARIETY “variation on a theme” Does NOT mean having a bunch of different things in your work Takes something already being repeated and changes it up just enough to keep things interesting
EMPHAS!S a.k.a. “focal point” It’s like the thesis sentence of an essay, the thing you keep coming back to, the most important part of the picture.
ECONOMY Using just enough to get the point across Artist chooses to limit use of one or more of the elements Keeps artwork from getting to cluttered, keeps focus on the focal point or message
REPETITION Some element of the artwork that is being repeated…a pattern or motif Our brains are wired to seek out patterns, which are visually pleasing and comforting to our brains—a sense of order and unity Artists use the principle of VARIETY to keep the repetition from getting too boring
RHYTHM The visual “beat” of the picture…how your eye moves around the picture Both repetition and variety create rhythm, just like in music
SCALE Proportion, or size relationships Relationship of the artwork to its surroundings Consider the different visual impacts of a life-sized statue of a human versus a larger-than life-sized statue