Elements of Design “Design” is a visual plan you can use to create your project. Everything you see has a design. The elements of design are important to everyone who works in the visual arts, textiles, clothing, architecture, landscaping, photography, home interiors, woodworking and many other occupations.

LINE is the most versatile and necessary of all of the graphic elements. Lines can show direction, outline an object, divide a space, and communicate a feeling or emotion. Draw lines which correspond to the box labels on your worksheet.

Draw the needed shapes in the boxes according to their labels. SHAPE is created with lines; they can be outlined or solid. Lines can create two-dimensional or flat shapes. There are geometric shapes, organic contours (leaves, flowers, seashells) and free-form flat designs.

FORM is a three-dimensional shape. It has volume FORM is a three-dimensional shape. It has volume. You can walk around a form and look at it from various viewpoints. Sculptures are forms. Forms have height, width, and depth. Draw the 3D forms in the boxes according to their labels. Don’t forget to shade appropriately.

The PRIMARY colors are red, yellow and blue. COLOR can be described with the word hue which refers to the name of the color (ie. yellow). The value of a color refers to the brightness or dullness of a hue. Color comes from light. The PRIMARY colors are red, yellow and blue.

The Secondary colors are green, orange and purple The Secondary colors are green, orange and purple. They are made by mixing two primary colors together. Yellow and blue make green, red and yellow make orange and blue and red make purple.

The Tertiary colors are a mix of one primary color and one secondary color. There are six tertiary colors on the color wheel.

Complementary Colors or Contrasting Colors: are opposite of each other on the color wheel. When they are used next to each other they look bright, but when they are mixed together they neutralize. Fill in the color wheel and then mix contrasting colors in the boxes. What color do you get in each box?

Complementary (opposite) colors are very useful in creating shading. Use RED to make shading for green. Use PURPLE to make shading for yellow. Use BLUE to make shading for orange. NEVER use black to make shading!

Analogous colors are next to each other on the color wheel, such as red, red orange, orange, yellow orange, and yellow.

Monochromatic Color: is when only one color is used but in different values. TINTS are created when you add white to a color. TONES are created when you add grey to a color. SHADES are created when you add black to a color. High-Key is where the picture is created in all light values. Low-Key is where the picture is created in all dark values. On your worksheet color the left pear green and color the other pear a mix of green and white. Now color the leaves with a mix of green and black and the stems with a mix of green and lots of black. Then color the background with a mix of green and grey.

Triadic Harmony is when three colors that are equally spaced on the color wheel are used, such as orange, green, and purple. Color the sails orange, color the boat & mast purple, and color the background green.

The Neutral colors are white, beige, grey, black. The warm colors are red, orange and yellow and all the colors between them. Color the warm side of one color wheel. The cool colors are blue, green and purple and all the colors between them. Color the cool side of the other color wheel.

VALUE refers to the range of lightness and darkness of an object or area. Value is created by a light source that shines on an object creating highlights and shadows. It illuminates the actual color of the subject matter. It creates depth in a picture making an object look three-dimensional.

TEXTURE is how something feels or looks like it feels TEXTURE is how something feels or looks like it feels. It is the surface quality of an object or picture. Texture adds variety and interest. REAL texture is the actual texture of something; you can feel it. When using heavy acrylic paints or oil paints, an artist can create a texture on canvas by building up thickness in paints. IMPLIED texture is an illusion the artist creates on a flat surface, often by creating drawn patterns.

SPACE is the three-dimensionality of a sculpture; the room that its volume takes up. “Space” has height, width and depth. But when working in 2D, the canvas, or picture plane, has height and width (no physical depth). Space refers to the arrangement of objects on the picture plane. Depth can be achieved by using “perspective.”

POSITIVE SPACE is the actual object that is painted on the 2D picture plane or the actual 3D sculpture. The first picture is a 2D positive space sketch. NEGATIVE SPACE is the space around the object on the 2D picture plane (the background, for example) or the space around the 3d sculpture, including any space that may be found if there are “holes” or crevices in the sculpture. The picture on the right is an example of “drawing in the negative space.”

The RULE OF THIRDS is the organization and placement of the objects on your canvas. It can be applied to so many types of drawings. There is something instinctive in human beings that responds to it. Divide a drawing area into thirds in both directions. Each of the four points where the lines cross represent one of the best places to put the “focal point” of a drawing. If there are people or animals, put one of the eyes on one of those spots. If it's mountains or a landscape, put dramatic things there, like the strongest contrast of light and dark. Incidentally, the horizontal lines are also two natural places to put the horizon line for a landscape. If you're going to place a tall tree as a focal point, put it centered on one of the vertical thirds lines.   Focal Point is the object or area you want the viewer to look at first.

Non-linear Perspective is the method of showing depth using various techniques: Position: Placing an object higher on the page makes it appear farther back than objects placed lower on the page. Overlapping: The object that overlaps another will look closer to the viewer, and the object that is partially hidden by another object will look farther away. Size Variation: Smaller objects look farther away in the distance; larger items look closer. Color: Bright colors look like they are closer and neutral colors look like they are farther away. Value: Lighter values look like they are farther back and darker values look like they are closer. This 6” x 8.5” 15th century Persian painting (one of Mrs. Tomaszycki’s favorites) is a good example of non-linear perspective techniques.

Linear Perspective is the method of using lines to show the illusion of depth in a picture. One-Point Perspective: is used to make buildings or objects appear to be pointing to the distance and they all meet at one point on the horizon. Two-Point Perspective: is used to make buildings or objects appear to be meeting at two points on the horizon line.

By NancyAnn DeRoo Tomaszycki, 2011 Elements of Design Line Shape Form Color Value Texture Space By NancyAnn DeRoo Tomaszycki, 2011