Shape and Form The Elements of Design

Shape and Form A shape is a 2 dimensional, flat area enclosed by a line or an edge. A form is a 3 dimensional object; it is a shape with depth. Both shapes and forms can be geometric or organic. Geometric shapes and forms are very regular and have specific names; they can usually be measured easily. They are the most common in man-made things.

Shape and Form A shape is a 2 dimensional, flat area enclosed by a line or an edge. A form is a 3 dimensional object; it is a shape with depth. Both shapes and forms can be geometric or organic. Organic shapes and forms are irregular and difficult to describe or measure. They are most common in natural things. An organic shape   An organic form  

Shape Exercise Choose one kind of shape (geometric, organic, rectangular, triangular, circular, etc.) for the background. Using a light H pencil, fill the background with this shape, using a variety of sizes or other variations of the shape and being sure to overlap the shapes so that they are intersected and divided by each other. Choose one shape that is visibly different than your background shape, and draw it in a place so that it becomes the center of attention. Perhaps some of your background shapes and their edges might lead to it. Choose two coloured pencils (plus the white of the paper) to fill in shapes. Shapes can be outlined with marker or coloured pencil, or the shapes can be left with no outline, creating implied edges.