Learning a Visual Vocabulary Elements of Art Principles of Art

The Elements of Art There are 6 elements of art: Color Texture Line Value Shape/Form Space

COLOR

Primary Colors Red Yellow Blue

Secondary Colors Orange Green Violet

Intermediate Colors Yellow-Green Yellow-Orange Blue-Green Blue-Violet Red-Violet Red-Orange

Complementary Colors Colors opposite each other on the color wheel Ex: Red & green Blue & orange Yellow & violet

Warm Colors Hues containing red & yellow Advance or come forward in a painting Sunlight often painted with warm colors

Cool Colors Hues containing green or blue Seem to recede or go back into a painting Water often painted with cool colors

Texture The quality of a surface, what you can feel and see What are some things that have texture? Describe them

Simulated Texture The surface appears to have texture (an illusion)

Line Thick or thin Continuous or interrupted Straight or curved Vertical, horizontal or diagonal Geometric or organic

Van Gogh Kandinsky

Value The light or dark quality of a color or shape in a painting Black is the darkest value while white is the lightest Most successful paintings have a contrast in value The stronger the contrast, the more dramatic the painting seems

Shape An enclosed space having only two-dimensions Can be geometric or organic

Form Three-dimensional and encloses volume Geometric: cubes, pyramids, boxlike, cones… Irregular: pencils, horses, bottles, people… The most important element for sculptors

Space Illusion of space Artists create an illusion of space in a painting Artists use perspective to show depth or space in a painting Perspective: the representation of 3D objects and space on a flat surface

Aerial Perspective: Creates the illusion of distance by muting color and blurring detail as objects get farther away Far away –Lighter values –The edges become softer/more blurred Up close –Values are darker –Colors are more intense

Analysis of a Painting Subject matter: Which subject matter best describes your painting? Why? Elements of Art: (COMPLETE SENTENCES) –Color: What kinds of the color? How does the artist use color? –Texture: What kind of texture, where? How does it contribute to the painting? –Line: What kinds of line? How does it contribute to the painting? –Value: Light? Dark? Where? How does it contribute to the painting? –Shape/Form: What kinds? Where? How does it contribute to the painting? –Space: Is it deep or shallow space? How do you know? How does it contribute to the painting?