1. Art Elements and Design Principles
A Helpful Guide to Understanding Visual
Art Elements and Design Principles
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2. Art Elements Color Form Line Texture Value Shape Space
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3. Color - Subtractive Color Theory: Primary, Secondary & Tertiary
- Warm vs. Cool
- Complementary & Analogous
- Tints, Shade & Tones
- Hue
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4. Color | Subtractive Theory*
*This guide focuses on subtractive theory only. Enroll in a class at Museo Art Academy to learn more about subtractive vs. additive color.
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5. Color | Primary click to next page yellow
Primary colors are the root of every other hue imaginable. They are the purest of colors.
red
blue
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6. Color | Secondary click to next page red + yellow yellow + blue orange
green
Mix two primary colors to
create a secondary color.
red + blue
violet
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7. Color | Tertiary click to next page
yellow-orange
yellow-green
red-orange
blue-green
Mix a primary color with a secondary color to create a tertiary color.
red-violet
blue-violet
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8. The Color Wheel
A color wheel organizes color hues into a circular pattern which shows relationships between primary colors, secondary colors and tertiary colors.
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9. Color | Warm vs Cool warm cool click to next page
- Warm colors advance
cool
- Cool colors recede
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10. Cool Warm Color | Warm vs Cool click to next page
Photo by Audrey Knutsen Photography
Photo by Audrey Knutsen Photography
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11. Color | Complementary click to next page
Complementary colors sit directly across from one another on the color wheel.
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12. Color | The Science of Seeing
Step 1
Stare at the white dot in the center of the image for one minute (it’s ok if you blink).
Step 2
Click to the next page and stare at the black dot in the open white space.
Jasper Johns, Flag, 1965
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13. Color | The Science of Seeing
What do you see?
Enroll in a class at Museo Art Academy to learn why this happens.
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14. Color | Analogous click to next page
Analogous colors are groups of three colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel.
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15. Color | Tints & Shades click to next page
Add various percentages of white to a color to create a tint.
Add various percentages of black to a color to create a shade.
shades
tints
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16. Color | Hue click to next page
The range of tints and shades of a single color comprise a hue.
red hue
green hue
blue hue
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17. Art Elements Color Form Line Texture Value Shape Space
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18. Stonehenge, Wiltshire England
Form
Form describes objects that are three-dimensional, occupying space. A cube is the 3D form of the two-dimensional shape, the square. A sphere is the 3D form of a circle.
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19. Art Elements Color Form Line Texture Value Shape Space
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20. Wassily Kandinsky, Composition V, 1911
Line
A line is a continuous mark made on a surface by a moving point (tool). Lines vary in weight (width) and can define shape, pattern, form and space.
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21. Art Elements Color Form Line Texture Value Shape Space
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22. Texture click to next page
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Texture
Texture describes the visual or tactile “feel” of a surface…smooth, rough, bumpy, prickly, etc.
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23. Art Elements Color Form Line Texture Value Shape Space
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24. Value high contrast high contrast low contrast click to next page
Value is the lightness or darkness of an object, regardless of its color.
The greater variation between light and dark, the higher the contrast.
high contrast
high contrast
low contrast
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25. Art Elements Color Form Line Texture Value Shape Space
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26. Shape click to next page
Organic | Henri Matisse
Shape
A shape is a two-dimensional, defined area. It can be organic (found in nature) or geometric (man-made).
Geometric | Piet Mondrian
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27. Art Elements Color Form Line Texture Value Shape Space
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28. Space click to next page
Space is an actual or perceived three-dimensional area. 2D artists use perspective, scale, value, foreshortening and contrast to define space in their work.
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29. Design Principles click to next page
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30. Design Principles Balance Contrast Emphasis Movement Pattern Rhythm
Unity
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31. Balance click to next page
Balance is the equal distribution of weight in a design.
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32. Balance | Symmetrical, Asymmetrical & Radial
Rachel, PaintMyWorldRainbow
Georgia O’Keeffe, Blue Flower, 1918
Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889
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33. Balance | Symmetrical, Asymmetrical & Radial
- Known as formal balance (bilateral symmetry)
- It is created by repeating the reverse of a design on the opposite side of the vertical axis; each side, in essence, becomes the mirror image of the other. Symmetrical balance is considered formal, ordered, stable and quiet.
Georgia O’Keeffe, Blue Flower, 1918
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34. Balance | Symmetrical, Asymmetrical & Radial
While symmetry achieves balance through repetition, asymmetry achieves balance through contrast. Asymmetrical, or informal balance, involves different elements that have equal visual weight; the weight is equal but the elements are not identical.
Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889
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35. Balance | Symmetrical, Asymmetrical & Radial
10 ways asymmetry is created…
1. Position - the farther an element is from the center, the heavier it will feel; a large object placed near the center can be balanced by a smaller object placed near the edge
2. Size - larger feels heavier
3. Texture - an element with more complex texture is heavier visually than one with a simple texture or no texture at all
Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889
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36. Balance | Symmetrical, Asymmetrical & Radial
Asymmetry is created through…
4. Isolation - an isolated element has more visual weight
5. Value - darker feels heavier
6. Value contrast - the higher the value-contrast, the heavier the weight
7. Quantity - multiple small objects can balance one larger object
Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889
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37. Balance | Symmetrical, Asymmetrical & Radial
Asymmetry is created through…
8. Orientation - a diagonal orientation carries more visual weight than a horizontal or vertical one
9. Shape - elements that have more complex shapes feel heavier than those with simple shapes
10. Color - the brighter and more intense its color, the heavier the element will feel
Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889
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38. Balance | Symmetrical, Asymmetrical & Radial
Radial balance occurs when all the elements radiate out from a central point and the visual weight is distributed equally. Radial balance creates a strong focal point in the center of the design. Clock faces and daisies are examples of radial balance.
Rachel, PaintMyWorldRainbow
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39. Design Principles Balance Contrast Emphasis Movement Pattern Rhythm
Unity
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40. Contrast high contrast low contrast click to next page
Photo by Audrey Knutsen Photography
Contrast
Contrast is the arrangement of opposite elements (light vs. dark colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.) in a piece so as to create visual interest, excitement and drama.
high contrast
low contrast
Photo by Audrey Knutsen Photography
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41. Design Principles Balance Contrast Emphasis Movement Pattern Rhythm
Unity
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42. Emphasis click to next page
Photo by Audrey Knutsen Photography
Emphasis
Also called “dominance”, emphasis refers to the area where the artist intends to direct the viewer’s attention. This area is the focal point and is created through use of placement, pattern, color and contrast.
Maria, age 12 (Museo Art Academy student)
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43. Design Principles Balance Contrast Emphasis Movement Pattern Rhythm
Unity
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44. Movement click to next page
Katsushika Hokusai, The Great Wave of Kanagawa, C1830
Movement
Movement is the path the viewer’s eye takes through the artwork, often to a focal area. It can be directed along lines, edges, shapes and color. Movement is closely tied to rhythm.
Photo by Audrey Knutsen Photography
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45. Design Principles Balance Contrast Emphasis Movement Pattern Rhythm
Unity
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46. Pattern repetition pattern click to next page
Pattern is an intentional and orderly repetition of one or more elements.
repetition
Wassily Kandinsky, Squares with Concentric Circles, 1913
pattern
MC Escher, Lizard Tessellation
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47. Design Principles Balance Contrast Emphasis Movement Pattern Rhythm
Unity
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48. Paul Klee, Castle and Sun, 1923
Rhythm
With rhythm, elements of a pattern are used, but with variation.
pattern
rhythm
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49. Design Principles Balance Contrast Emphasis Movement Pattern Rhythm
Unity
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50. Unity
Unity is the fundamental principle of design and it is supported by all the other principles. Unity creates an integrated image in which all the elements are working together to support the design as a whole.
Claude Monet, Water Lilies
Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa
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