1. Composition & Elements of Art and Principles of Design
A artists toolbox

2. Design is everywhere…it’s everything you touch!
It’s why you bought your favorite pair of shoes and it's the reason technology continues to improve.

3. Its driving whole business cultures and
making sure environments are easier to navigate.

4. From a concept or idea (left) to real thing (above)…
“Design could be viewed as an activity that translates an idea into a blueprint for something useful, whether it's a car, a building, a graphic, a service or a process.” Design Council

5. So DESIGN is everywhere, in everything. But GOOD design is not.

8. …at some point you are going to make mistakes…
Mistakes are the portals of discovery. James Joyce

9. Composition
The placement of elements and principals within the frame of a photograph
Two parts:
The subject or point of interest
The treatment of the subject
Uses Rule of Thirds

10. Subject Matter
Subject Matter- the visual or narrative focus of a work of art. In this next image, what do you think is the subject matter?

12. Rule of Thirds
Rule of thirds: When the image is divided into 3 equal parts vertically and horizontally
This helps you arrange the subject and the background in an interesting way
Points of Interest: points where the vertical and horizontal lines intersect in a work of art. These points help guide artist to place elements and principles in an interesting way

13. Which image is the better composition?

14. Exercise #1 Take 1 piece of paper
Choose an image that contains a clear subject
Paste image to paper
Label
Rule of Thirds
Subject matter

15. Elements of Art The Tools 7 Elements Line Shape Form Color Texture
Space
Value

16. Line
Definition: a series of adjacent points; a point in motion; connection between points
is a visual force that pulls the viewers eye around a picture, helps focus attention on key points of the composition
One of the primary elements of photography
Line(s) can…
Be an edge or border
Show the connection between two or more things
Suggests moods
Create rhythm
Create pattern
Create structure
The subject itself or it can support the subject
Actual or implied

18. Shape
2-dimensional enclosed area that is distinct from its background and other shapes (circle, square, triangle, oval, etc.)
Types:
Geometric
Organic

19. Form
3-dimensional object that has mass and volume (sphere, cube, pyramid, cylinder)

20. Color
The visible spectrum of light (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet)
3 properties of color
Hue- the name of a color
Intensity- the strength or purity of a color
Value- the lightness or darkness of a color
Color can show…
Mood, Emphasis, Cultural associations

21. Texture
The physical quality of a surface (rough, smooth, metallic, fur, etc.)

22. Space the area around, above, and within a subject or object.
Positive and negative space
Foreground, middle ground and back ground

23. Value
The range of lightness and darkness in an image

24. Principles of Design
How you arrange your “tools” or elements in a composition
8 Principles of Design
Pattern
Emphasis
Variety
Unity
Balance
Rhythm/ Movement
Proportion
Contrast

25. Pattern the purposeful repetition of an element(s)
Like line, shape, color, or texture

26. Emphasis
The focus or main idea, where you want the viewer to look first
Emphasis can be created by
Framing
Placement of subject (governed by rule of thirds)
Selective focus to simplify the background (shallow depth of field)
Drawing the viewer's attention to a certain spot using leading lines.
Contrast (ie: one green apple is emphasized in a pile of all red apples)

27. Variety
using a number of differences or variations to create visual interest

28. Unity
The qualities that make a piece of art feel harmonious, all part feeling like a whole
Unity can be created by:
Simplicity (only having a limited type of lines, shapes, colors, etc. instead of lots of variety)
Repetition (repeating similar elements)
Proximity (placing similar elements together)

29. Balance How the subject matter is placed in an image
Equal distribution of visual weight (symmetrical, asymmetrical, radial)

30. Rhythm/ Movement
Rhythm is the repetition or alternation of elements, often with defined intervals between them
Rhythm can create a sense of MOVEMENT in your photograph, as your eye will tend to follow the repeated elements throughout your composition

31. Proportion
How parts of a composition relate to each other in terms of size and scale
The relative size of parts of a whole

32. Contrast Contrast refers to placing two opposite elements together
Most commonly seen with VALUES (very light areas next to very dark areas, like in the image of the lion below).  
But contrast can refer to any opposing elements- such as a contrast in different textures, colors, shapes, etc.

33. Assignment #1: Elements and Principles Handbook
Construction:
Gather 10 pieces of standard Computer paper
Fold each piece in half hamburger style
Fit each page inside one another
Fold all pages over
Staple the folded edge

34. Assignment #1: Elements and Principles Handbook
Requirements
Title page “Elements and Principles Handbook” + your name
Page 2: Content page
List contents of book include:
Composition page
Elements List
Principles List
Pages 3 +
Magazine Find: For each content, label your page with the subject and find an image from a magazine that shows an example of that subject
Subjects
Composition & “Rule of Thirds” as described on Slide #3 of this ppt
Have a page of the List of Elements as shown on Slide #5
For each Element, assign a new page- label the page with the element, find an image, and write the definition
Have a page of the List of Principles as shown on Slide # 14
For each Principle, assign a new page-label the page with the principle, find an image, and write the definition
**you have plenty of pages… you do not have to use front and back sides of each page

35. Example:
Line
Definition: is a visual force that pulls the viewers eye around a picture, helps focus attention on key points of the composition