1. The Principles of Design

2. Principles of Design
The Rules that govern how the artists organize the elements of Art.
The Principles are Balance, Rhythm, Repetition, Pattern, Movement, Proportion, Emphasis and Variety or Contrast.

3. Balance
Principle of design concerned with equalizing the visual forces or elements in the work of art.
The types of balance are:
Symmetry or Formal Balance
Asymmetry or Informal Balance
Radial Balance

4. Symmetry Also called Formal Balance
Occurs when equal or very similar, elements are placed on opposite sides of a central axis.

5. Examples of Symmetry or Formal Balance

6. Asymmetry Also called Informal Balance
Occurs when there is a balance of unlike objects.

7. The Great Wave off Kanagawa
Examples of
Informal Balance
or Asymetry
Baby at Play
by Thomas Eakins
The Great Wave off Kanagawa by
Katsushika Hokusai

8. Radial Balance
Type of Balance in which forces or elements of a design come out or radiate from a central point.

9. Examples of
Radial Balance

10. Rhythm
Principles of Design that indicates movement by the repetition of elements.
There are four types of Rhythm
Random
Regular
Alternating
Progressive or

11. Progressive Rhythm
Transformations by
M C Escher

12. Repetition
Technique for creating rhythm and unity in which a single element is appears again and again.
Repetition is very similar to Rhythm and they are usually used together by sometimes you can have Rhythm without Repetition (example, Progressive Rhythm)

13. Progressive Rhythm Transformations by M C Escher This work uses
Rhythm but
not Repetition

14. Pattern A Two-dimensional, visual repetition
Examples of Pattern are fabric, wallpaper, bed spreads.

15. Work by Henri Matisse that uses a lot of pattern

16. Movement
Principle of design that deals with creating the illusion of action or physical change in position.

17. Movement Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash by Giacomo Balla 1912
Oil on Canvas
The many repetitions of the legs, feet, tail,
and chain in this work give it the appearance
of actual movement.

18. Nude Descending a Staircase by Marcel Duchamp Captures the feeling
of movement that occurs
when someone
is walking down the
stairs.

19. Most art does not really move but there are some
Mobile from National Gallery of Art
Lobster Trap and Fish Tail
Most art does not really move
but there are some
examples of mobiles by
Alexander Calder that
do move.

20. Proportion
The principle of art concerned with the size relationship of one part to another.
If you have ever tried to draw a human figure and realized that the head was too big or small compared to the rest of the body, you were already using the principle of proportion.

21. Facial Proportions

22. Body Proportion The basic rule of thumb is that the body is 71/2 or
8 times the size of
the head.

23. Leonardo da Vinci (Italian, ), Study of proportions, from Vitruvius's De Architectura, pen and ink
Leonardo, inspired by the mathematician Vitruvius (Roman, 1st century BCE), drew this famous picture of Vitruvian Man -- a sort of ideal figure -- whose arm span is equal to his height -- a ratio of one, or 1:1.

24. he made Mary much larger than the body of Jesus.
Artist can change
the actual proportion
at any time. In this
work by Michelangelo,
he made Mary much larger
than the body of Jesus.
If Mary could stand up, she
would be about nine feet
tall! He did this so that
she wouldn’t look crushed by
the weight of the body.
The Pieta by Michelangelo

25. Examples of Contemporary Artists who distort proportion.

26. Emphasis
The principle of design that makes one part of a work dominant over the other parts.
That dominant part is called the
“Focal Point”.
The Focal Point is the first part of the work to attract the viewers attention.

27. Emphasis by Location In the Dining Room by Berthe Morisot
The young woman appears
to be in the center of
this painting.
A lot of times, we
naturally look in the
center of the picture
first like we would with
a photo or camera.

28. Emphasis by Contrast Rembrandt. Self-Portrait. c. 1629. Oil on canvas.
Rembrandt uses value
contrast to create a
focal point in this work.
Only the head and the
area immediately around
it are painted in light
values. The background
sinks into darkness.

29. Emphasis by Convergence
Baptism in Kansas by
John Steuart Curry
In this painting all
the people are
staring at the preacher
and the girl. The
viewer becomes one
of the crowd and
stares too.

30. Emphasizing with the Unususal
Time Transfixed, 1939
Artist: Rene Magritte
( )
Surrealist
By placing very
unusual objects or
impossible activities in a
work, an artist can also
create a focal point.

31. Contrast or Variety
Principle of Design concerned with difference or contrast.
An artwork which makes use of many different hues, values, lines, textures, and shapes would reflect the artist's use of variety.

32. This Art work
contains
different
colors,
shapes, and
vegetables to
make the
picture more
interesting.

35. Exit Ticket Draw examples of the following:
1. Symmetry (formal Balance)
2. Asymmetry (informal balance)
3. Radial Balance
4. Any Type of Rhythm
5. Pattern
6. Realistic Proportion
7. Unrealistic Proportion
8. Variety
9. Emphasis

36. by Mary Ann Dyer Feb. 2005