Elements and principals of art Flashcards
Form is
A particular way in which a thing exists or appears. Physical form is the three-dimensional structure of an individual object or of an integrated group of parts involving the dominance of thematic meaning.
In literary or musical composition, it’s an arrangement and style.
E.g. A sonnet is a poetical form
Shape is
Shape is a flat two-dimensional area surrounded by edges or an outline.
Used interchangeably with form.
In the figure-ground relationship, shapes are either positive (the figure) or negative (the ground.
Color is
Color is what we see because of reflected light. Light contains different wavelengths of energy that our eyes and brain “see” as different colors. When light hits an object, we see the colored light that reflects off the object.
Color qualities:
-Hue.
Color position in the spectrum, based on its wavelength. It’s characteristic as red, blue, orange, violet, etc.
-Intensity.
It’s color saturation, purity. It can be measured by the extent to which it departs from a neutral gray of the same value. A color lightened by white is called a tint, while a color darkened by black is called a shade.
-Value.
The lightness or darkness of a color is measured against the scale of white to black.
-Temperature.
A relative term based somewhat on psychological sensation. Reds and oranges are “warm” colors, and blues and greens are “cool”.
-Subjective associative qualities.
Red - excitement, life, blood, heat.
Yellow - happiness, sunshine, gold.
Green - restfulness, vegetation, coolness.
Blue - calmness, lightness, the heavens, cold.
Line is
Line is a mark made using a drawing tool or brush. Lines are basic tools for artists—though some artists show their lines more than others. Some lines in paintings are invisible—you don’t actually see the dark mark of the line. But they are there, shown in the way the artist arranges the objects in the painting.
Texture is
Texture is the look and feel of a surface. Painters have many ways to create different textures. They use different sized and shaped brushes: everything from tiny pointed brushes to flat, wide brushes. They can also use other tools—special knives, sponges, even fingers—to put paint on canvas.
Space is
In terms of art, space is the area around, above, and within an object. With consideration to drawings and paintings, our goal is to create the illusion of space.
Positive space - the shapes or forms of interest
Negative Space - the empty space between the shapes or forms
Chiaroscuro
Pictorial (painting) representation in terms of light and shade without regard to color. the interplay of light and shadow on or as if on a surface
Value
Value deals with the lightness or darkness of a color.
The Color Wheel
The color wheel was developed by Sir Isaac Newton by taking the color spectrum and bending it into a circle. If you follow around the color wheel, you will find the same order of the color spectrum- red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo(blue-violet), and violet. Some remember it by the acronym ROY G. BIV.
The color wheel is made up of three different types of colors - Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary.
Color Schemes
Color schemes are ways colors are put together in an intelligent way
-Monochromatic - color scheme is made up of one color and its shades and tints.
-Analogous colors - are colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.
When used as a color scheme, analogous colors can be dramatic. Ex. Blue, blue-green, green, and yellow-green; red, red-purple, purple, blue-purple
-Complementary colors - are colors found directly across from each other on the color wheel. Complementary color scheme provides strong contrast.
-Color triads - consist of three colors found on the color wheel that are equally spaced apart from each other.
-Split complementary - color schemes are made up of color and it complements closest analogous colors.
-Warm colors - colors that are usually associated with warm things.
-Cool colors - colors that are usually associated with cool things.
Principals of art and design
The principles of art represent how the artist uses the elements of art to create an effect and to help convey the artist’s intent. The principles of art and design are balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, and unity/variety. The use of these principles can help determine whether a painting is successful, and whether or not the painting is finished.
Elements of art
The elements of art are the visual tools that the artist uses to create a composition. These are line, shape, color, value, form, texture, and space.
Balance
Balance refers to the visual weight of the elements of the composition. It is a sense that the painting feels stable and “feels right.” Imbalance causes a feeling of discomfort in the viewer.
Balance can be achieved in 3 different ways:
Symmetry, in which both sides of composition have the same elements in the same position, as in a mirror-image, or the two sides of a face.
Asymmetry, in which the composition is balanced due to the contrast of any of the elements of art. For example, a large circle on one side of a composition might be balanced by a small square on the other side
Radial symmetry, in which elements are equally spaced around a central point, as in the spokes coming out of the hub of a bicycle tire.
Contrast
Contrast is the difference between elements of art in a composition, such that each element is made stronger in relation to the other. When placed next to each other, contrasting elements command the viewer’s attention. Areas of contrast are among the first places that a viewer’s eye is drawn. Contrast can be achieved by juxtapositions of any of the elements of art. Negative/Positive space is an example of contrast. Complementary colors placed side by side is an example of contrast.
