Formal Elements Flashcards
Line
a continuous mark made by a moving point.
Horizontal lines
peace and calm.
Vertical lines
power and strength.
Diagonal lines
rhythm and movement.
Shape
two dimensional area
Form
three dimensional shape with height, width and depth.
Organic forms
naturally occurring shapes, such as an eye or leaf.
Inorganic/geometric shapes
square, circle.
Positive and Negative Shape/Space
Positive space is the main focus of the artwork, while negative space is the background.
Tonal value
the degree of light or dark in an artwork.
Chiaroscura
adding shadows to a 2D shape to show solidarity.
Cast shadow
a shadow which is cast by an object.
Form shadow
Dark area which does not face the light source.
Texture
the feel of an object, e.g.) soft, fuzzy
Simulated texture
found in 2D artworks, and cannot be felt.
Real texture
texture that can be touched or felt.
Hue
the name of a colour.
Primary colours
red, yellow, blue.
Secondary colours
green, purple, orange.
Complementary colours
Green-red, yellow-purple, orange- blue.
Tint
mixing colours with white.
Shades
mixing colours with black.
Colour intensity
the brightness or dullness of a colour.
Monochromatic
using one hue and the variations thereof.
Analogous
using colours that are next to each other on the colour wheel, and are similar.
Polychromatic
using random colours.
Warm colours
red, orange, yellow
Cool colours
blue, green, purple.
Sculpture
three dimensional, and occupies space. it can also be viewed from all angles.
Linear perspective
things that are further away are smaller than things closer.
Aerial perspective
things that are further away are softer and less detailed.
Foreshortening
the shortening of depth dimension.
