NARIO, JEANETTE O.

ELEMENTS OF SHAPE

 LINE AS A VISUAL ELEMENT OF ART

The Visual Element of Line is the foundation of all

drawing. It is the first and most versatile of the visual
elements. Line in an artwork can be used in many
different ways. It can be used to suggest shape,
pattern, form, structure, growth, depth, distance,
rhythm, movement and a range of emotions.

PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO DIFFERENT

TYPE OF LINES:

 Curved lines – suggest comfort and ease

 Horizontal lines – suggest distance and calm
 Vertical lines – suggest height and strength
 Jagged lines – suggest turmoil and anxiety

LINE CONVEY DIFFERENT EXPRESSIVE QUALITIES:

 Freehand lines can express the personal energy and mood of the artist.
 Mechanical lines can express a rigid control
 Continuous lines can lead the eye in certain directions
 Broken lines can express the ephemeral or the insubstantial
 Thick lines can express strength
 Thin lines can express delicacy

 SHAPE AS A VISUAL ELEMENT OF ART

The Visual Element of Shape can be natural or man-made,

regular or irregular, flat (2-dimensional) or solid (3-
dimensional), representational or abstract, geometric or
organic, transparent or opaque, positive or negative,
decorative or symbolic, colored, patterned or textured. The
Perspective of Shapes: The angles and curves of shapes
appear to change depending on our viewpoint. The
technique we use to describe this change is called
perspective drawing.
THE BEHAVIOUR OF SHAPES: Shapes can be used to
control your feelings in the composition of an artwork:

 Squares and Rectangles can portray strength and stability

  Circles and Ellipses can represent continuous movement
 Triangles can lead the eye in an upward movement
 Inverted Triangles can create a sense of imbalance and tension

 TONE AS A VISUAL ELEMENT OF ART

The Visual Element of Tone defines the lightness or darkness of

a color. The tonal values of an artwork can be adjusted to alter
its expressive character. Tone can be used:

 to create a contrast of light and dark.

 to create the illusion of form.
 to create a dramatic or tranquil atmosphere.
 to create a sense of depth and distance.
 to create a rhythm or pattern within a composition.

 COLOR AS A VISUAL ELEMENT OF ART

The Visual Element of Color has the strongest effect on our

emotions. It is the element we use to create the mood or
atmosphere of an artwork.

DIMENSIONS OF COLOR:

 HUE - The name of the color, such as red, green or

blue. It indicates the color’s position on the color
wheel.
 VALUE - Defined as the relative lightness or darkness
of a color. It is an important tool for the designer/artist,
in the way that it defines form and creates spatial illusions. It is the contrast
between black and white and all the tones in between.
 INTENSITY AND SATURATION - is the brightness of a color

PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF COLOR

 RED - is associated with blood, and with feelings that are energetic, exciting,
or passionate.
 ORANGE - is the color of flesh, or the friendly warmth of the hearth fire.
  YELLOW - is the color of sunshine. This color is optimistic, upbeat, modern.
 GREEN - Suggests nature (plant life, forests), life, stability, restfulness,
naturaln ess.
 BLUE - suggests coolness, distance, spirituality, or perhaps reserved
elegance.
 VIOLET - is the color of fantasy, playfulness, impulsiveness, and dream
states.

 PATTERN AS A VISUAL ELEMENT OF ART

The Visual Element of Pattern is constructed by repeating or

echoing the elements of an artwork to communicate a sense of
balance, harmony, contrast, rhythm or movement.

TWO BASIC TYPES OF PATTERN IN ART:

Both natural and man-made patterns can be regular or irregular,

organic or geometric, structural or decorative, positive or negative
and repeating or random.

 NATURAL PATTERN - Pattern in art is often based on the

inspiration we get from observing the natural patterns that occur in nature. We
can see these in the shape of a leaf and the branches of a tree, the structure of a
crystal, the spiral of a shell, the symmetry of a snowflake and the camouflage
and signalling patterns on animals, fish and insects.

 MAN-MADE PATTERN - Pattern in art is used for both structural and

decorative purposes. For example, an artist may plan the basic structure of an
artwork by creating a compositional pattern of lines and shapes. Within
that composition he/she may develop its visual elements to create a
more decorative pattern of color, tone and texture across the work. Our selection
of artworks illustrated below have been chosen because they all use pattern in
an inspirational manner.

 TEXTURE AS A VISUAL ELEMENT OF ART

The Visual Element of Texture defines the surface quality of an artwork - the
roughness or smoothness of the material from which it is made. We experience
texture in two ways: optically (through sight) and physically (through touch).
  OPTICAL TEXTURE - An artist may use his/her skilful
painting technique to create the illusion of texture. For
example, in the detail from a traditional Dutch still life above
you can see remarkable verisimilitude (the appearance of
being real) in the painted insects and drops of moisture on
the silky surface of the flower petals.
 PHYSICAL TEXTURE - An artist may paint with
expressive brushstrokes whose texture conveys the
physical and emotional energy of both the artist
and his/her subject. They may also use the natural
texture of their materials to suggest their own unique
qualities such as the grain of wood, the grittiness of sand, the flaking of rust,
the coarseness of cloth and the smear of paint.

 EPHEMERAL TEXTURE - This is a third category of textures whose

fleeting forms are subject to change like clouds, smoke, flames, bubbles and
liquids. Our selection of artworks illustrated below have been chosen
because they all use texture in an inspirational manner. We have analyzed
each of these to demonstrate how great artists use this visual element as a
creative force in their work.

 FORM AS A VISUAL ELEMENT OF ART

- The Visual Element of Form relates to the physical volume

of a shape and the space that it occupies.
- Form can be representational or abstract.
- Form generally refers to sculpture, 3D design and
architecture but may also relate to the illusion of 3D on a
2D surface.

 THREE-DIMENSIONAL FORM - can be modelled (added

form), carved (subtracted form) and constructed (built
form). It can be created from sculptural materials like clay,
wax, plaster, wood, stone, concrete, cast and constructed
metal, plastics, resins, glass and mixed media. It may also
be kinetic, involving light and movement generated by natural, mechanical
and electronic means. More recently the CAD process of 3D printing has been
being added to the list of sculptural processes.
  TWO-DIMENSIONAL FORM - constructs the illusion of 3D in 2D media by a
skilful manipulation of the visual elements. Perspective drawing, trompe l'oeil [1],
3D computer graphics programs and holograms are examples of 2D form. Our
selection of artworks illustrated below have been chosen because they all use
form in an inspirational manner. We have analyzed each of these to demonstrate
how great artists use this visual element as a creative force in their work.

 MOVEMENT

- It is the process of relocation of objects in space over time. We can speak of

movement as; literal or compositional.

 LITERAL MOVEMENT - is signaled by symbolic forms that suggest speed and

motion.
 COMPOSITIONAL MOVEMENT - It consider how the viewer's eye moves
through the composition. It is how the components relate and lead the viewer's
attention.

CLASSIFICATIONS OF COMPOSITIONAL MOVEMENT

- Compositional movement may be classified as static.

- Movement may also be classified as dynamic.

 TEXTURE

- It is the quality of an object which we sense through touch.

 SIZE

- relative magnitude of an object.

- refers to variations in the proportions of objects, lines or shapes.

PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIZATION
- The principles of design are the recipe for a good work of art. The principles
combine the elements to create an aesthetic placement of things that will
produce a good design.
 - The Principles of Design are concepts used to organize or arrange the structural
elements of design.

BALANCE - is a feeling of visual equality in shape, form, value, color, etc. It is a way to
compare the right and left side of a composition.

TWO WAYS OF BALANCE

 SYMMETRICAL OR FORMAL BALANCE - When the elements are arranged

equally on either side of a central axis.
 ASYMMETRICAL OR INFORMAL BALANCE - there are no mirror images in a
composition.

PROPORTION - refers to the relative size and scale of the various elements in a
design.

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.

EMPHASIS - is when the artist creates an area of the composition that is visually
dominant and commands the viewer's attention. This is often achieved by contrast.

MOVEMENT - is the result of using the elements of art such that they move the viewer's
eye around and within the image. A sense of movement can be created by diagonal or
curvy lines, either real or implied, by edges, by the illusion of space, by repetition, by
energetic mark-making.

PATTERN - is the uniform repetition of any of the elements of art or any combination
thereof. Anything can be turned into a pattern through repetition. Some classic patterns
are spirals, grids, weaves.

RHYTHM - is a movement in which some elements recurs regularly. described as timed

movement through space.

RHYTHM MAY OCCUR THROUGH:

  REPETITION - involves the use of patterning to achieve timed movement and a
visual "beat".
 ALTERNATION - is a specific instance of patterning in which a sequence of
repeating motifs is presented in turn.
 GRADATION - employs a series of motifs patterned to relate to one another
through a regular progression of steps.
 EMPHASIS - is the center of interest and also referred to as point of focus, or
interruption.

EMPHASIS CAN BE ACHIEVED THROUGH:

 REPETITION - creates emphasis by calling attention to the repeated element

through sheer force of numbers.
 CONTRAST - achieves emphasis by setting the point of emphasis apart from the
rest of its background.

UNITY - It refers to the coherence of the whole. harmony of all the parts.