A piece of art is a lot more than just a picture of a person or place that you recognise.

Beyond the subject matter of any piece of art, if we care to look deeper we can see that
each piece of art is made up of colors and/or values, textures, lines, spaces, and
shapes or forms.
These are the “Elements of Art“, Color, Line,  Shape, Form, Texture and Space, they
are the building blocks we use to put art together. No piece of art is created without
them, even when the artist is not aware that they are using them. But a discerning artist
is always aware of them. They admire the well painted landscape, and then they admire
the way the artist has put the elements together to create that landscape.
 

"The Fishermen", 1981 by National Artist Ang Kiukok

The truth is we are all already familiar with these elements, when we look at The
Fishermen, by Ang Kiukok, we can identify the shapes he uses to create people and
objects, we can see the different colors he uses to bring energy to the piece, and the
different values he uses for each of those colors to create shadows. We can trace the
flowing lines that define each person, and the spaces that are created between each
person and objects. We can even identify different textures created by the paint to give
different surfaces a different “feel” to them.
 
Let us look at more information on individual Elements of Art

1. LINE
o The most basic, oldest, and universal element.
o A continuous mark which runs from one point to another.
o The tone of a line would depend whether it’s thick or thin, or light and dark.
                                                                                 
 Kinds of Line

 
o Actual Line: visible and clearly expressed, may vary greatly in weight and
character.
 
o Implied Line: dotted and dash lines, created by positioning a series of points so
that the eye tends to automatically connect them.
 
o Psychic Line: created when there is no real line, but the placement of the objects
or direction causes the viewer's eye to follow.
 

Directions of Line
Vertical line- basic framework of all forms, power & delamination, strength,
stability,simplicity, and efficiency.
Horizontal line- creates an impression of serenity and
perfect stability. Rest, calmness, peace, and reposed.
 Diagonal line- it shows movement and instability.
Portrays movement action.

Jagged line- it shows violence, zigzag, confusion, and

conflict.

Curve line- it shows a gradual change of direction and fluidity.

It signifies subtle form.

 
 

Functions of Line
1. Lines can be used to designate spatial relations.
Perspective or Perspectival Line – implied lines in a work that create the
illusion of depth.
Vanishing Point – perceived as the farthest point from the viewer.

Click the link to know more about perspective line:  https://drawpaintacademy.com/the-

ultimate-guide-to-one-point-perspective/

 
2. Arrangement of lines suggests:
Order – if lines are parallel or repetitive
Disorder – if lines collide,  presented randomly, chaotic, and gives an
impression of conflict.
 
3. Lines are used to show the shape of things and their volume.

 
 The tone (light and dark, thick and thin) of the line helps bring out the shape of an
object.
 
 4. Lines are used to express emotion and how an artist draws line suggests emotions.

This is commonly used in Gestural drawings wherein we are making use of gesture lines.

 Gesture Line – when lines come together to depict volume and surface as
well as express movement and emotions.
 

2. VALUE
o The intensity of light and darkness in a reflective or non-light transmitting surface
or medium.
o In drawing terms, when we use ‘monochromatic’ drawing materials, value refers
to the different shades we can create by adding greater or lesser pressure with the
given material, or, by adding further layers of the material.
o Using an achromatic value scale, it shows value from the darkest black to white
and all the gradations of gray in between.

Achromatic Value Scale

 
Chiaroscuro, (from Italian chiaro, “light,” and scuro, “dark”), technique employed in the
visual arts to represent light and shadow as they define three-dimensional objects
 Rembrandt: Christ Healing the Sick (Hundred Guilder Print)
Christ Healing the Sick (Hundred Guilder Print), detail of an etching by Rembrandt showing the use of
chiaroscuro

3. COLOR
o The phenomenon that humans perceive visually.
o It has the most aesthetic appeal.
  Color Meaning
Black Death, despair, gloom, sorrow,
Blue Infinity, Freedom, Calmness,
Brown Humility
Green Nature, Freshness, Prosperity, Hope, Money
Orange Sweetness, cheerfulness
Pink Feminity, love
Red Bravery, Energy, Passion, War, Warm
Violet Royalty, Dull
White Purity, Clarity, Simplicity, Virginity, Peace
Yellow Joyful, Life, Vibrant, Sunshine, Happiness
 

Properties of Color

 
Hue: Hue is the name of the actual color. So, for example, Blue is a hue.
 
Intensity: Intensity refers to the purity or brightness of a color. A High Intensity Blue is
the pure hue right out of the tube. We can diminish it’s intensity by adding a small
amount of that particular hue’s complement to it. So if we add a very small amount
of orange (the complement of blue) to blue, the blue will become duller. We will have
created a Low Intensity Blue
 
Value: Value refers to how light or dark a color is. We call the darker values Shades,
which we create by adding some black to the hue. We call the lighter values tints, which
are created by adding white to the hue. So a Dark Blue is a shade of blue, Light blue is
a tint of blue, these are two different values of the hue, blue.
 
 

Classification of Colors
a. Primary colors- colors that cannot be formed from mixtures because they are pure
colors.

Example: red, blue and yellow.

 
b. Secondary colors- colors form out of combination of two primary colors.

 Example:
Blue                       +             Yellow   =             Green
Red                        +             Blue       =             Violet
Red                        +             Yellow   =             Orange
 
3. Intermediate colors- colors form out of mixing one primary and one secondary.
Example:
Yellow                   +             Green   =             Yellow green
Red                        +             Violet    =             Red violet
Red                        +             Orange =             Red orange
 
4. Tertiary colors- form out of combination of two secondary colors.
Example:
Orange                 +             purple   =             russet
Orange                 +             green    =             citron
Purple                   +             green    =             olives
 
Warm Colors: The warm colors are Red, Orange and Yellow. These colors can give a
painting a sense of physical warmth, such as in the desert or by a fire. They can also be
used to portray intense emotions such as anger or love.

 
Cool Colors: Green, Blue and Violet are the cool colors. They can be used to convey a
sense of cooler temperatures, or to represent the calmer, more internal emotions (such
as sadness(not a lesser emotion, rather an emotion dealt with internally, unlike anger
which is generally directed more outwardly). Such emotional connections to color are
well ingrained in us, such as, “She’s sad/she’s feeling blue.”
 
 

 
 
Complementary Colors –  colors that are opposite with each other on the color wheel. 
When used together, a color’s complement help bring it out. When a little of a color’s
complement is added to it, it neutralizes the color somewhat, reducing the intensity of
the color. When too much is added it creates a muddy or neutral color.
   
 
 

    
  
 
Analogous Colors – Colors that lie next to another color .Using at least two, but no more
than three colors which all share a common color. These colors are adjacent to each
other on the color wheel. Example: Orange, Red and Violet are all analogous, as they
all share a common color: Red. Red-violet and Red-orange would also fit in this color
set.
 

 
 
 
 
 

4. TEXTURE
o  When we reach out and touch an object we feel ‘something’ about the surface;
rough, smooth, soft, furry, bumpy, ridged, etc. This quality is referred to as texture - the
characteristic of a surface.
 
Two Kinds of Texture

1. Actual - this is the texture that we can feel. In three-dimensional pieces, an artist
creates an actual texture that can be reached out and felt to the work. This means they
use clay tools or carving tools to create an actual texture on the surface of their
material, or they add materials possessing texture to the sculpture.
 2. Simulated - texture that appears
to our eyes as textured but in fact it is not. In a drawing, painting or other two-
dimensional piece of artwork, artists create a simulated texture that gives a viewer a
sense of how the object might feel: hard, soft, rough, smooth, hairy, leathery, sharp, etc.
These simulated textures can be created through series of lines or layers of value.

 
 5. SPACE
o An object that we draw has a shape, a sculpture we build has a form,
but Space is all the area around those things. It is above and below, between and
around the subjects of our art, and is every bit as important.
o Element that allow the art work to be perceived as  a whole.

Types of Space

1. Planar - In drawings and paintings, the space is flat, in fact as it has no depth.
We are instead forced to create the illusion of depth.
2. Actual space - In sculpture, the space is real, it has height and depth and width,
and we refer to it as actual space. It is our ability to move through the actual space that
surrounds a sculpture that makes sculpture as interesting a media as it is.
3. Flexible space -In performances, the space is wide and must  be dealt with certain
flexibility. It is the ability of the artist to freely move in a certain space that makes him
occupy the whole area.
Whether sculpted or painted we often refer to forms and shapes as being “positive”
forms or shapes. Meaning that they have a mass of their own, or at least the illusion of
that mass. At such times we refer to the space around those forms as being
"negative" space.
o Positive Space - space occupied by an object, the subject of planar work, or of
body in motion.
o Negative Space - the void in between the subject and around the subject.

Which is positive? Which is negative?

 Often artists work with negative space to refine their ability to examine form. Really
paying attention to the shape of the space allows us to notice things about a form that
otherwise we wouldn’t normally do
 

6. SHAPE AND FORM

Shape and form are the terms that define objects in space.

 
o Shape has two dimensions; height and width. To create shapes on a page we
need to use other elements of art such as line, to define those shapes. The triangle,
pictured on the right is a simple 2 dimensional shape.
 
 
 
 

o Forms exist in three dimensions, with height, width, and depth. Forms are things
that we can experience in the real world, like sculptures. We can reach out and touch
them. Shapes may be put together on a piece of paper or canvas to create the illusion
of being three dimensional, of being a form, but they never truly become actual forms.
The pyramid to the right would be a form if we saw it in real life. Right here it is really
 just a picture of a pyramid, so it becomes a number of different shapes that create the
illusion of having form. In real life the pyramid is a form, in a picture it is a series of
triangular shapes.
 
Two Kinds of Shape
o Geometric Shape
 Are circles, rectangles, squares, triangles and so on - have the clear
edges one achieves when using tools to create them. 
 Most geometric shapes are made by humans, though crystals are also
considered to be geometric despite the fact that they are made in nature. 
 Are regular and precise shapes.
o Organic Shape
 Are shapes with a natural look and a flowing and curving appearance. 
 Organic shapes and forms are typically irregular or asymmetrical.  
 Organic shapes are associated with things from the natural world, like
plants and animals.
 

 
 
When analyzing these intentionally utilized elements, the viewer is guided towards a
deeper understanding of the work.
Let us now look at the different works of art and let us identify the use of the different
elements of art.
Composition is perhaps the most overlooked aspect of art creation. It’s also one of the
most important aspects to get right. There’s obviously more to creating a successful
work of art outside of mark-making and medium mastery. Our composition plays an
important role in how our works are viewed and experienced by our audience.

Composition is the arrangement of elements within the pictorial space (or three-
dimensional space with a sculpture). The positioning and arrangement of elements
within a work affect how a viewer interacts with what we create.
 

PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
 
The principles of design refer to the manner in which the elements of art are arranged in
a work of art. Since the principles of art mostly deal with the organization of a work of
art, they mainly influence the composition. By mastering the principles of art, we can
improve our drawing and painting compositions.
 

BALANCE
Balance refers to the overall distribution of visual weight in a composition. A well-
balanced composition feels comfortable to look at.

Each visual component of an artwork has visual weight. Different than actual weight,
visual weight is not measured using a scale but must be observed instead. Visual
weight balances around an artwork’s axis. The axis may be vertical, in which visual
elements balance on both sides of the axis. Artworks may also balance around a
horizontal axis, in which visual elements balance from top to bottom.

Three Kinds of Balance

Symmetrical Balance

Symmetry is a type of formal balance in which two halves of an artwork mirror each

other. This type of balance is familiar and common. The human body is balanced

symmetrically as is our planet, our cars, clothes, furniture etc. Symmetry imposes a

strong sense of order and stability on both the composition and the subject.
Radial Balance

Radial balance is symmetry in several directions. Visual elements are arranged around
a central point in the composition. Often, radially balanced designs are circular. Other
shapes lend themselves to radial balance as well – squares, hexagons, octagons, stars,
etc.

In nature, we most easily observe radial balance in the form of flowers.

Radial balance is prevalent in human design as well; car wheels, architectural domes,
clocks, man-hole covers, a compass, etc.
Asymmetric Balance

Asymmetry is informal and seems less organized than symmetry. The two halves of a
balanced asymmetric artwork do not look the same but have similar visual weights.
Asymmetric balance is more subjective than both symmetry and radial symmetry.
Asymmetry allows for more variety in a composition than symmetrically balanced
designs. It provides the same “comfortable” feeling as symmetry without using like
elements on each side of a central axis.
Many artists appreciate asymmetric balance because it feels less rigid and more
realistic than symmetric balance. Although symmetry makes clear the artist’s desire to
present a visually balanced image, asymmetric balance does not happen by accident,
but instead requires planning and intention.
  

PROPORTION

Proportion is the principle of art that refers to relative size. Proportion is largely about
the relationship of the size of one element when compared to another. When drawing or
painting realistically, proportion is important. If the proportions are incorrect, then the
resulting image will look less realistic or abstracted.
Proportion does not refer to overall size, but rather the relationship of the sizes of two or
more subjects or elements. In art, the size of an element is referred to as scale. For
example, a basketball and a baseball are different in scale but share the same in
proportion.
Alternatively, artists can use proportion for effect. By manipulating proportion, the artist
can make his/her subject seem strong, weak, funny, mysterious, etc. We can
exaggerate proportions to emphasize a meaning or an element within the scene. For
example, a caricature artist distorts proportion in order to create a stylized image of the
subject.
 

MOVEMENT

Visual movement is the principle of art used to create the impression of action in a work
of art.

Movement can apply to a single component in a composition or to the whole

composition at once. Visual movement is dependent on the other element  and
principles of art. Rhythm, line, color, balance and space are all examples of elements
and principles of art that can play a major role in developing movement in a work of art.

Creating movement with Rhythm

Rhythm is everywhere. Rows of windows and columns add rhythm to architecture.

Books on a shelf and tiled floors add rhythm to daily life. Each of these examples have
something that is repeated.

The repeating element is generally referred to as a motif. To create movement through

rhythm, an artwork must have a motif.
If a motif is variable in size and spacing, then the rhythm is said to be irregular.
An irregular rhythm feels natural. Trees growing in a forest have an irregular rhythm.
Each tree is unique. Some are thin and some are wide, but all are trees.
If the motif is identical in size and spacing it is said to be regular. A regular
rhythm feels organized and intentional. Lamp posts along a city street have a regular
rhythm – each one the same as the next.
A motif acts as a guide through the composition. Our eyes move from one example of
the motif to the next. The amount of space between manifestations of the motif set the
tempo or speed at which our eyes move around the composition.

Look at the images below. Below is a photograph by Étienne-Jules Marey. This is a

study of a person walking. The motif is obviously the person. The rhythm of the
repeating person generates a feeling of movement in the composition. Notice the
interesting, angular shapes between each frozen position of the figure.
In the drawing above, there is technically no person. The irregular, angular shapes from
the photo are the subject. The progressive, repetition of the shapes generate movement
in the composition. 

EMPHASIS
Emphasis is the principle of art that helps the audience put the story of a painting
together in their own minds.

Any object or area of emphasis is called a focal point. The focal point is meant to be the
part of an artwork to which the viewer’s eyes are first attracted.  Artworks can have
multiple focal points. The degree to which the focal points stand out determines the
order in which the viewer notices them.

Ways to create emphasis

Contrast

Take a look at the image of tomatoes below. The green tomato is mixed into the red
tomatoes but does not get lost in the group. It is clearly the focal point because of a
strong contrast of color.

Three elements of art: color, value and

texture are useful in creating emphasis through contrast. Using texture in only one spot
or placing a light object in an otherwise dark environment will attract the attention of the
viewer.

Isolation
Isolation is a straight-forward way to ensure the “main character” of a picture is noticed.
Place an object of emphasis outside of a grouping and you will force your audience to
take notice of it.

Look at the drawing of coins below. The large pile of coins on the left may be worth
more than the single coin on the right, but the coin on the right seems more important
simply because it is isolated from the rest.

Location

Using a bulls-eye as an example, the location of a compositional element contributes to

our feelings about emphasis as well. The bulls-eye on a dart board is in the center for
good reason. All things being equal, a viewer will look at the center of a composition
first. Placing important objects or people near the center of a canvas will add to their
emphasis.

Convergence
Lines and edges can work like arrows to indicate a focal point. Not only obvious lines
work but implied lines (invisible lines) as well. For example, the direction of a person’s
gaze can indicate to the audience where to look next.
Try it yourself. The next time you are standing outside with other people, just stare intently into the sky for

a moment and others will begin to follow your gaze with their own.

In the drawing below, the architectural features point towards, or converge, at the small
figure in the road. Additionally, the figure is located near the center of the composition
to help the audience find him.

The Unusual

A fun way to create emphasis in a composition is to have one element stand-out

because it is so different – a round object among angular shapes, a line of people with
one facing the wrong way. Think of it as the “twist” at the end of a movie. If you are
changing what the audience expects to something unexpected, then you will create a
striking point of emphasis.

Look at the line of people in the illustration below. See how the person with the head of
a fly just pops-out and demands your attention.

VARIETY, HARMONY, AND UNITY

These three principles are best understood as a group since they are related. The first
two, harmony and unity. The third is called variety.
HARMONY

Harmony is the principle of art that creates cohesiveness by stressing the similarities of
separate but related parts.

One should note that harmony is not the same as unity. Harmony does, however,
enhance unity in a work of art. Specifically, harmony uses the elements of art (color,
line, shape, form, value, space, texture) as a vehicle to create a sense of togetherness
amongst otherwise separate parts.
A set of colors that relate according to a specific scheme creates harmony.
Likewise, a uniform texture of brush strokes across the surface of a canvas creates
harmony.
Another way to guarantee harmony is to choose compositional components that are
similar in shape and contour. For example, a composition that utilizes only curvy
shapes will have more harmony than a similar composition that includes both curvy and
geometric shapes. The parts of the image below are in harmony because every contour
is a curve.

VARIETY

Variety is the principle of art that adds interest to an artwork. All harmony and no variety
is boring.

When an artist places different visual elements next to one another, he/she is using
variety. Straight lines next to curvy lines add variety. Organic shapes among geometric
shapes add variety. Bright colors next to dull colors add variety.

Harmony and variety play tug-of-war in a composition. Too much harmony is boring
while too much variety is aimless and incomprehensible.

Look at the image below. Both harmony and variety are evident. The orange squares
and the blue grid that surround them are in harmony based on both color and shape.
The round form of distorted squares adds variety. The ball breaks the monotony of
squares and adds interest.
UNITY

Unity is the principle of art that gives an artwork a feeling of “oneness”. Unity and
harmony are similar, but unity is more broad. There are numerous ways to create unity
in art. Some of those ways are particular to individual artist’s style.

Unity is about separate parts working together. We can better understand unity by
thinking about a car. A car’s purpose is to provide transportation. When the many parts
of a car are working together, it moves. No part of the car, separated from the whole, is
capable of providing transportation. When the car functions as it should, the parts are
working together in unity.

Here are some proven methods that ensure a unified composition…

 Simplicity
 Repetition
 Proximity
Simplicity – Simplicity refers to purposely reducing the amount of potential variety. For
example, a graphite pencil drawing is likely to exhibit some measure of unity, given the
lack of color. By eliminating color, the image is simpler than it potentially could have
been if color was introduced.
Look at the image below. The simplicity of the line-type and the lack of color are
simplifications of the original reference. Much of the visual information has been
intentionally left out. The result is a unified image.
Repetition – Repetition within a composition will guarantee a feeling of unity. 
Tessellations are an obvious example of how repetition unifies a composition. A
tessellation is an arrangement of shapes that fit together in a repeated pattern without
gaps.

Repetition can also unify an entire series of artworks, like a group of paintings. A certain
shape, object or texture that is repeated among a group of paintings acts as a motif,
helping each painting to feel as though it is part of a greater whole.

Proximity – Proximity refers to the closeness of different components in a work of art.

By placing parts close together, the mind is able to see the parts as one thing, a mass.
Negative space is the space between elements in a work of art. It can refer to the
“empty spaces” within a drawing or painting. The more limited the negative space, the
more unified the areas of a composition may feel.

The tessellation below depends on both repetition and proximity, resulting in a highly
unified image. Due to the complete lack of negative space, the repeated bird shapes
feel like one pattern.