7 Basic Elements of Visual Art

7 BASIC ELEMENTS OF VISUAL ART
The 7 basic elements of visual art are SHAPE, LINE, SPACE, FORM, TEXTURE,
VALUE, AND COLOUR. These elements are the building blocks of art that help
the artist communicate. These elements help us in understanding the piece
of art more clearly.
SHAPE: A shape is a two-dimensional design encased by lines to signify its

height and width. Shapes are used to provide a symbolic and faux feeling.
Shapes can have different colours to make it seem three-dimensional. There
are different types of shapes like circles, triangles, and squares.
LINE: Lines are marks moving in a space between two points. Artists use
many different types of lines like: Including, actual, implied, vertical,
horizontal, diagonal, and contour lines. Each line has a different meaning,
curve, length, thickness, and flexibility.
SPACE: Space is the distance between shapes and objects. Positive space
refers to the areas of the work with a subject. Negative space is the space
without a subject. Artists use spacing to create different effects.
FORM: A form is a three-dimensional object that can be held and walked

around. A form can be objects like cylinders, spheres, or even hard-edged
objects like cubes.
TEXTURE: Texture is usually used to describe the surface quality. Textures

can be ‘real’ or ‘implied’. Real surface quality is mainly seen through three-
dimensional works, like sculptures. Implied surface quality describes how the
eye perceives the texture based on visual cue.
VALUE: Value refers to the degree of perceivable lightness of tones within

an image. The difference in values is called Contrast. It references the
lightest and darkest tones with grey variants in between a work of art.
COLOUR: Colour is the spectrum of light broken down when hitting a surface
and reflected into the eye. Colour has various properties like ‘hue’ which has
a basic range of colours like red and blue, ‘intensity’ which is the strength of
a colour, ‘value’ which is the lightness and darkness of the colour, and
‘temperature’ which is the warmness or coolness which the viewer feels
when looking at the colour.
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more
narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially
novels, plays, and poems. It includes both print and digital writing.
What are literary elements?
Every story can be broken down into its literary elements. Literary elements
are essential components that build a story, such as plot, narrator, point of
view, and setting. Think of literary elements as answering
the who, what, where, when, why, and how of a story. If the story lacks an
answer to one of these questions, it’s an incomplete story.
There are endless variations within each element, and deciding on these
variations is where the writer’s work takes place. Below we’ll look at eight of
the basic literary elements, but first we have a quick note about the
difference between literary elements and literary devices.
Literary elements vs. literary devices
Literary elements and literary devices are both useful storytelling
components that guide and shape a story. The difference is that literary
elements are essential, while literary devices are optional. Literary
elements are the foundation of a story, like plot, setting,
and characters. Literary devices are techniques or flourishes that a writer

can apply to their writing—imagery, personification, and allusion are all
examples of literary devices.
8 literary elements
1 Plot
The plot is what happens in the story. Plot drives the narrative forward. It is
what your characters do, what events transpire, and in what order. A plot
does not have to be a complicated weave of actions, although that’s an
option. As long as a story has a beginning, middle, and end, it has a plot.
Some stories have a single, central plot, like Harper Lee’s To Kill a
Mockingbird, which revolves around race and a trial in the rural South.
Stories can also have multiple plots, like Celeste Ng’s novel Little Fires
Everywhere, which follows the lives of two families in an Ohio suburb.
2 Narrator
The narrator is a central figure through which the story is told. A narrator can
be a single person, like Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby, an omniscient
entity, or a nonhuman narrator like an insect or animal. An example of
the latter is The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein, where the narrator
is a loyal dog named Enzo.

3 Point of view
An element closely related to narrator is point of view. Point of view is the
angle through which a story is told. The difference between narrator and
point of view is that a narrator is the entity through which a point of view is
told, while point of view is the position from which the narrator sees the
story.
There are different points of view that a writer can use. The three broad
categories are:
First person: The story is told through the eyes of a main character. You
will notice pronouns like I, me, my, and our in writing done in the first-
person point of view.
Second person: Second-person point of view uses the pronoun you and
makes the reader the main character. You will find second-person point of
view in many educational resources (like this blog post), as well as in self-
help books and articles.
Third person: Third-person point of view is narrated from a position outside
of the characters in the story. While the story may follow a single character,
third-person point of view grants readers access to the movements of all of
the characters, as well as to their thoughts and feelings, establishing a much
wider scope of knowledge. Third-person point of view is sometimes called the
“omniscient” or “all-knowing” point of view.

4 Characters
Characters are the population of the story. Every story will have at least one
character (the main character). The main character is often known as
the protagonist. Those acting against the protagonist are
called antagonists, and the interactions between them create conflict or
tension in a story’s plot. There are lots of ways characters can join in a story,
and they don’t all have to be working with or against a main character.
Characters can provide dialogue, create geographic or cultural context, or

add a different perspective.
5 Conflict
Conflict in literature is the central struggle of the main character. Conflict
drives a story forward by providing a sense of purpose or motivation. A
story’s conflict can occur between characters or between a main character
and a force of nature or a social structure or even within themself. Keep in
mind that a conflict doesn’t always mean an overt fight. Sometimes conflict
in literature shows up as a subtle tension or point of resistance.
6 Setting
Setting is the time, place, and environment in which a story takes place. A
story can have as many settings as the writer chooses. For instance, one
novel may cover hundreds of years across multiple continents, while another
may take place inside a person’s head or a single room.

7 Language
As a literary element, language is whichever dialect the writer uses to create
their work. A story may use a single language or incorporate multiple
languages. The language that a story is written in has an impact on where it
is published and who it will reach.
8 Theme
A theme is a central idea, concept, or message that is explored throughout a
story. Themes are often a bigger, broader, or deeper message than an
author can write about coherently, so they use the other literary elements—
like plot, character, and conflict—to guide the reader along. For example,
some of the most common themes in literature are love, loss, coming of age,
freedom, and power. These are huge concepts that can underpin a story.

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7 BASIC ELEMENTS OF VISUAL ART

SHAPE: A shape is a two-dimensional design encased by lines to signify its

FORM: A form is a three-dimensional object that can be held and walked

TEXTURE: Texture is usually used to describe the surface quality. Textures

VALUE: Value refers to the degree of perceivable lightness of tones within

narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially

What are literary elements?

view, and setting. Think of literary elements as answering

answer to one of these questions, it’s an incomplete story.

difference between literary elements and literary devices.

Literary elements vs. literary devices

Literary elements and literary devices are both useful storytelling

elements are essential, while literary devices are optional. Literary

elements are the foundation of a story, like plot, setting,

and characters. Literary devices are techniques or flourishes that a writer

examples of literary devices.

does not have to be a complicated weave of actions, although that’s an

Everywhere, which follows the lives of two families in an Ohio suburb.

be a single person, like Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby, an omniscient

entity, or a nonhuman narrator like an insect or animal. An example of

is a loyal dog named Enzo.

An element closely related to narrator is point of view. Point of view is the

person point of view.

help books and articles.

Third person: Third-person point of view is narrated from a position outside

third-person point of view grants readers access to the movements of all of

the characters, as well as to their thoughts and feelings, establishing a much

wider scope of knowledge. Third-person point of view is sometimes called the

“omniscient” or “all-knowing” point of view.

character (the main character). The main character is often known as

the protagonist. Those acting against the protagonist are

called antagonists, and the interactions between them create conflict or

Characters can provide dialogue, create geographic or cultural context, or

Conflict in literature is the central struggle of the main character. Conflict

drives a story forward by providing a sense of purpose or motivation. A

story’s conflict can occur between characters or between a main character

and a force of nature or a social structure or even within themself. Keep in

in literature shows up as a subtle tension or point of resistance.

may take place inside a person’s head or a single room.

As a literary element, language is whichever dialect the writer uses to create

their work. A story may use a single language or incorporate multiple

languages. The language that a story is written in has an impact on where it

is published and who it will reach.

A theme is a central idea, concept, or message that is explored throughout a

story. Themes are often a bigger, broader, or deeper message than an

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