Studio in Art Q3; Art Elements and Principles
-This will help you with your Critiques!
This vocabulary will also be on the final exam
ELEMENTS OF ART: The "Building Blocks" of an artwork
Watch the Video 8 Art Elements Overview
Art Elements are the smallest and most simple parts of art. Just like elements in science are the smallest piece of any materials--like an atom or molecule. Art elements are also small building blocks. Think of them as different kinds of Lego pieces. Alone, they are not very interesting, but when combined can make some really beautiful artworks.
A line is a point moving through space. We can measure the length of a line and nothing else; therefore it is one dimensional or 1 -D. (A line has NO thickness or depth)
A line that intersects itself will create a shape. (Draw a scribble, wherever the line crosses itself, you have made a shape) A Shape is 2 dimensional, having just length and width but NO depth. There are 3 basic shapes. They are the Triangle, Circle and Square. A shape like a rectangle could be made from 2 squares so it is not "basic".
A shape that moves in space can create a form. Think of a coin, it is a circle, but when you flick it to spin, this shape, takes up the space of a form we call a sphere. Each basic shape can be spun or moved to create a basic form. There are 4 basic forms. They are the Cylinder, Cone, Cube and Sphere. (A pyramid is NOT a basic form because it can be made by cutting 4 planes from a cone)
There are 3 basic colors. Basic colors are also called primary colors. When these basic colors mix they create secondary colors of which there are 3. Color is reflected light. When light enters a room, your shirt absorbs all the colors within the light (a rainbow), but rejects or reflects the one color you see. KNOW the color wheel and color mixtures!!!! (There is a color wheel on the bottom right of this webpage) Some people try to remember the order of colors with the name "Roy G. Biv" The letters are the first letters of the colors starting with Red, then Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo (a kind of blue-ish purple) and Violet.
The roughness or smoothness of a surface refers to its Texture. It can sometimes be made by repeating an art element many times. For example if you draw 100 lines, they will no longer be seen as lines, but as a texture; like grass. If you place 100 small pyramids together on the floor, you will no longer see a pyramid, but only notice a rough texture. It is impossible to say how many times an element has to be repeated to make a texture, there is no exact number.
All objects, art and non-art, take up space. Many art elements move through it. This art element comes in 2 types, they are positive space, meaning where the object IS, and negative space, meaning where the object is NOT. If you think of a chair, the metal and foam that make up the chair are the positive space, but the air around it and under it are the negative space. (You exist within the negative space of your home, you live in it's empty spaces. If you were part of your home's positive space, you would be physically IN THE WALLS or floor of the building.)
Value Refers to the the change in tone or hue that gives the illusion of form, weight, and light. In some classes (Like ours) We break value into Mass and light, because these help us when discussing things like sculpture that has real weight.
Mass Refers to the weight of something, sometimes it is real and sometimes it is the way it looks. A dark colored box will look heavier than a light colored one. (We have all had the experience of lifting what we thought was a light object but then being surprised to find it was much heavier than expected.)
The art element of light helps us see all other art elements. We see everything because it is reflected off of an object or surface and back to our eye. When it is NOT bounced back to us we see shadow, or black or nothing. Without light we cannot see any art elements.
A line is a point moving through space. We can measure the length of a line and nothing else; therefore it is one dimensional or 1 -D. (A line has NO thickness or depth)
A line that intersects itself will create a shape. (Draw a scribble, wherever the line crosses itself, you have made a shape) A Shape is 2 dimensional, having just length and width but NO depth. There are 3 basic shapes. They are the Triangle, Circle and Square. A shape like a rectangle could be made from 2 squares so it is not "basic".
A shape that moves in space can create a form. Think of a coin, it is a circle, but when you flick it to spin, this shape, takes up the space of a form we call a sphere. Each basic shape can be spun or moved to create a basic form. There are 4 basic forms. They are the Cylinder, Cone, Cube and Sphere. (A pyramid is NOT a basic form because it can be made by cutting 4 planes from a cone)
There are 3 basic colors. Basic colors are also called primary colors. When these basic colors mix they create secondary colors of which there are 3. Color is reflected light. When light enters a room, your shirt absorbs all the colors within the light (a rainbow), but rejects or reflects the one color you see. KNOW the color wheel and color mixtures!!!! (There is a color wheel on the bottom right of this webpage) Some people try to remember the order of colors with the name "Roy G. Biv" The letters are the first letters of the colors starting with Red, then Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo (a kind of blue-ish purple) and Violet.
The roughness or smoothness of a surface refers to its Texture. It can sometimes be made by repeating an art element many times. For example if you draw 100 lines, they will no longer be seen as lines, but as a texture; like grass. If you place 100 small pyramids together on the floor, you will no longer see a pyramid, but only notice a rough texture. It is impossible to say how many times an element has to be repeated to make a texture, there is no exact number.
All objects, art and non-art, take up space. Many art elements move through it. This art element comes in 2 types, they are positive space, meaning where the object IS, and negative space, meaning where the object is NOT. If you think of a chair, the metal and foam that make up the chair are the positive space, but the air around it and under it are the negative space. (You exist within the negative space of your home, you live in it's empty spaces. If you were part of your home's positive space, you would be physically IN THE WALLS or floor of the building.)
Value Refers to the the change in tone or hue that gives the illusion of form, weight, and light. In some classes (Like ours) We break value into Mass and light, because these help us when discussing things like sculpture that has real weight.
Mass Refers to the weight of something, sometimes it is real and sometimes it is the way it looks. A dark colored box will look heavier than a light colored one. (We have all had the experience of lifting what we thought was a light object but then being surprised to find it was much heavier than expected.)
The art element of light helps us see all other art elements. We see everything because it is reflected off of an object or surface and back to our eye. When it is NOT bounced back to us we see shadow, or black or nothing. Without light we cannot see any art elements.
PRINCIPLES OF ART (DESIGN):
Watch the Video Art Principles below!
Art Principles organize the elements. It's like taking Legos and making something with them with a plan in mind. If you make a tower, it will need to be balanced or it will fall over. Balance is an art principle. If you put a flag on that tower, it might just look like an important part of your building, a point of emphasis. Emphasis is another art principle.
Contrast: Opposites put together to create visual interest. Any art element has contrasts that can be used. Color, lines, shapes, forms… but even moods, actions and themes can be in contrast. (The happy lady is in contrast to a sad little girl) (The Warm Red balloon in contrast the cool blue water) Contrasts MUST be named in pairs.
Unity: Same-ness, Things within an artwork that make it “work” or go together well. Things may be united by any art element used a lot or repeated like line, shape, color etc… (Van Gogh’s Starry Night is Unified by his similar thick brushstrokes and also his use of mostly cool colors.) Unity helps things "go together" well, but too much unity can be boring.
Balance: There are 2 types and MUST be noted. Symmetrical (Meaning perfectly or almost perfectly mirrored) and Asymmetrical meaning in balance BUT with strong differences. When something is Asymmetrically balanced you MUST note the 2 objects that bring balance. (The flower on the right is balanced by the black space on the left)MOST paintings are balanced, you just need to be able to say "how." Balance can also be achieved by centering an object, like how portraits often have the face in the middle of the painting. They can also be balanced by having stuff all over, distributed across the whole surface, like paint splashes or a pattern that covers everything.
Emphasis: Is to focus on a certain area or object for various reasons. This is how an artist makes 1 thing more important in a painting, by visually "high-lighting" it. These reasons support the fact that the Focal Point is truly the focus. (The ball is the emphasis because everyone in the image is looking at it and pointing)
Variety: Too much of the same thing can be boring, so you need variety. Variety is not opposites like contrast, variety means having different kinds of visual interest. Varied can be in brush strokes, colors, figures, different kinds of objects, or through a variety of art elements like line, shape, color, etc... Too much variety can be bad too, so you need to find a balance between unity and variety.
Movement: Having a SENSE of movement. This can be real movement like people walking, wind blowing, rain falling etc… IT CAN ALSO be movement of your eye through the artwork as the artist intends. Shapes and lines can often “lead” your eye through an artwork. (The people run towards the finish line of the race) (The brush strokes are all horizontal making the objects appear to be blurred with speed.)
Pattern: They may be regular or irregular and you MUST say so. Trees have organic, unpredictable or irregular patterns. Checker boards are regular, predictable, mechanical, measured patterns. (The man’s shirt is covered in a predictable pattern of stripes OR The fields are overgrown with an organic pattern of weeds.) Any art element, when repeated, can create a pattern.
A fun way to remember the art principles is with an acronym. The one often used is "CUBE VaMP." Like a vampire in the shape of a cube. If you read all the principles it spell this--almost. The "a" is "and" to make it work.
Contrast: Opposites put together to create visual interest. Any art element has contrasts that can be used. Color, lines, shapes, forms… but even moods, actions and themes can be in contrast. (The happy lady is in contrast to a sad little girl) (The Warm Red balloon in contrast the cool blue water) Contrasts MUST be named in pairs.
Unity: Same-ness, Things within an artwork that make it “work” or go together well. Things may be united by any art element used a lot or repeated like line, shape, color etc… (Van Gogh’s Starry Night is Unified by his similar thick brushstrokes and also his use of mostly cool colors.) Unity helps things "go together" well, but too much unity can be boring.
Balance: There are 2 types and MUST be noted. Symmetrical (Meaning perfectly or almost perfectly mirrored) and Asymmetrical meaning in balance BUT with strong differences. When something is Asymmetrically balanced you MUST note the 2 objects that bring balance. (The flower on the right is balanced by the black space on the left)MOST paintings are balanced, you just need to be able to say "how." Balance can also be achieved by centering an object, like how portraits often have the face in the middle of the painting. They can also be balanced by having stuff all over, distributed across the whole surface, like paint splashes or a pattern that covers everything.
Emphasis: Is to focus on a certain area or object for various reasons. This is how an artist makes 1 thing more important in a painting, by visually "high-lighting" it. These reasons support the fact that the Focal Point is truly the focus. (The ball is the emphasis because everyone in the image is looking at it and pointing)
Variety: Too much of the same thing can be boring, so you need variety. Variety is not opposites like contrast, variety means having different kinds of visual interest. Varied can be in brush strokes, colors, figures, different kinds of objects, or through a variety of art elements like line, shape, color, etc... Too much variety can be bad too, so you need to find a balance between unity and variety.
Movement: Having a SENSE of movement. This can be real movement like people walking, wind blowing, rain falling etc… IT CAN ALSO be movement of your eye through the artwork as the artist intends. Shapes and lines can often “lead” your eye through an artwork. (The people run towards the finish line of the race) (The brush strokes are all horizontal making the objects appear to be blurred with speed.)
Pattern: They may be regular or irregular and you MUST say so. Trees have organic, unpredictable or irregular patterns. Checker boards are regular, predictable, mechanical, measured patterns. (The man’s shirt is covered in a predictable pattern of stripes OR The fields are overgrown with an organic pattern of weeds.) Any art element, when repeated, can create a pattern.
A fun way to remember the art principles is with an acronym. The one often used is "CUBE VaMP." Like a vampire in the shape of a cube. If you read all the principles it spell this--almost. The "a" is "and" to make it work.