Elements & Principles of Design

Elements of Design
The Designer uses the following Elements
of Design
Space Line Can you think of words Shape to describeForm what you see to the right? Colour Value Texture

Space
Is the area the artist works
on. It can be paper, clay, canvas, walls, etc. It has two characteristics:
positivethe object negative the voided area
surrounding the object.

Line

Line

Is a continuous mark. It has five characteristics:

length width curvature depth texture

Shape
Is an enclosed line. It has height and width and is usually
considered flat2-D. There are four basic shapes
circle square rectangle triangle

Form
Is two or more shapes combined. It had height, width, and depth. It is considered 3-D and you usually can walk

around and/or through it. There are four forms

Sphere Cone Cylinder Cubes

Colour
Hue is another word for colour. There are:
3 Primary colors 3 Secondary colors 6 Intermediate colors

placed evenly around the basic colour wheel.

Primary Colours
* Yellow is at 4 oclock * Blue is at 8 oclock * Red is at 12 oclock Placed every fourth space away. These cannot be made by combining other colours.

Secondary Colours
The formula for a Secondary is P + P = S
Blue + Red = Violet at 10 oclock Yellow + Blue = Green at 6 oclock Red + Yellow = Orange at 2 oclock

Intermediate Colours
The formula for an Intermediate
colour is P+S = I
R+O = RED ORANGE at 1 oclock Y+O = YELLOW ORANGE at 3 oclock Y+G = YELLOW GREEN at 5 oclock B+G = BLUE GREEN at 7 oclock B+V = BLUE VIOLET at 9 oclock R+V = RED VIOLET at 11 oclock

Tertiary
Mixing two secondary colours together
create browns
Orange + Green = Yellow Brown (Amber) Green + Violet = Green Brown (Olive) Violet + Orange = Red Brown (Rust) The formula for a Tertiary is S + S = T

Colour Schemes
Monochromatic - different values of the
same colour. Color + white, gray or black Complementary - two colours opposite each other on the color wheel. Analogous - 3-5 colours next to each other on the colour wheel that have a family resemblance. Triadic - are three colours evenly spaced on the wheel forming a triangle. Warm colours are red, orange and yellow. Cool colours are green, blue and violet.

Value
Is the lightness and darkness of
a colour or neutral gray.
White added to a colour is a tint. Gray added to a colour is a tone. Black added to a colour is a shade. These are called Neutrals.

Texture
The feel of a surface. There are two kinds: Actual or real
Implied or fake

usually made by nature usually created by man

Principles of Design
Balance Repetition Contrast Movement Emphasis Unity

Balance
Equilibrium
the feeling of being comfortable
in artwork. Where the Elements are placed in the picture in a way so they have equal weight.
Symmetrical or formal balance which is objects centered Asymmetrical or informal balance which is more objects on one side or off centered.

There are two kinds

Repetition
An element that occurs over and over
again in a composition. Can repeat the element in a consistent pattern. Can repeat the element in a variation of the pattern.

Repetition
Also known as Pattern

Contrast
The opposite or varied
elements that make an art work interesting. Such as colour, thick or thin lines, large or small shapes, rough or smooth texture,etc.

Movement
The path our eyes follow
in art work. Usually it brings the viewer in, around, and through the piece. Also known as Rhythm

Emphasis
Drawing attention to

the main object. All elements; like line, color, and shapes, direct your eye to the main point.

Unity
Oneness makes all the
elements and principals work together to form a piece of art. Also called Harmony