The Elements of Design

1
Objective Define CompositionandThe Elements
of Design
2
In order to talk about an art composition, ah
hem, intelligently, we need to learn a little
art vocabulary. Of course, most of these words
you already knowbut be absolutely sure you can
use them correctly when you talk about art.

• What is a composition?
• The Elements of design
• The INGREDIENTS that make your artwellart!

3
First, lets talk about COMPOSITION. A
composition is the artwork!
When we talk about the composition, we generally
talk about what makes up the work of art. But
how do you begin to talk about it?Break it down
into parts! In a composition is divided into
three parts.the foreground, middleground, and
background.
4
foreground -appears closest to the
viewer background- is perceived furthest from the
viewer. middleground -located between both the
foreground and background.
5
How would you talk about composition in writing?
6
In this sketch, the tree or bush on the right
side of the composition is in the foreground. The
potted plant is located in the middle ground of
the composition and the house structure is in the
background.
7
The real definition of .
-The Elements of Design The basic ingredients
used by the artist when producing works of art.
Those elements are shape, form, value, line,
color, texture, and space.
8
Ingredients? Like the things used to make your
dinner?
Yes, kind of!!!!
Lets say you will make a burger (or a beautiful
piece of art) for dinner. I will need certain
parts ingredients (or the Elements of Design) on
hand to make it.
What are the burgers ingredients?
9
The Ingredients (The Elements of Design)
The Burger (The Composition)
10
The Ingredients (The Elements of Design)
Line
The Burger (The Composition)
Shape
Value
Form
Space
Color
11
(No Transcript)
12
The Elements of Design You will learn the
ingredients of a work of art. You will learn how
to describe the Elements of Design in an artwork
13
S H A P E
14
Shape .
An enclosed space defined and determined by other
art elements such as line, color, value, and
texture. Shapes can be categorized into two
different types, Geometric, and Organic
Geometric Shapes that are created through use of
mathematics. These shapes include Circle, Oval,
Triangle, Square, Rectangle, Hexagon, Octagon and
Pentagon.
Organic An irregular shape, or one that might be
found in nature, rather than a regular mechanical
shape.
15
This painting by Frank Stella contains
interlocking geometric shapes.
This painting by James Roper shows an explosion
of organic and cloudlike shapes.
Element of Design white bold Principle of
Design red Describing Words green
16
form
17
Form An element of art that is three dimensional
(height, width, and depth) and encloses volume.
For example a triangle, which is two dimensional,
is a shape, and a pyramid, which is three
dimensional is a form.
Examples of forms include Cubes, Spheres,
Ovoids, Pyramids, Cones, and Cylinders.
Element of Design white bold Principle of
Design red Describing Words green
18
Vs.
19
V A L U E
20
Value An element of art that refers to the
lightness or darkness of a color. Value is an
especially important element in works of art when
color is absent. This is particularly likely
with drawings, lithographs, photographs, and
sculpture.
When you describe value in a critique, talk about
the shades (darks, shades of color) and tints
(lightness, highlights).
Value Scale A gray scale, a series of spaces
filled with the tints and shades of one color
starting with white or the lightest tint on one
end, and gradually changing into the darkest
shade or black on the other.
Element of Design white bold Principle of
Design red Describing Words green
21
(No Transcript)
22
Line A mark made by a moving point that has
length and direction. Often is defines a space,
and may create an outline or contour, define a
silhouette create patterns, or movement, and the
illusion of mass or volume. It may be
two-dimensional (as with pencil and paper),
three-dimensional (as with wire) or implied (the
edge of a shape or form)
Words that DESCRIBE Line include vertical,
horizontal, diagonal, straight or ruled, curved,
bent, points, angular, thin, thick, or wide,
interrupted (dotted, dashed, broken) blurred or
fuzzy, controlled, freehand, parallel, hatching,
cross-hatching, meandering, and spiraling.
Element of Design white bold Principle of
Design red Describing Words green
23
(No Transcript)
24
Color Produced by light of various wavelengths,
and when light strikes an object and reflects
back to the eyes.
An element of art with three properties (1) hue
or tint, the color name, e.g. red, yellow, blue,
etc. (2) intensity, the purity and strength of
a color, e.g., bright red or dull red and (3)
value, the lightness or darkness of a color.
Element of Design white bold Principle of
Design red Describing Words green
25
(No Transcript)
26
Texture An element of art, texture is the
surface quality or "feel" of an object,, its
smoothness, roughness, softness, etc. Textures
may be Actual or Implied.
While simulated textures are suggested by an
artist in the painting of different areas of a
picture often in representing drapery, metals,
rocks, hair, etc.
Actual textures can be felt with the fingers
Element of Design white bold Principle of
Design red Describing Words green
27
S P A C E
28
Space An element of art that refers to the
distance or area between, around, above, below,
or within things.
It can be described as two-dimensional or
three-dimensional as flat, shallow, or deep as
positive or negative and as actual, or illusory.
Element of Design white bold Principle of
Design red Describing Words green
29
The artwork
The Elements
The Principles of Design
30
These are words we use to ANALYLZE a work of
art. Specifically, how the artist uses line,
shape, form, color, value, space, texture (or the
Elements of Design).
If we use the Burger exampleWe have the
ingredients to make our burger how do we prepare
the ingredients??? Grill the hamburger, sauté
the onions, shred the lettuce, melt the
cheeseetc.
31
Final Exam Tip When analyzing a work you are
studying how the artists used the Element of
Designso try to include that word. On each slide
I included a model and additional describing
words. The ELEMENT will be in black, the
PRINCIPLE will be in in red and the additional
describing words will be in green.
32
B a l a n c e Arranging the parts of the artwork
equally or near equally in terms of visual
weight" on each side.
33
Words you need to know!

• Symmetrical balance where the art elements in a
  composition are balanced in a mirror-like fashion
  (it does not have to be exact but close).
• Asymmetrical balance the opposite of symmetrical

Element of Design WHITE Principle of Design
red Describing Words green
34
(No Transcript)
35
Oriental Poppies, by Georgia OKeefe
Arrangement in Grey and Black Portrait of the
Painter's Mother (commonly known as Whistlers
Mother), by James Whistler
Rose Window
36
Here is how we would ANALYZE this work of art
using the word, BALANCE
The artist, Frangelico, balanced the small group
of people in the foreground with the larger,
simpler building and wall shapes in the
background. Symmetrical balance is achieved
because of the way the subjects are arranged on
either side.
Element of Design white Principle of Design
red Describing Words green
37
RHYTHM and PATTERN
Repeating the Elements of Design (line, color,
shape, form, texture, space) to create movement
or texture
38
(No Transcript)
39
(No Transcript)
40
Here is how we would ANALYZE this work of art
using the word, RHYTHM
This work by Pablo Picasso uses diagonal lines,
patches of colors, and varying spaces between
shapes, a dynamic rhythm is set by the artist,
creating a sense of activity.
Element of Design white Principle of Design
red Describing Words green
41
Here is an example of a cut paper tessellation
design. What is used to create the appearance of
rhythm in this work?
42
Unity and Harmony -
Unity and Harmony occurs when all the elements
you put in your artwork work well together and
look like they belong there. All parts of the
design must agree in a feeling or mood.
43
What do you think Cezanne used to keep this
painting, Mt. Victoria, unified or working
together?
44
Here is how we would ANALYZE this work of art
using the word UNITY
Cézanne used blues, yellows and greens. By using
related colors (remember blue and yellow make
green), the piece appears to be unified.
Element of Design white Principle of Design
red Describing Words green
45
M O V E M E N T
Movement is the art principle that uses some of
the elements of art to produce the look of action
or to cause the viewers eye to sweep over the
art work in a certain manner.
46
In Starry Night, famed artist Vincent Van Gogh
creates movement in his sky. How does he show us
this?
Element of Design white Principle of Design
red Describing Words green
47
Look at the painting and concentrate on how
your eyes bounce from one star to another. This
is an example of how an artist can create
movement in a work of art.
Here is how we would ANALYZE this work of art
using the word MOVEMENT
The swirling lines created by brushstrokes of
colors in the sky shows the movement of wind.
Element of Design white Principle of Design
red Describing Words green
48
Contrast and Variety using different types and
sizes of lines, shapes, spaces, textures values
and colors to bring interest to your design.
49
Some of the most common ways of creating Contrast
are by creating differences in
Sizes large vs. small Shapes geometric vs.
organic/free Form- real vs. abstract Values
light vs. dark
and
Colors warm vs. cool, complementary, intense
vs. dull Textures smooth vs. rough Line
Direction horizontal vs. vertical/diagonal/curve
d
Element of Design white Principle of Design
red Describing Words green
50
Kandinsky used a variety of overlapping lines,
shapes and colors to give this painting interest.

Here is how we would ANALYZE this work of art
using the word VARIETY
Element of Design white Principle of Design
red Describing Words green
51
The contrast in the illustration to the left is
quite obvious. Notice the contrast of the light
background (wall) with dark foreground (table
cloth) and the contrast of the dark shadows on
the tea pot and cup against the wall and with the
lights of the same objects against a dark window.
Element of Design white Principle of Design
red Describing Words green
52
Emphasis creates a disruption to the eyes
movement in an artwork and develops a center of
interest, or focal point.
53
Where is the focal point in Wassily Kandinskys,
Composition VII ?
Element of Design white Principle of Design
red Describing Words green
54
Kandinsky emphasized the large black circle
(which is a shape) in the upper left corner of
his work. The object is different from everything
else in the painting and therefore it "stands
out".
Element of Design white Principle of Design
red Describing Words green
55
Study Study Studygood luck on your Final Exam or
SLO