The Art Elements
The art elements are “building blocks” used to create and describe visual arts. Artists combine these elements with the principles of design to compose a work of art.
There are five art elements:
- Color
- Line
- Shape
- Space
- Texture
Color
Color is produced when light strikes an object and is reflected back to the eye. Color has three qualities:
- Hue - the name of a color (red, yellow, blue, etc.)
- Value - the lightness or darkness of a color
- Tint = hue + white
- Shade = hue + black
- Intensity - the brightness or dullness of a color; the strength of a color
Colors can be related to each other in the form of a wheel.
PRIMARY colors are:
red, yellow, blue
SECONDARY colors are produced by mixing two primary colors and are:
orange, green, violet
INTERMEDIATE colors are produced by mixing two adjacent (secondary + primary) colors
NEUTRAL colors are:
black, white, gray
Complementary Colors
- Complementary colors are opposite each other on the color wheel. For example, violet is the complementary color of yellow, green is the complementary color of red, and blue is the complementary color of orange.
- When mixing paint, addition of the complementary colors dulls the color.
- Complementary colors placed adjacent to each other intensify the colors.
Warm and Cool Colors
- Red-violet, red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, yellow, and yellow-green are warm colors. They seem to come toward us or advance. Blue-violet, blue, and blue-green are cool colors. They seem to recede. Green and violet are usually considered between warm and cool. Depending on the particular value and intensity, they can be either warm or cool.
Line
A line is a continuous mark made on a surface by a moving point. Lines can define a space, create an outline or pattern, imply movement or texture, mass or volume.
- Horizontal Line gives a quiet, restful feeling
- Vertical line gives a feeling of strength
- Diagonal line usually denotes action
Lines can:
- Be of even or varied thickness
- Express a
variety of personalities
- quick
- slow
- still
- nervous
- calm
- rigid
- Suggest the presence of
- mass
- texture
- light/shadow
- Emphasize form
- Create mood
Shape
Shape is an enclosed space, the boundaries of which are defined by other elements (line, color, value, and/or texture). Shapes are limited to two dimensions – length and width. Shapes can be geometric, amorphous (free-form), or a combination.
A shape can have personality as influenced by: the lines that create it or the overall shape itself. For example, shapes with vertical and horizontal edges appear rigid and tense. Shapes with fuzzy, indistinct edges appear soft or relaxed. Shapes with soft curves appear flowing or imply movement, and shapes that overlap with other shapes create energy, tension, or rhythm, depending on how they overlap.
Space
Space refers to the areas or distances around, between, or within the different components of an artwork. Space can be two-dimensional or three-dimensional. The feeling of depth in a drawing or painting is always an illusion. Artists combine the use of light and dark value with other techniques to create space. A space can be positive - shape, line or color that defines a subject(s) or negative - the area of the piece that surrounds the subject(s). How an artist uses space or chooses NOT to use space adds a great deal to a work of art.
Texture
Texture refers to the surface quality or "feel" of an object - smooth, rough, slick, soft, etc. Textures may be actual (felt with touch - tactile) or implied (suggested by the way an artist has created the work of art -visual).
Line: A point moving in space. Line can vary in width, length, curvature, color, or direction.
Value: Lightness or darkness of a hue or neutral color. A value scale shows the range of values from black to white.
Color: The visual sensation dependent on the reflection or absorption of light from a given surface.
Texture: The surface quality of materials, either actual (tactile) or implied (visual).
Shape: A two-dimensional area or plane that may be open or closed, free-form or geometric. It can be found in nature or is made by humans.
Form: A three-dimensional volume or the illusion of three dimensions
Space: The emptiness or area between, around, above, below, or contained within objects.