Design
A plan, or the process of planning, the organization or composition of a work of a art. An effective design is one in which the elements of art and principles of design have been skillfully combined to achieve an overall sense of unity.
Composition
The placement or arrangement of the elements of art a work. When composing the elements of art in a composition, artist consider the various principles of composition, including balance, variety, harmony, emphasis, movement, proportion, economy, unity, an
Positive space
The figure(s) or object(s) or tangible element(s) in a composition. Sometimes an object can be both positive and negative, depending upon its relationship to other tangible things in the composition.
Negative space
The "empty" areas; the space that exists between, around, and behind tangible forms, and in part defines tangible forms.
Format/picture frame
The given space in which a work of art is composed; the relative length and width of the boarding edges of a drawing surface, such as 18" x 24". Format, in part, controls the composition.
Picture Plane
The flat plane occupied by the surface of a drawing or any other two-dimensional art. When there is any illusion of depth in a drawing, the picture plane can be compared to a pane of glass through which we look at elements or forms arranged in space.
Point
A geometric element that had position but no extension; "a point is defined by its coordinates.
Line
A mark with length and direction(s). An element that refers to continuous mark made on a surface by moving a point. Various types of line include think, thin, dark, light, vertical, horizontal, diagonal, straight, curved, broken, sharp, blurred, and more.
Plane
Any flat surface that may be level or tilted.
Shape
An element of art, shape is an enclosed space defined by other art elements such as line, color, value, or texture. Shapes, which are two-dimensional by definition, can take on the appearance of solid three-dimensional forms through shading and other devi
Form
An element of art that is three-dimensional (having height, width, and depth) and encloses volume. A square, for example, is a two-dimensional shape, while a cube (composed of multiple squares) is a three-dimensional form.
Mass
The bulk, density, and/or weight of a three-dimensional form in space.
Volume
The perceived space of a 3-D form, including activated areas (both filled and unfilled).
Texture
An element of art, texture is the surface quality or "feel" of a object, its smoothness, roughness, softness, etc. Textures can be actual or simulated. Actual textures can be felt with the fingers, while simulated textures are visually suggested by an art
Value
An element of art that refers to lightness or darkness of achromatic of chromatic media. Value becomes more apparent in achromatic or monochromatic images because it does not require consideration for other factors that are specific to color and color int
Color
The character of a surface that is the result of the response of vision to the wavelength of light reflected from that surface usually determined visually by measurement of hue, saturation, and value.
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, deep, or ambiguous; as open or closed; as positive or negative; and as ac
Luminance
An index of the amount of light reflected from a surface viewed from a particular direction. It relates to the lightness or darkness of reflected colors and is compared to a gray scale. The term luminance is able to accommodate a gray scale based on densi
Balance
A principle of design and composition, it refers to the way elements of art (line, shape, value, texture, color, etc) are arranged to create a feeling of stability and equal distribution of visual weight.
Symmetry
The organization of parts of an image or object so that one side duplicates or mirrors the other. The opposite is known as asymmetry or asymmetrical balance.
Approximate symmetry
A form balance that occurs when roughly similar imagery appears on either side of a central axis.
Radial balance
Radiating from, rotating around, or converging on a common center. Radial balance is any type of balance based on circle with its design extending form or converging toward it center. A type of symmetrical balance related to an actual or implied central p
Asymmetry
The principle of the seesaw transposed into pictorial form. Parts of a composition, unequal in area (size), are balanced in visual weight on either size of an imaginary fulcrum. The fulcrum is the center of visual balance, not the center of the picture.
Harmony
As a principle of design, harmony refers to methods of combining elements of art to heighten their similarities and unify the parts of an image into a whole. Think harmony as recurring similarities. Harmony must be balanced with variety (recurring differe
Repetiton
A principle of design closely related to harmony, repetition refers to repeatedly using an element of art in composition. A certain shape or texture or color can be used multiple times in the same work of art.
Rhythm
A visual form of tempo or beat, rhythm is a principle of design that utilizes an orderly repetition of elements to create the look and feel of movement based on our eyes' tendency to visually move between related forms. The presentation of multiple units
Pattern
The repetition of anything (shapes, lines, and colors), pattern is one of the principles of design.
Similarity
As forms or shapes correspond to one another in shape, size, direction, value, texture, color, or some other characteristic, we perceptually tend to link or pull them together.
Unity
A principle of design, that is the quality of wholeness or cohesiveness that is achieved through the effective use of the elements of art and principles of design. Is often achieved through dynamic balance of harmony (recurring similarities) and variety (
Variety
A principle of design that refers to a use of the elements of art that creates some recurring differences of line, shape, texture, value, color, or more. Helps to create visual interest. Parts that are seemingly different have something in common; the use
Emphasis/domination
A principle of design, is any device that gives importance or dominance to some part or an artwork. Some aspect may be singled out or stressed through the use of contrast or difference. Creates one of more centers of interest in an artwork (focal points),
Subordination
De-emphasizing areas or parts that shouldn't get attention, so that they play the appropriate supporting role without stealing the limelight. More like other parts, or surroundings, less variation, less contrast, less pronounced, less bright, less sharp.
Movement
A principle of design that describes the manner in which elements of art are arranged to encourage visual movement throughout a composition. The idea is closely related to our tendency to visually join things that are the same or similar. Recurring lines,
Directional forces
The feeling of movement or thrust, produced visually. The forces of diagonals, curves, and spirals imply dynamic movement that can lead a viewer's eye in and around a design.
Directional movement
The development of primary and secondary visual paths of movement. It is helpful to keep in mind the basic notion that influences our visual priorities. Our eyes are inclined to try to join together things that are the same or similar in some visual way.
Proportion
One of the principles of design, refers to a part considered in relation to the whole; the relationship between things or parts of things with respect to comparative size or quantity; based on a sense of appropriateness of size relationships that differen
Scale
A ratio or proportion that is used to determine the dimensional relationship between a representation of a thing and the thing itself (its actual size). Examples include maps, architectural plans, and models. Is typically expressed with two numbers separa
Economy
A principle of design that encourages editing of information of simplification for the sake of unity, a spare, restrained or efficient use of art elements or information to achieve maximum effect with minimum effort or the deletion of nonessential details
Size
Large or small, long or short, is relative.
Visual weight
The relative importance of a visual component within a design or the apparent (or perceived) lightness of heaviness of a work, or a part of a work.
Number
A single form may be repeated, added to, or multiplied any number of times. A form can occur once in a composition or many times.
Gestalt
It unites the concept of "wholeness" with ideas of form, shape, and pattern. One must have a concept of how the whole functions in order to determine what relationship one part has to another and to a whole. It is important to keep in mind that each princ
Closure
it refers to the fact that when we view an incomplete or fragmentary form, we are capable of ignoring the missing parts and perceiving the form as whole and complete because the brain is able to fill in missing information based on previous experiences an
Interval
Is the space between forms. There can be equal, unequal, small, large, progressively small, progressively large, ones that form patterns, and so on.
Proximity
The nearer forms or shapes are to each other, the more we group them together. Individual shapes can have enough to create a totally new shape by their tendency to group together.