Line
An element of art that is used to define space, contours, and outlines, or suggest mass and volume. It may be a continuous mark made on a surface with a pointed tool or implied by the edges of shapes and forms.
Shape
this is created when a line becomes connected and enloses space. These can be geometic or organic. A square or circle.
Form
This is a shape that has become 3-dimensional. An example is a Cube or cylinder.
Elements of art
Line, Shape, form, color, value, space, and texture. The building blocks the artist works with to create an artwork.
Value
An element of art concerned with the degree of lightness of colors.
Texture
The surface quality of an artwork whether implied or actual.
Composition
The act of organizing the elements of an artwork into a harmoniously unified whole.
Color
An art element with three properties: hue, value, and intensity. Also, the character of surfaces created by the response of vision to wavelengths of reflected light.
Aesthetic
The theory of perceiving and enjoying something for its beauty and pleasurable qualities.
Balance
A principle of design referring to the arrangement of visual elements to create stability in an artwork.
Emphasis
A principle of design in which one element or a combination of elements create more attraction than anything else in a composition. The dominate element is the focal point in a composition and contributes to unity by suggesting that other elements are sub
Foreground
The area of a picture that appears to be the closest to the viewer.
Medium
The materials, such as oil, watercolor, acrylic, etc., used to create an artwork: or a category of art such as drawing, painting, or sculpture.
Principles of design
Unity, variety, emphasis, rhythm, movement, balance, pattern, and proportion. The effects that may result when the art elements are structured to achieve a successful composition.
Pattern
The repetition of elements in a recognizable organization.
Positive Space
The enclosed areas or objects in an artwork. They may suggest recognizable objects or nonrepresentational shapes.
Rhythm
A principle of design that refers to ways of combining elements to produce the appearance of movement in an artwork.
Variety
A principle of design concerned with the inclusion of differences in the elements of a composition to offset unity and add interest to an artwork.
Unity
A principle of design related to the sense of wholeness that results from the successful combination of the component elements of an artwork.
Tint
A lighter value of a hue made by adding a small amount of color to it.
Symmetrical Balance
A balance arrangement in which the parts of a composition are organized so that one side duplicates or mirrors the other.
Asymmetrical Balance
A feeling of balance attained when the visual units on either side of a vertical axis are actually different but are placed in the composition to create a " felt" balance of total artwork.
Art Criticism
A systematic discussion of characteristics of an artwork, usually involving four stages: description, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation.
Proportion
A design principle reflecting the size relationship of parts to one another and to a whole.
Pattern
The repetition of the elements or combinations in a recognizable organization.
Shape
An element of art. Enclosed space defined by other art elements such as line, color, and texture.