The Elements of Design

1. The Elements of Design The Ingredients of Visual Art

2. Color What would our world look like without Color. There have been many studies into the psychological effects of Color. Artists have used Color in such ways as to create a mood or feeling of a piece of work. This is done by using colors realistically and by using colors "creatively". Color is also a very important Element Of Art..

3. How does color effect this piece of art? This is a painting created by Piet Mondrian. Did he selectively use one particular family of colors? Absolutely. This piece is a good example of the Primary Colors used in a work of art. The title "Broadway Boogie-Woogie" should tell you something about this work? Do you know where Broadway is? It is a very famous street in New York City where all the theaters are concentrated. Are you familiar with the term "boogie-woogie"?

4. Texture • An element of art which refers to the surface quality or "feel" of an object, its smoothness, roughness, softness, etc. Textures may be actual or simulated. Actual textures can be felt with the fingers, while simulated textures are suggested by the way the artist has painted certain areas of a picture. • The thick application of the paint and the use of many colors to accent the paint strokes gives this painting a Textured quality. • What was the artist trying to say by applying the paint and colors in such a way? Oscar Kockaska, (Austrian) 1886-1980, Self-Portrait of a"Degenerate Artist", Oil on canvas

5. Shape This jaguar mask from Mexico also emphasizes Shape. What shapes do you see? Are they Geometric, Organic or both?Are the shapes arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically?What shape did the artist use to accent the nose? How about the eyes? What did the artist do to the yellow shapes that make up the skin of the jaguar? • Shapes are everywhere. More common ones are given names such as circle or square. There are an infinite amount of shape possibilities and combinations. Let's see what role "Shape" plays in works of art and just how an artist uses the Element "Shape".

6. Form • Form refers tothree-dimensional shapes that have length, width and depth. In fact, Forms are three-dimensional. They take up space. You can hold them, and walk around them. A sculptor uses Form three-dimensionally.

7. Line For many art students as well as professional artists, Line seems to be one of the important Elements of Art. Imagine creating a painting, sculpture or design without drawing lines to divide the paper or canvas into recognizable shapes and forms. Think about how important a role Line plays in the creation process. Lines can communicate an idea or express a feeling. They can appear static or active. Lines define objects. Kathe Kollwitz (German)1867-1945, Self-Portrait, Woodcut proof, 1923, 5 7/8 z 6 3/4 in

8. More on Line… • Look at this simple, yet powerful mask. The artisan who created this mask added an echoing pattern of lines to embellish the mask. What does this do to the visual quality of the mask? • Curved lines follow the rounded contour of the cheeks and forehead. Straight lines follow the contour of the nose and mouth. The artist selected types of lines that would enhance specific areas of his mask. • If the mask was left unadorned, would it appear as powerful?

9. Space… We live in a three-dimensional world of depth. When we look around us, some things seem closer, some further away. The artist can also show the illusion of depth by using the following means: Size & Vertical Location Overlapping Detail (Aerial or Atmospheric Perspective) Linear Perspective Space can also refer to Negative and Positive Space

10. Size & Vertical Location • Since objects in our environment look smaller when they are farther away, the easiest way to show depth is to vary the size of objects, with closer objects being larger and more distant objects being smaller. As well, we perceive objects that are higher on the page and smaller as being further away than objects which are in the forefront of a picture. 

11. Overlapping • When objects are partially obscured by other objects in front of them, we perceive them as further back than the covering objects.We do not see them as incomplete forms, just further back.

12. Detail (Aerial or Atmospheric Perspective)  • Atmospheric perspective uses color and value contrasts to show depth. Objects which are further away generally have less distinct contrast - they may fade into the background or become indistinct dark areas. The foreground objects will be clear with sharper contrast.  Here is a link to Leonardo da Vinci's use of aerial perspective: Investigating aerial perspective

13. Linear Perspective (Converging Lines) • Linear perspective is based on the idea that all lines will converge on a common point on the horizon called the vanishing point.

14. Valuerefers to the lightness or darkness of something.