Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4

Any artist would be aware of the importance of elements in a design. No artwork can be made without the use of elements such as line, space and shape etc. Therefore it is necessary to learn about these elements in detail, especially if you are a student of art school.

Elements

 

  •          Line: A line is not only what is drawn with a pen or a pencil moving the point forward, but also means the position of bodies, objects and images. For example, when a dancer stretches her hands, it forms a line, which is although not present but is instead an implied line. Lines are categorized as Vertical, Horizontal and Diagonal. Vertical lines depict stiffness whereas horizontal line gives an art form the feeling of calm and quiet. Diagonal lines imply a sense of movement and tension, in some cases even violence.
  •          Color: Colors have a strong impact and can enhance the appeal of the art work. Color is a complex element as it can be used to generate varied effects on the viewer. Proper use makes the art appealing to the viewer, whereas improper use can make the art work look unappealing and resentful.

 

In art, colors are categorized in 3 characteristics, hue, value and intensity. Hue refers to the pure colors, red, green, yellow, black and white.

Value/ tone refer to the lightness or darkness of a color. A single color can have varied values by lightening or darkening it with addition of black, white or neutral color. For example, red is a pure hue when white is added to the color, it becomes light until it becomes pink in color. Similarly when black is added, it becomes dark and ultimately becomes maroon.

Intensity refers to the colors purity and how bright or dull it is. When colors are added to a pure color to get varied values, it loses its intensity.

  •          Value: It refers to the tone of the color i.e. its light lightness and darkness. Value is often described on a scale of varying shades of grey which is arranged from white to black. When a work of art has similar values distributed throughout, it creates proportion and balance and the viewer is able to move their eyes around thus receiving the message as directed by the artist. Values are also useful in creating an illusion of space in an art work.
  •          Texture: Texture is an important element as it holds other sense than sight. Texture essentially means the tactile quality of an art. Texture appeals to viewers, therefore artist either try to recreate an illusion of texture or use actual texture to enhance the art.
  •          Space: The feeling of space in an art form is always an illusion which is achieved by using varied values and other techniques such as overlapping, linear perspective and ladder perspective. The amount of area occupied by an object is positive space where as the area around, in between and within it is negative space. An artist must take care to achieve a balance between the negative and positive space.
  •          Shape and Form: A shape is formed out of using lines in a geometric or organic fashion. A shape may be two dimensional or three dimensional which is known as form. A shape has a defined boundary. On the other hand a form must have three characteristics, height, length and width to be called a form .

The proper use of these elements forms a visually appealing art work. An art degree will help you to learn the uses of these elements in detail to create balanced art work.