ELEMENTS OF ART AND DESIGN

Definition; Guidelines followed during construction and appreciation of a given art work. They are the building blocks or tools of the visual arts.

Importance

• Organizing elements equals production of an artwork.
• Help in description of the characteristics of a given art work.
• Help in the analysis of the success or failure of a work of art.
• Provide common language for communication in art.

Summary of elements

1. Space
2. Line
3. Shape,
4. tone
5. Form
6. structure
7. texture
8. color

1. 
2. Space: is the empty place or surface within and around a given art work.

Negative space: is the area around and between the subjects of an image.

Positive space: are the shapes or spaces that are or represent solid objects.

Importance; Provides area in which an artist expresses him/herself.

2. Line; The mark made by a moving point. It is the path made by a sharp instrument when its point of contact is made to move on a given surface. In three dimensional arts, line is the contour created when two planes meet.

Uses of lines

• To create shape.
• To show effect of light on a given form.
• To indicate weight on a given surface.
• To show character or mood of a given object/surface.
• To show movement and direction

3. Shape, is a flat enclosed line. It’s an area with well-defined boundaries.
4. Tone; Refers to shade and light. It’s the lightness or darkness of an object due to the light effect. It’s the variation from dark to light on the surface of an object as light falls on it. Application of tone on shape reveals the form.

Value: Refers to the degree of lightness or darkness of a given object, in three dimensional arts it is the amount of light that seems to be coming from the viewer of an art piece. (The more the forms protrude, the sharper the contrast and the higher the value and vice versa).

5. Form; is the roundness of a given object, three dimensional spaces or mass volume. E.g. pyramid cuboids or cylinder. In three dimensional arts it means the act of building or making a given article.
6. Structure; Refers to the general appearance of an object according to its inner mass. It’s the buildup of an object. It’s the combination of different forms to attain the entirety of a given art piece.
7. Texture; Refers to the surface quality of a given object. It’s the roughness or smoothness of a given object surface.

Use; It enriches the surface of a given form by adding to its value.

Categories of Texture in 3D

1. Artificial texture; Designed created by humans using a given tool for a specific purpose to give a sense of volume. It’s used to enrich the patterns on a given article.
2. Naturalistic texture; Relates to the natural appearance of the object being represented in given article. (Also called, stimulated texture).
3. Abstract texture; is created to make patterns on a given article, but such texture may not be related to the natural appearance on the object represented. (Also called invented texture).
4. Glyptic texture; Appears on a given article in relation to the material in which it was made. (Also termed, actual texture).
5. Tactile texture; Is actual texture which can be experienced without the aid of vision.
6. Visual texture; Is the illusion of a three dimensional surface Based on the memory of how things feel.

Types;

• Doesn’t represent a real texture but creates the sensation of one by repeating lines and shapes in 2D pattern.
• Simulated texture; Imitates real texture by using a 2D pattern to create the illusion of a 3D surface.

8. Color/Hue; Refers to how the eye perceives reflected light off the surface of an object. It’s the sensation caused in a viewers’ eyes as he/she observes a particular object. (When sight is reflected off the surface of an object color is what the eyes see.)

In crafts materials such as yarn in weaving is dyed prior to making different articles and alternated during weaving process to create color patterns in the article.

When the original color of the material is not manipulated the final work appears in the same color as that of the material in which it was made (Called glyptic color).

watch the video below to learn more about the elements of art