Line - Used effectively, line expresses a variety of verbal and visual concepts. Line works either by itself or in conjunction with other lines to communicate messages and impact audience. A line is a series of marks, or points. The closeness of these points causes them to “lose their individual identity and form a new identity“. The direction, weight, and character of line convey many different states and emotions.
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Shape or Form - Form is one of the seven elements of art. At its most basic, a form is a three-dimensional geometrical figure (i.e.: sphere, cube, cylinder, cone, etc.). Shape is an enclosed space, the boundaries of which are defined by other elements of art (i.e.: lines, colors, values, textures, etc.). Shapes are limited to two dimensions: length and width.Shapes are limited to two dimensions: length and width.
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Colour - Color is the element of art that is produced when light, striking an object, is reflected back to the eye.There are three (3) properties to color. First is hue, which simply means the name we give to a color (red, yellow, blue, etc.). The second property is intensity, which refers to the strength and vividness of the color. For example, we may describe the color blue as "royal" (bright, rich, vibrant) or "dull" (grayed).
The third and final property of color is its value, meaning its lightness or darkness. The terms shade and tint are in reference to value changes in colors. |
Texture - Texture, another element of art, is used to describe either the way a three-dimensional work actually feels when touched, or the visual "feel" of a two-dimensional work.
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Depth or Perspective -Perspective is an approximate representation, on a flat surface (such as paper), of an image as it is seen by the eye. The two most characteristic features of perspective are that objects are drawn: smaller as their distance from the observer increases and foreshortened: the size of an object's dimensions along the line of sight are relatively shorter than dimensions across the line of sight. Depth is the perceived distance from the observer, separated in foreground, background, and optionally middle ground.
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Light - Artists use natural light in architecture and sculpture to create shadow patterns over the course of the day to create dramatic effects. Painters use these same shadow patterns to also create a dramatic focal point in their paintings as seen in Thomas Eakin's "The Concert Singer".
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Direction - All lines have direction - Horizontal, Vertical or Oblique. Horizontal suggests
calmness, stability and tranquillity. Vertical gives a feeling of balance,
formality and alertness. Oblique suggests movement and action
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Mass - Mass refers to the size or amount of space taken up by
an element. The mass or solid, plus the shape, tend to give relationship with
other elements. The various weights of different shapes can be used to emphasize
type styles.
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Tone - Tone can also be regarded as value as
both terms refer to the various degrees of lightness or darkness. At this point, the colour (or hue) of the subject is unimportant. The element of value or tone is, in
its simplest form, the
juxtaposition of light and dark. It is defined as the intensity of lightness or darkness in anything that is visible. |
Space - Space is the area provided for a particular purpose. Space includes the background, foreground and middle ground. Space refers to the distances or areas around, between and within things. It has two kinds: negative and positive.
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