Submitted by: Joe Cox
Resource: Exploring Visual Design: The Elements and Principles, Joseph Gatto, Albert Porter, Jack Selleck. Davis Publications. 2000.

Line

Line:

An element of art that is used to define shape, contours, and outlines, also to 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.

Characteristic of Line are:

• Width- thick, thin, tapering, uneven
• Length - long, short, continuous, broken
• Direction- horizontal, vertical, diagonal, curving, perpendicular, oblique, parallel, radial, zigzag
• Focus- sharp, blurry, fuzzy, choppy
• Feeling- sharp, jagged, graceful, smooth

Types of Line:

1. Outlines- Lines made by the edge of an object or its silhouette.
2. Contour Lines- Lines that describe the shape of an object and the interior detail.
3. Gesture Lines- Line that are energetic and catches the movement and gestures of an active figure.
4. Sketch Lines- Lines that captures the appearance of an object or impression of a place.
5. Calligraphic Lines- Greek word meaning “beautiful writing.”  Precise, elegant handwriting or lettering done by hand. Also artwork that has flowing lines like an elegant handwriting.
6. Implied Line- Lines that are not actually drawn but created by a group of objects seen from a distance.  The direction an object is pointing to, or the direction a person is looking at.

Name the Line:

1.    Below are five boxes.  Create a different type of line for each box.

2.    In the blank under the box come up with a name for that line that describes it.

___________      ___________      __________       ___________      __________ 

Color

Color comes form light; if it weren’t for light we would have no color.  Light rays move in a straight path from a light source.  Within this light rays are all the rays of colors in the spectrum or rainbow.  Shining a light into a prism will create a rainbow of colors because it separates the color of the spectrum.  When the light rays hits an object our eyes responds to the light that is bounced back and we see that color.  For example a red ball reflects all the red light rays.  As artist we use pigments in the form of powder or liquid paints to create color.

Categories of Color

Color Wheels a tool used to organize color.  It is made up of:

· Primary Colors-Red, Yellow, Blue these color cannot be mixed, they must be bought in some form.

· Secondary Color-Orange, Violet, Green, these colors are created by mixing two primaries.

· Intermediate Colors- Red Orange, Yellow Green, Blue Violet, etc.; mixing a primary with a secondary creates these colors. 

· Complementary Colors-are colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel.  When placed next to each other they look bright and when mixed together they neutralize each other. 

Color Harmonies

Color Harmonies is when an artist uses certain combinations of colors that create different looks or feelings.

Analogous Colors are colors that are next to each other on the color wheel for example red, red orange, and orange are analogous colors.

Triadic Harmony is where three equally spaced colors on the color wheel are used for example, yellow, Red, Blue is a triadic harmony color scheme.

Monochromatic is where one color is used but in different values and intensity.

Warm colors are on one side of the color wheel and they give the felling of warmth for example red, orange and yellow are the color of fire and feel warm.

Cool colors are on the other side of the color wheel and they give the feeling of coolness for example blue, violet, are the color of water, and green are the color of cool grass.

On the back of this sheet of paper create a color wheel.  Be sure to include the primary, secondary and intermediate colors.  Use colored pencils to create your colors. 

Shape

Shape:  When a line crosses itself or intersects with other lines to enclose a space it creates a shape.  Shape is two-dimensional it has heights and width but no depth.

Categories of Shapes:

• Geometric Shapes-Circles, Squares, rectangles and triangles.  We see them in architecture and manufactured items.
• Organic Shapes-Leaf, seashells, flowers.  We see them in nature and with characteristics that are free flowing, informal and irregular.
• Positive Shapes-In a drawing or painting positive shapes are the solid forms in a design such as a bowl of fruit.  In a sculpture it is the solid form of the sculpture.
• Negative Shapes-In a drawing it is the space around the positive shape or the shape around the bowl of fruit.  In sculpture it is the empty shape around and between the sculptures.
• Static Shape-Shapes that appears stable and resting.
• Dynamic Shape-Shapes that appears moving and active.

Create a Shape

In box 1 create a design with Geometrical Shapes

In box 2 create a design with Organic Shapes

1                                                                              2

In these two boxes below draw the same picture in each box.  The first box shade the positive space and the second box shade the negative space.

Space

Space is the three-dimensionality of a sculpture.  With a sculpture or architecture you can walk around them, look above them, and enter them, this refers to the space of the sculpture or architecture. A three-dimensional object will have height, width, and depth.

Space in a two-dimensional drawing or painting refers to the arrangement of objects on the picture plane.  The picture plane is the surface of your drawing paper or canvas.  You can have a picture plane that is a crowded space with lots of objects or an empty space with very few objects in the picture plane.  A two-dimensional piece of art has heights and width but no depth.  The illusion of depth can be achieved by using perspective.  This is the technique used to have your picture look likes it is moving to the distance like a landscape or cityscape.

Categories of Space

Positive space-Like in positive shape it is the actual sculpture or building.

Negative space-Also like negative shape it is the space around the sculpture or building.

Picture Plane is the flat surface of your drawing paper or canvas.

Composition is the organization and placement of the elements on your picture plane.

Focal Point is the object or area you want the viewer to look at first.

Types of Perspective

Nonlinear Perspective is the method of showing depth that incorporates the following techniques.

• Position-Placing an object higher on the page makes it appear farther back then objects placed lower on the page.

• Overlapping-When an object overlaps another object it appears closer to the viewer, and the object behind the object appears farther away.

• Size Variation-Smaller objects look farther away in the distance.  Larger objects look closer.

• Color-Bright colors look like they are closer to you and neutral colors look like they are farther away.
• Value-Lighter values look like they are farther back and darker value look like they are closer. For example in a landscape the mountains often look bluish and lighter then the trees or houses that are closer to you.

Linear Perspective is the method of using lines to show the illusion of depth in a picture. The following are types of linear perspective.

• One-point perspective-When lines created by the sides of tables or building look like that are pointing to the distance and they all meet at one point on the horizon this is one-point perspective. To see an example stand in the middle of the hallway and look at the horizontal lines in the brick or the corner where the ceiling meets the wall. See how they move to one point on the horizon.
• Two-point perspective-Here the lines look like they are meeting at two points on the horizon line.

Texture

Texture is the surface quality of an object.  A rock may be rough and jagged.  A piece of silk may be soft and smooth and your desk may feel hard and smooth.  Texture also refers to the way a picture is made to look rough or smooth. 

Categories of Texture

• Real Texture is the actual texture of an object.  Artist may create real texture in art to give it visual interest or evoke a feeling.  A piece of pottery may have a rough texture so that it will look like it came from nature or a smooth texture to make it look like it is machine made.
• Implied Texture is the where a two-dimensional piece of art is made to look like a certain texture but in fact is just a smooth piece of paper.  Like a drawing of a tree trunk may look rough but in fact it is just a smooth piece of paper.

Create different types of textures in the boxes below. Explain what the texture is at the bottom of each box.

Value

 

Value is the range of lightness and darkness within a picture.  Value is created by a light source that shines on an object creating highlights and shadows.  It also illuminates the local or actual color of the subject.  Value creates depth within a picture making an object look three dimensional with highlights and cast shadows, or in a landscape where it gets lighter in value as it recedes to the background giving the illusion of depth.

Categories of Values

• Tint is adding white to color paint to create lighter values such as light blue or pink.
• Shade is adding black to paint to create dark values such as dark blue or dark red.
• High-Key is where the picture is all light values.
• Low-Key is where the picture is all dark values.
• Value Contrast is where light values are placed next to dark values to create contrast or strong differences.
• Value Scale is a scale that shows the gradual change in value from its lightest value, white to its darkest value black.

Create a 5 value, Value Scale.

Beginning with the box on the right leave it blank, it will be the lightest value of the value scale.  The box on the far left will be the darkest value, so shade it in completely black.  The three remaining shade in to show a gradual change form the lightest to the darkest.

Form    

Form is the three-dimensionality of an object.  Shape is only two-dimensional; form is three-dimensional.  You can hold a form; walk around a form and in some cases walk inside a form.  In drawing or painting using value can imply form.  Shading a circle in a certain manner can turn it into a sphere. 

Types of Form

Draw and correctly shade the four basic Forms.

            Sphere