Elements of Design, #2.pdf

8/9/2019 Elements of Design, #2.pdf

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Elements of Design

Elsie Untalan


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The Elements: Line


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• A line is a form with width and length, but nodepth. Artists use lines to create edges, theoutlines of objects. A line is created by themovement of the artist's pen


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• A line is a mark made by a moving point andhaving psychological impact according to itsdirection, weight, and the variations in its

direction and weight. It is an enormously usefuland versatile graphic device that is made tofunction in both visual and verbal ways. It can actas a symbolic language, or it can communicate

emotion through its character and direction


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Line

• A line represents a "path" between twopoints. A line can be straight, curved, vertical,horizontal, diagonal, or zigzag. Lines imply

motion and suggest direction or orientation. Aline can also be implied, that is filled in by themind when several points are positionedgeometrically within a frame. Placing four dotson a page in the shape of a square can implythe points are linked as the mind searches forrecognizable patterns.


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The direction and orientation of a linecan also imply certain feelings.

• Horizontal lines imply tranquillity and rest,whereas vertical lines imply power and strength.

• Oblique lines imply movement, action andchange.

• Curved lines or S shaped lines imply quiet, calmand sensual feelings.

• Lines that converge imply depth, scale anddistance - a fence or roadway converges into thedistance provides the illusion that a flat two-

dimensional image has three-dimensional depth.


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• Line is not necessarily an artificial creationof the artist or designer; it exists in natureas a structural feature such as branches, oras surface design, such as striping on atiger or a seashell.


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• It can function independently to suggest

forms that can be recognized, even when thelines are limited in extent. This can be seen indrawings such as the Saul Steinbergillustration shown here, or in AlexanderCalder's minimal wire sculptures, whichconvey a great deal of information about thefigure with the most limited line.


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• Lines can be combined withother lines to createtextures and patterns. Thisis common in engravingsand pen and ink drawingssuch as the one on theright. The use of line incombination results in the

development of form andvalue , which are otherelements of design.


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• However, line is not alwaysexplicit. It can exist byimplication , as the edge of

forms. As young children weusually begin drawinglandscapes by making outlinesfor earth, sky, and otherobjects. Gradually we learn thatobjects do not have suchoutlines and we let colorchanges define the edges ofshapes, creating implicit lines .Thus we can speak of a horizon"line," or the "lines" of a car ora fashion silhouette, eventhough we know there is no

literal line present.


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• Line also communicates emotion and statesof mind through its character and direction.The variations of meaning generally relate toour bodily experience of line and direction.

•


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• Horizontal line suggests a feeling of rest orrepose. Objects parallel to the earth are atrest in relation to gravity. Thereforecompositions in which horizontal linesdominate tend to be quiet and restful infeeling. One of the hallmarks of Frank Lloyd

Wright's architectural style is its use of stronghorizontal elements which stress therelationship of the structure to the land.


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• Horizontal lines are calm and quiet


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• Vertical lines communicate a feeling ofloftiness and spirituality. Erect lines seem toextend upwards beyond human reach, towardthe sky. They often dominate publicarchitecture, from cathedrals to corporateheadquarters. Extended perpendicular lines

suggest an overpowering grandeur, beyondordinary human measure.


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vertical lines suggest more of apotential for movement


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• Diagonal lines suggest a feeling of movementor direction. Since objects in a diagonal

position are unstable in relation to gravity,being neither vertical nor horizontal, they areeither about to fall, or are already in motion,as is certainly the case for this group ofdancers. In a two dimensional compositiondiagonal lines are also used to indicate depth,an illusion of perspective that pulls the viewer

into the picture-creating an illusion of a spacethat one could move about within. Thus if afeeling of movement or speed is desired, or afeeling of activity, diagonal lines can be used.


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• while diagonal lines strongly suggestmovement and give more of a feeling ofvitality to a picture.


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• Horizontal and vertical linesin combinationcommunicate stability andsolidity. Rectilinear forms

stay put in relation togravity, and are not likely totip over. This stabilitysuggests permanence,reliability and safety. In thecase of the man in thisfamily group, the lines seemto imply stability to thepoint of stodginess.


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• Deep, acute curves , on the other hand,suggest confusion, turbulence, even frenzy, asin the violence of waves in a storm, the chaosof a tangled thread, or the turmoil of linessuggested by the forms of a crowd. Thecomplicated curves used to form the mother

in the family group shown above suggest afussy, frivolous personality.


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• Curved lines do vary in meaning, however.Soft, shallow curves suggest comfort, safety,familiarity, relaxation. They recall the curves ofthe human body, and therefore have a

pleasing, sensual quality.


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Contour and gesture

• Lines used to follow the edges of forms arecalled contour drawings


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• Drawings which seem to depict moremovement than actual outline are calledgesture drawings.


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• Line as Value•

Lines or crosshatchingcan also be used tocreate areas of greyinside a drawing. Theseareas of darker shadinginside a figure, calledareas of value, can give amore three-dimensionalfeeling to an object


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• The quality of the line is in itself afundamental visual language, to an extent thatcannot be claimed for any other single

element. Its use is so universal that we are allprofoundly sensitive to it. Even without anartist's training, we can extract considerablemeaning from the kind of line used in adrawing. It is possible to recognize the soft,irregular lines of a quick sketch from life, asseen in this study of a lion.


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• On the other hand, the crisp, carefully placedlines of the rhinocerous are typical of a morestudied, scrupulously worked studio drawing.The lines suggest that this was not drawn fromlife, but from hearsay. This is also evident fromthe fact that Durer drew this rather inaccurate

image in fifteenth century Europe when hecould only have known of this African animalfrom travellers' tales.


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• The quality of line in itself contributes to themood of the work, and for the master artist,the quality of line is a fundamental expressionof his/her style. This drawing of a nude byMatisse demonstrates his ability to create hisimage through a minimal number of expertly

placed lines-lines that by their placement andmovement on the page identify this work withthis artist as surely as a signature.


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• Although the subject matter is the same in allthree works, the differences in line qualityhave created works with very different impact.How you use line is one of the most importantdecisions to be made in creating a work of art


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In the first image, da Vinci used a soft, sensitive soft line to create agraceful image. The center image has the same subject. However, theartist Willem DeKooning has created a very different feeling by using aheavy, gestural line. The woman's face in the third image is created with amechanical line creating an emotionally-detached feeling.


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ELEMENTS OF DESIGN: Shape

• A shape is an enclosed object. Shapes can be

created by line, or by color and value changeswhich define their edges.


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Volume and Mass

• Shape is considered to be a two-dimensionalelement, while three-dimensional elementshave volume or mass. Therefore, a paintinghas shapes, while a sculpture has volume andmass.


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Positive / Negative Space• In a picture, the shapes that the artist has placed are

considered the positive shapes. The spaces around theshapes are the negative spaces. It is just as importantto consider the negative space in a picture as thepositive shapes. Sometimes artists create pieces thathave no distinction between positive and negativespaces.

• M. C. Escher was a master at creating drawings wherethere was no distinction between positive and negative

space. Here are two examples of Escher's work whichshow the interplay between positive and negativespace:


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Horses Sky and Water


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ELEMENTS OF DESIGN: Texture

•

Texture is the surface quality of an object. Weexperience texture when we touch objects andfeel their roughness, smoothness or patterns.Texture is the artist's way of mapping thesetactile impressions on to the two-dimensionalpicture. Texture is created by varying the patternof light and dark areas on an object. Notice how

the areas of light and dark give the impression ofdepth to the image below


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ELEMENTS OF DESIGN: Value andColor

• Value• Value refers to the relative lightness or darkness of a

certain area. Value can be used for emphasis.Variations in value are used to create a focal point forthe design of a picture. A light figure on a darkbackground will be immediately recognized as thecenter of attention, similarly for a dark figure on amostly white background. Gradations of value are also

used to create the illusion of depth. Areas of light anddark can give a three-dimensional impression, such aswhen shading areas of a person's face.


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Drawing by Marguerite Smith, Saskatoon

V l l i li h d d k Th ll li h d l k f


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Value - relative light and darkness . The overall lightness and lack of contrastin the left image conveys a sense of spirituality and harmony between thetree and the circular sky. The dramatic mood of the other work by Gustave

Dore is created, in large part, by the high contrast of light and dark


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• Color• Color occurs when light in different wavelengths strikes

our eyes. Objects have no color of their own, only theability to reflect a certain wavelength of light back toour eyes. As you know, color can vary in differingcircumstances. For example, grass can appear gray inthe morning or evening or bright green at noon. Colorsappear different depending on whether you view them

under incandescent, florescent or natural sunlight.Colors also change according to their surroundings.


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Properties of Color

• Hue Hue refers to the color itself. Eachdifferent hue is a different reflectedwavelength of light. White light broken in aprism has seven hues: red, orange, yellow,green, blue, indigo and violet. White lightoccurs when all the wavelengths are reflected

back to your eye, and black light occurs whenno light is reflected to your eye. This is thephysics of light.


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• Color Value• Color value refers to the lightness or darkness

of the hue. Adding white to a hue produces ahigh-value color, often called a tint. Addingblack to a hue produces a low-value color,often called a shade.


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• Intensity• Intensity, also called chroma or saturation, refers to the brightness

of a color. A color is at full intensity when not mixed with black orwhite - a pure hue. You can change the intensity of a color, makingit duller or more neutral by adding gray to the color. You can also

change the intensity of a color by adding its complement (this is thecolor found directly opposite on the traditional color wheel). Whenchanging colors this way, the color produced is called a tone.

• When you mix complementary colors together, you produce a dulltone. However, when you put complementary colors side by side,you increase their intensity. This effect is called simultaneouscontrast - each color simultaneously intensifies the visual brightnessof the other color.


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• Color and Space• Certain colors have an advancing or receding

quality, based on how our eye has to adjust tosee them. Warm colors such as red, orange oryellow seem to come forward while cool colorssuch as blue and green seem to recede slightly. Inthe atmosphere, distant objects appear bluishand the further away an object appears, the less

colorful and distinct it becomes. Artists use thisto give an illusion of depth, by using more neutraland grayish colors in the background.


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Color Schemes• Monochromatic This color scheme

involves the use of only one hue. Thehue can vary in value, and black orwhite may be added to createvarious shades or tints.

• Analogous This color schemeinvolves the use of colors that are

located adjacent on the color wheel.The hues may vary in value. The colorscheme for this site is analogous,with the colors varying only slightly

from each other.


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Color Schemes• Complementary This color scheme

involves the use of colors that are locatedopposite on the color wheel such as redand green, yellow and purple, or orange

and blue. Complementary colors producea very exciting, dynamic pattern.

• Triadic This color scheme involves theuse of colors that are equally spaced onthe color wheel. The primary colors ofyellow, red and green could be usedtogether in a color scheme to produce a

lively result.


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ELEMENTS OF DESIGN: Space

Illusion of Space and DepthWe live in a three-dimensional world of depth. Whenwe look around us, some things seem closer, somefurther away. The artist can also show the illusion of

depth by using the following means:Size & Vertical LocationOverlappingDetail (Aerial or Atmospheric Perspective)

Linear PerspectiveWe can create a convincing illusion of a three-dimensional space

on a flat surface, if we establish our vantage point and areconsistent in our use of the indicators of depth:


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Size & Vertical Location•

Since objects in our environmentlook smaller when they arefarther away, the easiest way toshow depth is to vary the size ofobjects, with closer objects beinglarger and more distant objectsbeing smaller. As well, we

perceive objects that are higheron the page and smaller as beingfurther away than objects whichare in the forefront of a picture.


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• Diminishing scale - thelargest statue appearsclosest and the smallestappears further away.


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Overlapping Planes

• When objects arepartially obscured byother objects in front of

them, we perceivethem as further backthan the coveringobjects.

We do not see them asincomplete forms, justfurther back.


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• Overlapping "overrules"the other indicators ofdepth - we know that

the smaller pyramidsare closer because theyoverlap the largerpyramids. Overlapping

most clearly establishesproximity.

•


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Aerial or Atmospheric Perspective• Atmospheric perspective

uses color and valuecontrasts to show depth.Objects which are further

away generally have lessdistinct contrast - theymay fade into thebackground or becomeindistinct dark areas. Theforeground objects will beclear with sharpercontrast.


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• Atmospheric perspective -close objects have greaterintensity of color, detailand value contrast. Therider and horse in thispainting by FrederickRemmington have ahigher color intensity,attention to details andvalue contrast than thebackground cattle.


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• Leonardo was fascinated by the atmosphere and by its effects onthe colors and distinctness of distant objects. Though other artistshad already begun to create some of these effects in their work,Leonardo was the first to make careful measurements and suggestrules for applying them realistically in painting. He called thesubject aerial perspective .

In morning light Leonardo observed that distant objects such asmountains look bluer and less distinct than nearby mountains. Healso noted that the more distant the mountain, the more its colorapproached that of the surrounding atmosphere.

His experiments suggested that to correctly color objects atdifferent distances, artists should do as follows: Paint the nearestone its true color. Paint the one behind proportionately bluer, andthe one behind that bluer still.

http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/Glossary.htmlhttp://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/Glossary.html


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• In painting the Virgin ofthe Rocks , Leonardoapplied hisunderstanding of aerialperspective to createthe sense of mountainsa great distance away.

http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/virgin.gifhttp://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/virgin.gifhttp://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/virgin.gifhttp://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/virgin.gif


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Linear Perspective (Converging Lines)•

Linear perspective is based on theidea that all lines will converge on acommon point on the horizon calledthe vanishing point. You haveobserved linear perspective whenyou notice that the lines on thehighway appear to meet at a point inthe distance. Artists use linearperspective to create a focal point fora picture. Any walls, ceilings, floors orother objects with lines will appear tocome together at the horizon line.These lines converging lead our eyestowards that point. Often, the mostimportant object or person in thepicture will be located at that point.You can see in the drawing abovehow all the lines in the drawing seemto lead your eye toward the church inthe center back of the drawing.


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• Diagonals and Linearperspective - weperceive diagonal linesas receding into thedistance. The diagonallines in this painting of abridge create a

extraordinary sense ofdepth.


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• Other types of perspective, such as two-pointor multipoint perspective are also used. Two-point perspective, which occurs when you

display a building from a corner view, asopposed to a front view, is often used byarchitects to show a more three-dimensional

view of a building.


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• The horizon line runs across the canvas at the eye level ofthe viewer. The horizon line is where the sky appears tomeet the ground.

The vanishing point should be located near the center of

the horizon line. The vanishing point is where all parallellines (orthogonals) that run towards the horizon lineappear to come together like train tracks in the distance.

Orthogonal lines are "visual rays" helping the viewer's eye

to connect points around the edges of the canvas to thevanishing point. An artist uses them to align the edges ofwalls and paving stones.


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• Vertical placement - we perceive objects thatare placed lower in the image as closer to us,and objects that are placed higher as being

further away.

The boat placed lowest in this work by Japanese artist,


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Hokusai, is perceived as closest to us. As we move upvertically in the image, the boats seem further and further

away.

Color we perceive warm colors (red orange and


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Color - we perceive warm colors (red, orange andyellow) as closer than cool colors (green, blue,violet). Psychologically, the red and yellow objectsin both works appear to be in the foreground, whilethe cool-colored backgrounds recede.


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Loaf Mountain - warm glow of sunriseadvances where the cool blue shadows recede.


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JOHN SLOAN, SOUTH BEACH BATHERS


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PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN: Movement

Anticipated Movement• Live figures portrayed in

unstable body positions cause

us to feel that motion isimminent. We know frompast experience with thesepositions that some kind of

movement will occur. Thisheightens the feeling ofmotion.


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Fuzzy Outlines• When figures move past

us at very high speeds,

we perceive that figureas somewhat blurry.This experience leads usto interpret blurry or

indistinct outlines asconveying motion.


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PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN: UNITY

• Classic design theory discusses unity in termsof the objects present in a piece of art.Regarded in this way, unity discusses the need

to tie the various elements of a work of arttogether. Unity is a measure of how theelements of a page seem to fit together - to

belong together. A unified work of artrepresents first a whole, then the sum of itsparts


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UNITY: Proximity

• The simplest methodof making objectsappear to belong

together is to groupthem closelytogether. This allows

us to see a pattern .


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UNITY: Repetition

• Another method oftenused to promote unityis the use of repetition.Repetition of color,shape, texture or objectcan be used to tie awork together


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• Unity-Variety. Repetition of visual elements such as shapes orcolors create a rhythm and pattern in an artwork - creating a senseof harmony and unity that pulls the picture together. Some artists,such as Andy Warhol, have emphasized repetition to make astatement about the prevalence of mass-production in our society.Most artists, however, seek a more equal balance between unityand variety in their work. For example, the three-tined shape of thepitchfork in Grant Wood's painting (left) in repeated exactly in theclothing. It is also repeated in the windows and vertical lines in thehouse. On the other hand, curved shapes surround the woman'shead - in the broach, curved edge of her dress and backgroundtrees. This repetition of shape unifies the painting, while thedifferences between the vertical and curved shapes give thepainting a balancing sense of variety.


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UNITY: Continuation

• A much more subtle method of unifying awork involves the continuation of line, edge ordirection from one area to another.

Continuation is often used in books andmagazines to tie the elements of a pagetogether with the use of rules, and by lining

up edges of copy, headlines and graphics.


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UNITY: Continuation• This painting by Degas

has many elements ofcontinuation. The circle ofthe girl's back is

continued in the circle ofthe tub on the floor. Theoverhanging brush guidesour eyes towards theobjects on the table,which are arranged as acontinuation of thecircle.Edgar Degas. The Tub . 1886.

Pastel, 60 x 82 cm. Louvre, Paris


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• Proportion - relative size of objects within thework of art . In his painting of bedroom (left),Rene Magritte has created a surreal situationsimply by manipulating the proportions ofcommon objects. There are no clues that tell us ifwe are in a normal-sized room or a dollhouse. Inthe other painting, Andrew Wyeth has used theproportion very differently - the small farmhouseagainst the largeness of the field created a senseof isolation.


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PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN: Balance

• Symmetrical (Formal) Balance• Symmetrical balance is mirror image balance.

If you draw a line down the center of the

page, all the objects on one side of the screenare mirrored on the other side (they may notbe identical objects, but they are similar interms of numbers of objects, colors and otherelements. Sometimes they are completelyidentical (often seen in architecture).


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• Look at this drawing ofthe Cathedral of Saint-Pierre in Angouleme,

France. You can draw aline down the middle ofthe front face, andeverything on either

side would be mirrorimage.

Symmetrical BalanceThe parts of an image are organized so that one

side mirrors the other.


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y

Leonardo DaVinci


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• Asymmetrical balance occurs when several smalleritems on one side are balanced by a large item on theother side, or smaller items are placed further awayfrom the center of the screen than larger items. Onedarker item may need to be balanced by several lighteritems.

• Although asymmetrical balance may appear morecasual and less planned, it is usually harder to to usebecause the artist must plan the layout very carefully

to ensure that it is still balanced. An unbalanced pageor screen creates a feeling of tension, as if the page orscreen might tip, or things might slide off the side, justas the unbalanced balance beam would tip to one side

h b l b l


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Achieving balance: by color

• Our eyes are drawn bycolor. Small areas ofvibrant color can beused to balance largerareas of more neutralcolors. The vivid redskirt on the left is

balanced by the largerneutral pink dress

A hi i b l b l


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• Value refers to thedarkness or lightness ofobjects. Black againstwhite has a much

stronger contrast thangray against white. Tobalance these twocolors, you would need

a larger area of gray tobalance the strongervalue of black

Achieving balance: by value

A hi i b l b h


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Achieving balance: by shape• Large flat areas without

much detail can bebalanced by smallerirregularly shaped objects

since the eye is ledtowards the moreintricate shape.

• The front dancer in thispainting by Degas standsout in intricate detailcompared to the largeblurry area behind her.

A hi i b l b i i


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• Using a balance beam, a largerweight closer to the centerpoint can be balanced by alighter weight further awayfrom the center. This is thebasis for balance by position.Sometimes larger elements onone side of the page can bebalanced by a smaller elementthat is positioned by itself atthe far end of the other side ofthe page. This is a very trickytype of asymmetrical balancethat often ends up looking outof balance.

Achieving balance: by position

A hi i b l b


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• Smaller areas withinteresting textures(variegated light anddark, or randomfluctuations) canbalance larger areaswith smoother,

untextured looks.

Achieving balance: by texture

A hi i b l b di i


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• Your eye can be led to a certainpoint in a picture depending onhow the elements are arranged.If the people in a picture arelooking in a certain direction,your eye will be led there aswell. Elements in a picture, suchas triangles or arrows, will alsolead your eye to look to acertain point and maintain thebalance of a picture. Look howthe eye direction of the dancersand musicians in this paintingby Seurat lead your eye to thesmall gaslights which provide afocal point in this painting.

Achieving balance: by eye direction

A i l b l


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Asymmetrical balance•

The painting by MaryCassatt, (on the right)depicts an ordinarymoment. Appropriately, it isasymmetrically balanced.

The two women on one sideare balanced by the largesilver service and fireplaceon the other -with the areaof highest value contrast(the woman in dark withthe near-white saucer andcup) only slightly off-setfrom the center.

Asymmetrical BalanceWhen one side of a composition does not reflectthe design of the other.


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James Whistler

R di l B l


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Radial Balance

• The third type of balance is radial balance,where all elements radiate out from a centerpoint in a circular fashion. It is very easy to

maintain a focal point in radial balance, sinceall the elements lead your eye toward thecenter.


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• Rhythm and Movement Rhythm refers to the wayyour eye moves throughout a picture. Some picturesmove you throughout in a connected, flowing waymuch like a slow, stately rhythm in music. Otherpictures move you from one place to another in anabrupt, dynamic way much like a fast, staccato rhythmin music will give you the impression of movement.Rhythm in art is created by the repetition of elements.Similarity of elements, or flowing, circular elementswill give a more connected flowing rhythm to a picture,while jagged, or unrelated elements will create a moreunsettling, dynamic picture.

Look at the two images above. The painting by Matisse is full ofsweeping circular areas which move your eye around the picture (it


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is a good example of optical movement). The elements are flowingand circular and give you the impression of a calm quiet rhythm.

The line drawing on the right is more dynamic due to its incompletenature and the feeling of motion is much more evident

RHYTHM


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RHYTHM

RHYTHMRHYTHMRHYTHM

RHYTHMandMOVEMENTA regular repetition ofelements to produce thelook and feel of

movement.MarcelDuchamp

EMPHASIS


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EMPHASISThe focal point of an image, or when

one area or thing stand out the most.

Jim Dine Gustav Klimt

Emphasis by isolation


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Emphasis by isolation

• if most of the elements in a work of art aregrouped closely together, an object by itselfstands out as a focal point


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• Emphasis by placement:• An object placed in the center will often be

perceived as a focal point. If all eyes in the

painting look at one object, or if an object isplaced at the center of the lines ofperspective, that object will be perceived as

the focus of the work.

Focal point


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Focal point

• This painting by JohnTrumbull, entitled TheSurrender of LordCornwallis, shows howa focal point can beemphasized both byplacement and by eye

direction.

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