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Elements of Art

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Texture

  • The texture is the quality of a surface or the way any work of art is represented.
  • Lines and shading can be used to create different textures as well.
    • For example….if one is portraying certain fabrics, one needs to give the feeling of the right texture so that it closely resembles what the artist is trying to convey.

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Form�

  • Form may be created by the forming of two or more shapes or as three-dimensional shape (cube, pyramid, sphere, cylinder, etc.).
  • It may be enhanced by tone, texture and color.
  • Form is considered three-dimensional showing height, width and depth.
    • Examples of these are sculpture, theatre play and figurines.

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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 or within components of a piece.
    • There are two types of space: positive and negative space.
      • Positive space refers to the space of a shape representing the subject matter.
      • Negative space refers to the space around and between the subject matter.
  • Space is also defined as the distance between identifiable points or planes in a work of art.

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Shape

  • Shape pertains to the use of areas in two dimensional space that can be defined by edges, setting one flat specific space apart from another.
  • Shapes can be geometric (e.g.: square, circle, triangle, hexagon, etc.) or organic (such as the shape of a puddle, blob, leaf, boomerang, etc.) in nature.
  • Shapes are defined by other elements of art: Space, Line, Texture, Value, Color, Form.

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Color

  • Color pertains to the use of hue in artwork and design.
  • Defined as primary colors (red, yellow, blue) which cannot be mixed in pigment from other hues, secondary colors (green, orange, purple) which are directly mixed from combinations of primary colors.
  • Further combinations of primary and secondary colors create tertiary (and more) hues. 
  • Tint and Shade are references to adding variations in Value; other tertiary colors are derived by mixing either a primary or secondary color with a neutral color. e.g. Red + White = Pink.

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Tone (Value)�

  • Value, or tone, refers to the use of light and dark, shade and highlight, in an artwork.
  • Black-and-white photography depends entirely on value to define its subjects. Value is directly related to contrast.

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Line

  • Line is most easily defined as a mark that spans a distance between two points (or the path of a moving point), taking any form along the way.

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  • As an art element, line pertains to the use of various marks, outlines and implied lines in artwork and design, most often used to define shape in two-dimensional work.
  • Implied line is the path that the viewer's eye takes as it follows shapes, colors, and form along a path, but may not be continuous or physically connected, such as the line created by a dancer's arms, torso, and legs when performing an arabesque.

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  • Shape pertains to the use of areas in two dimensional space that can be defined by edges, setting one flat specific space apart from another.
  • Shapes can be geometric (e.g.: square, circle, triangle, hexagon, etc.) or organic (such as the shape of a puddle, blob, leaf, boomerang, etc.) in nature. Shapes are defined by other elements of art:

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