Elements & Principles

6th Grade Knowledge Targets Unit 1

Art Elements

• Elements are the visual building blocks that an artist puts together to create a work of art– Line, shape, form, space, value, texture, color

• No matter how a work is made it will contain some or all of the elements

• Elements blend together to create a whole • We “read” elements as a visual image made up of

separate parts

Line

• The path of a moving point through space• Artists use line to lead your eye through a work of art• Line is also used in art to define edges of objects• Implied line is suggested and the viewer’s eye

connects the points within the art, making an imagined line

Examples of Line

• What we can do with only lines

Shape

• A two-dimensional, defined area– Can be outlined or simply a recognizable area

• All shapes can be defined as either geometric or organic (free-form)

• Geometric shapes are precise and can be described using mathematical formulas

• Organic or free-form shapes are irregular and uneven shapes

Principles of Art

• Principles are the ways we combine the elements to create art work. – Movement, Emphasis, Unity, Variety, Balance,

Proportion, and Pattern • No matter how a work is made it will contain

some or all of the principles• We “read” principles as the way a visual image

works together as a whole

Pattern

• An underlying structure that organizes surfaces or structures in a consistent, regular manner. Pattern can be described as a repeating unit of shape or form

• Can be invented or found in nature

Movement

• Adds excitement to your work by showing action and directing the viewer’s eye throughout the picture plane.

Radial BalanceWhen shapes are repeated around a central point or axis

Can be complex or simple