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The 7 Formal
Elements of Art
Design

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{. Line

. is a recoid of vision and feeling.

- is a human invention wirieft ailcws the
abillty to communicate what we see.

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macie by a moving
point can be described as two
basic line types: straight and

refer to the external edges

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shape or form.

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thtl
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>lt encloses or liberates space!

expresses feeling, conveys

movement, suggests mass or

vnlume and creates an image.

Flt may be used

evenly or in a
modulated way to expreas a wide
range of qualities from fast to slow.
from serene to frenetic, or rigid to

actual
marks thai can be drawn, or it can

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curved.

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Pline may also consist of

of

)>ln paintings lines also occur by

contrasts of liqht and shaciow sr
through color or shape. t{hether

seen or

impiieei, iine is
of the artisfs

unquestionably one
most artieulate toois.

trLine in Graphic Design

Line art in computer
oranhins mav have increased in
popularity since line art uses
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significantly less computer
memory than raster graphics.

relaxed.

7|B/2AL6

trLine in Graphic Design

trLine in Graphic Design

Lines can be long or short,

straight or curved.
Lines can be horizontal.
vertical. or diagonal. They create
patterns.
Lines in graphic design
can be solid, dashed. thick. thin.
or of variable width. $ometimes
a designer u$es a line alone to
divide or unite elements on a

tines can denote di;'eetion of

movernent (as in diagonal lines
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to hold elements on a page (such

as iines at the top, boitom, or
sides of a page).

page.

flShape

is aii

area that

is
contained within an implied Iine,
seen and identified
because
color o!' value
changes.

2, Shape

or is

of

flShapes have two dimensionso

length and width, and can be
geOfnetric 0r 0rganic.

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DShapes are either

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The subject in a representational, or

realistic, work is usually the positive
shape, and the background is the
negative shape. ln abstract or
nonobjective art. positive shapes are
usually central or featured elements;
negative shapes surround them.

Abstraction often reduces thinqs

to their simplest shapes.

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trAll shapes can be described with

firo basic terms: geometric
shapes (such as squares,
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and
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organic shapes (free-form or
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utually organic: leaves, trees,
mountains, cioucis, animais, etc.

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71L312frL6

tllike

line, shape is an important

element in both the renderinq
and seeino of aJE. !t is used by
the artist for three fundamental
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PUr Pr.ro(iit.

1. To suggest or represent a

physicalform.

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non-symmetrisal. Flat shapes may create

the illusion of three dimensions on a two

2. To achieve order, variety,

and harmony in

e. To express different qualities of

moods anc feelings. The term shape reiers

to any afea gf a real gr imaoined obiect
Which is defined and .rendered bv cther
elqrnents such qs line. textqre. color. soace
or lioht. Shaoes mav be either oroanic.
qeometric. symmetrical. or non-$ymmetricql
or a gombination of loth svrnmetrical ang

the

composition.

dimensional surface arrd also appear on the

surface of a three dimensional form. Unlike
fomr, shape is actually two dimensicnal,
possessing mass but not volume.

This term has multiple meanings and

may be used in the following ways.
1. A verb me aning to shape or
order as in " The ceramist formedthe
clay into a pot."
2. Organization or composition, as
"The formof the work is elegant.'.

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3. Form

5. A tirree tJimerrsionai soliri or

contained space.
For purposes here, ti-re ter"rrr .
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be used to describe three dimensional
soiids ariri coniairreci spaees. in tiris
c ontext, fSflnnaq lglhfqrs$S_s !d
vr]luirre, whei"eas, shape has oiiiy
mass. To illustrate thls, considen a flat
pieee of paper" lt has iwo sitles, eac!.i
of which have equalmass" When the
same piece of papei- is;-olie,j inio a
cylinder, it possesses both mass and
vuIul ilt,

3. The illusionistic representation

of a three dimensional formon alwo
dimensional surface.
4. A mold in which plaster or
another material is poured.

4.Spaee

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Nothins exists without

can be
thought of as the
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arq!.!nd, _b,qtween.
ab_qLe-be.lSry ot

withjn plqc-ee. ln art,

space can be
described as either
two dirnensional or
three dimensional.

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The following represents soma of those technigues:

4. Space

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The epace in two dimen$ional arturorks

such a$ paintings, drawings, prints and
photognaphs {flat space} is essentially
limited to heig$tand width. While there is
no acfual depth or distance in such wor*s,
artists have created techniques to create
the iltusion of depth or distance on these

B^ Another of
mnra ncaminan*

. This

application renders
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spaces with less

detail and intensity
than closer objects.
For exarnple, the use
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distantshapes can
suggest space
between the viewer
and the shapes.

Through the rendering of

these techniques, the artist
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factors 9f this space

depends upon the
horizon line and
vanishing points.

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the

techniques is known

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proporiionateilr
smaller than closer

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flatness of the picture plane,

transporting the viewer into
whai appears to be a worlci oi
actual space.

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objects can give the

Distant shapes are
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shapes are lower in

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objects on the picture

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space.

Three dimensionai space is

recognized as having height,
width, depth, and is referred t0
as actualspace" This would
include sculpture, furn iture,
arahitaa}r
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jewelry. ln the setting of a three

dimensional work of art the
viewer can freely move around
and (in the case of architecture)
through it.

7/13.{2AL6

FThree dimensional art

may use both positive and
negative space as a
means of revealing
content and meaning.

> For example, in sculpture the spaces in and

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negative space. Whereas the form itself may

be described as occupying a positive space.
Another way to consider distinctions of
positive and negative space can be equated
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positive; or in the absence of it - negative.

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The consideration of how the artist uses

both positive and negative space in the

articuialion rif theit erpiess;uri is

important factor.

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F ln the oainting of Jan Van Eycks, The

Marriage, the picture plane is mirrorsmooth; nothing calls our attention to the
meihode oi paini appiicaiion or ijre painteci
surface. Yet, the artist illusively createe a

4" Texture
- csn be both real and
imaqined. ln twcdimensional
artworks, the artigt may
produce a smooth or a rough
surface in the application of the
medium.

whole varietlr of materials and texturee

through the application of delicate brush
strokes and thin layers of oil paint.
Converseiy, in the painting of VincentV?n
Gogh, WheatField With Ravens, the paint
application creates a consistently rough
surface which draws attention to the paint
and its method of application. The high

visoosiiy of iire paini is appareni in ihis

work and contributes significantly to the
aesthetic content of the oaintino,

scuipture is fundamentally
important. lt rnay vary from highly

F Texture in
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Constantino Brancusi's Bird in $pace; to

thatof Chinese hrunzes during the
$hang Dynasty. Although we san seldom
touch or hold a sculpture, texture often
becomes an important clue to the
material, its characteq weight, and
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sururly.
rnurs llfilrur Hrruy, ufi, tltalEr lats
chosen by the sculptor have a great deal
ts do with its aesthetie eontent and its
expressive quali\r

7lB/2aL6

emnUye-feeliags_qbsulliqht and

Ie sggpjnsicie our subconsci

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Artists often want to create a three iri:ii

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dimensional illusion on a two
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dimensionalsurface. One of the
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ways this can be done is by
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render'lns the effricts +f lishtanC
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shadow as they fall on solid forms. ii ii.!
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A fornr that is lit by a singie iighi
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source will be brightest when it is
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closestto the source. while other
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forms willdiminish in intensity as
they recede from the light source,
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in our culture expresses goodness.

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sia r &_en s*c:s mpie]eoess.

just tire lr5tposile_

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an$ empiiness. Tlie eorii.rast i;etweeii

dark and light not only describes space
arrci defirres fot rrrs in ari, 1i-a!S-q
Ssnveys feelings. drama and a
psyeiioiogicai as weii as an aesihetic
dyre.uuc.

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Aspects of the form$, blocked from

the light, willcast
Perhaps nowhere is this effect
more ciramaiic ihan in the work of
the ltalian artist Caravaggio.
This effect, called
,
makes the forms an{figures come
alive throuqh the drarnatic
eontrasting values of liqht and
dark.

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The effects of light are vitally

important to our understanding

and appr-eciailon of the tt:ree
dimensional art forms of sculpture
and archiiecture.
Light and shadow define the forFs
both sculpture and
architecture. ln Gaston Lachaise's
seulpture, Standlng Woman, light

of
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strihing the figure most direcfly

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As the contours of the forms

curve away the reflected light

becomes dimmer making the

surface change in contrast and
tonal value. These strong value
contrasts a!!ow the viewer to
witness the drama of the figure
sweliing and receding back into

Furihermore, in ihe work of Frank

Gherys, the University of

Minnesota Gatlery, light falling on
the strong angular, geometric
forms and shapes of the huilding
heightens our sense of its
structural composition and its
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space.

7lfila1ffi

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is the most emotional element of

ari. Oui. awaiefiess of eolor is

7. Golor

For the artist color is most usually the light

reflected from a surface; howeveq it may
be generated fiom an electric source,
white light (sunlight) or even fire.
Whatever the source, the color will have a

cei*tain hue, Sntensiiy'anci value. l-lue is ttre

named color such as red or btue. lntensity
refers to the pur-ity of tie eolor. Value
refers to the amount of black or white
mixed into the pure color. The intensity of
the color is proportionately reduced by the
amount of black or white mixed into the
coior. The quaiiiy or ciegree oi ihe
intensity can be referred to as tint or
chada

conditioned by our environment, our

culture ancl our retinal physiology. But
color also etfects us intuitiyely. arousing
our most primitive instincts. lt effeqts our
emotions directly. conditioning our
moods. thoughts. actions and even our
hegfth. in previous eenturies coior wae
termed the sensual part of art because it
ettacked ertrotlcns directly anC had l":o
boundaries or rules. Today terms like
"seeing red" and "feeling blue', are part of
contemporary language.

> Sir lsaae_Ne54sn, the British seientist who

discovered the color spectrum in the 1 7th
century, turned it into the color wheel. This
cii-cular coior spectrun-i iiesi dese ribes our
perception of and the continuous flow of
colors, while it establishes opposites across
the diameters. The colors direcily opposite
of each other providethe greatest color
contrast^ They are called the complimentary
colors. ln this way, the primary red is
directly opposite the secondary green,
ivhiclr con'.ains the prirfiaiies of red yellouv
and blue. lAlhen placed near one another
they accent each othr, making the other
appear more vivid. The color wheel enables
us to se colors that are similar; they lie next
to each other.