7 elements of art explained in 4 minutes
Every time you draw, you make more or less unconscious choices. You decide how light or dark an element of your drawing should be, where the viewers’ eye should look first, or if you should use some more contrast in that focal point. With so many decisions to make, it’s worth knowing what elements make up your artwork.
Let’s start with the 7 elements of art.
This is an introductory article. I want to give you a general overview of the theory of the 7 elements of art, so I won’t go into much detail about each element here.
However, I’ll be writing more elaborate articles about art theory with examples and my personal experience, so subscribe to my newsletter & I’ll send you blog updates every month.
What are the 7 elements of art?
Those are:
- line,
- shape,
- form,
- color,
- space,
- texture,
- value.
Why is it important to understand the 7 elements of art?
OK, going back to the topic: why is it important that you understand the elements of art there are and how they work?
I guess you also experienced the situation when you have a super cool image in your head, you want to convert it into a painting, and then, well… A typical “expectations vs. reality” case.
However, once you learn at least a little bit about the theory of art, it will be easier for you to create art consciously.
🧠 This guide is meant to introduce you to the most basic theory of art. Save it for later — it will come in handy!
〰️Line
Line is a path traced by a moving point.
Lines can be used to define shape, contour, and form in artworks, as well as to suggest mass, movement, and direction.
They can also be used to create texture, pattern, and other visual effects.
In drawing and painting, lines can be created using a variety of media, such as pencils, pens, markers, and brushes.
📐Shape
Shape is an enclosed, flat area of an artwork. It can be created through lines, textures, or colors.
There are different types of shapes. We can talk about:
- organic shapes or geometric shapes,
- simple shapes or organic shapes.
You know geometric shapes from your math lessons. These are circles, squares, triangles, etc. Organic shapes, on the other hand, are freeform and not based on a particular geometric structure.
In art, shapes are used to define, organize, and structure the elements of a composition.
📦Form
Form is the three-dimensional quality of an object or a work of art.
Form gives a sense of volume, mass, and depth to an object or a scene.
What’s the difference between shape and form in art?
Both shapes and forms are areas of an artwork. What differentiates them is that forms are flat, and shapes are three-dimensional, they have depth.
🎨Color
Color refers to the properties of the visual sensation of light.
Artists use color to add visual interest to their work, create contrast, or express emotion in a composition.
Color consists of hue, value, and saturation.
- Hue is what many people think about when they talk about colors. It refers to the pure, basic color (such as red, blue, or yellow).
- Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color.
- Saturation refers to the intensity of a color.
You’ve probably come across the terms “color wheel” and “color scheme” in school.
A color wheel is a visual representation of the relationships between colors. It helps artists and designers harmoniously combine colors.
A color wheel is typically divided into primary colors, secondary colors, and tertiary colors.
A color scheme is a combination of colors. The overall look and feel of your artwork depend heavily on the choice of colors.
Here are the 7 most common color schemes:
- monochromatic,
- analogous,
- complementary,
- split complementary,
- triadic,
- tetradic (rectangle),
- square.
🌌Space
Space refers to the distance or area around, between, or within objects.
There are two main types of space in art: positive space and negative space.
Positive space refers to the objects or forms in a composition, while negative space refers to the space around and between those objects.
Positive and negative spaces can interact and influence each other, creating a sense of balance and unity in your artwork.
😸Texture
Texture is the surface quality of an artwork, real or implied.
It can be visual, tactile, or both.
Visual texture is the illusion of a textured surface in a two-dimensional work, such as a painting or drawing. When you draw a cat, you might want it to feel furry and soft, so you will use texture to convey this.
Tactile texture is the actual three-dimensional texture that can be felt when a work is touched. Of course, you can only talk about tactile texture in regard to traditional. You can’t feel or touch a digital painting (as of now, at least 🤔).
⚫Value
Value refers to how light or how dark something is.
This art element is typically described on a scale from light to dark, with white being the lightest value and black being the darkest.
Value has a lot to do with shapes. According to Mitchell Albala:
Value is the single most important key to seeing and interpreting shapes. (1)
7 elements of art. Summary
That’s it. I hope you’ll find this short guide helpful, no matter what kind of visual art you’re more into.
Resources
(1) Mitchell Albala, The Landscape Painter’s Workbook, s. 19.