Elements and Principles of Art

Introduction

Art uses a visual language made of elements arranged according to principles. Under the Kenyan Senior School CBC (KICD) Fine Arts curriculum, you learn to see, draw and compose using these basics before creating drawings, paintings and crafts.

Elements of art

1. Line - a mark made by a moving point. Lines can be straight, curved, thick, thin, zigzag, or broken. They show direction, movement and outline.
2. Shape - a flat, enclosed 2D area such as a circle or square. Shapes can be geometric or organic.
3. Form - a 3D object with height, width and depth, like a sculpture or pot.
4. Colour - hue, value and intensity.
5. Tone or value - lightness or darkness, used for shading.
6. Texture - the surface quality: rough, smooth, soft.
7. Space - the area around or within objects; positive and negative space.

Colour theory

• Primary: red, yellow, blue.
• Secondary: orange (red + yellow), green (blue + yellow), purple (red + blue).
• Tertiary: a primary mixed with a neighbouring secondary, e.g. red-orange.
• Complementary colours sit opposite each other, giving strong contrast.
• Warm colours (red, orange, yellow) feel close and energetic; cool colours (blue, green) feel calm and distant.
• Tint is colour plus white; shade is colour plus black.

Principles of design

• Balance - even distribution of visual weight (symmetrical or asymmetrical).
• Rhythm - repetition creating movement.
• Emphasis - a focal point that draws attention.
• Proportion - size relationships between parts.
• Contrast - differences such as light and dark.
• Unity and harmony - parts working together.

Drawing tools and materials

Pencils (HB, 2B, 4B), charcoal, pastels, poster paints, brushes, drawing paper and erasers. Local materials such as clay, sisal, sand and natural dyes are also used.

Texture and shading techniques

• Hatching - parallel lines.
• Cross-hatching - crossing lines for darker tone.
• Stippling - dots.
• Blending - smooth transitions with a finger or paper stump.

Worked example 1

Create a dark green. Answer: Mix blue and yellow to get green, then add a small amount of black or blue to deepen it.

Worked example 2

Shade a sphere. Answer: Pick a light source, leave the nearest area light, build darker tones on the opposite side, and add a cast shadow on the ground.

Try it

• Draw a colour wheel using poster paints.
• Create a page showing five different types of lines.
• Draw a banana and a calabash and shade them using hatching.
• Identify the principles of design in a Kenyan kiondo or kikoi pattern.