VISUAL LITERACY WORKBOOK_ELEMENTS_ 2024.docx

VISUAL LITERACY: ELEMENTS **WHY do we need to know this?** The art, craft and design world are using the art elements and principles to create a composition, design or product. So, in order for us to understand the ARTS, we need to learn the language of it. **CONTENT OF THIS BOOKLET** **LINE, SH...

VISUAL LITERACY: ELEMENTS **WHY do we need to know this?** The art, craft and design world are using the art elements and principles to create a composition, design or product. So, in order for us to understand the ARTS, we need to learn the language of it. **CONTENT OF THIS BOOKLET** **LINE, SHAPE, FORM, TONE**, **TEXTURE, COLOUR, SPACE** The Elements of art *The 7 Elements of Art (mark making)* Line, Shape, Form, Texture, Tone(value), Colour, Space  Artists manipulate these seven elements, mix them in with principles of design, and compose a piece of art. Not every work of art contains every one of these elements, but at least two are always present. For example, a sculptor, by default, has to have both **form** and **space** in a sculpture, because these elements are three-dimensional. They can also be made to appear in *two-dimensional* works through the use of *perspective* and *shading*. Artist: **Michelangelo** Title: **Pietà** in St. Peter\'s Basilica in the Vatican A line is a mark with greater length than width. Lines can be horizontal, vertical, diagonal, straight, curved, thick, or thin. They are the most basic element of art and can convey movement, direction, and emotion. The way we draw a line can convey different expressive qualities: - **Freehand lines** can express the personal energy and mood of the artist - **Mechanical lines** can express a rigid control - **Continuous lines** can lead the eye in certain directions - **Broken lines** can express the ephemeral or the insubstantial - **Thick lines** can express strength - **Thin lines** can express delicacy We have a psychological response to different types of lines: - **Curved lines** suggest comfort and ease - **Horizontal lines** suggest distance and calm - **Vertical lines** suggest height and strength - **Jagged lines** suggest turmoil and anxiety   Man-made lines Lines in nature An **OUTLINE is a line that joins itself to create shapes**. The lines are the same thickness throughout.  **CONTOUR** define edges, but they also define the edges of shapes within a form. Like contour lines in geography, it shows where valleys and hills are on a map.   **CONTINIUOS LINE** can show energy in a drawing **TYPES OF LINES** **Curved lines** - Lines that change direction gradually **Texture** - lines can be rough or smooth **FUNCTION OF LINE** **ORDERED MOVEMENT**  **GESTURE PATTERN** SHAPE A shape is a two-dimensional area that is defined by a boundary. Shapes can be geometric (e.g., squares, circles) or organic (free-form, natural shapes).  **SHAPE FORM**  Shape can be described as **positive** and **negative.** The object is the positive shape The space around it the negative shape. **Shape** & **Space** also works together in art. And then positive & negative shape / space can become tricky! FORM **Form** as an **element** of **art** is three-dimensional and encloses space. Like a shape, a **form** has length and width, but it also has depth. **Forms** are either geometric or free form.  Sculptures are all 3D Form Artists create the ILLUSION of 3D form with shading  TONE Tone is defined as the change from light to dark. Tone varies from white through the middle/medium greys to black. Tone is used to create form, in other words, to make objects look 3D (3 Dimensional). Colour can also have tonal variation.  **TONE & CONTRAST:** Tone is also used to create contrast. To observe the tone or value of objects we need to have a light source, otherwise everything would be dark, and we would not be able to distinguish objects from each other. When the light falls on an object the area closest to the light source will be lightest, and the area furthest away from the light source will be the darkest. The light falling on the object also reveals the structure of the object, maybe causing deep shadows. By showing contrast, the artist can create an illusion that the drawn object is 3-Dimensional. Without tonal contrast your objects look flat. **Contrast also grabs the viewers' attention.**   -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- TEXTURE **Definition**: Texture is the surface quality of an object, which can be either tactile (actual texture) or visual (implied texture). It describes how something feels or appears to feel. REAL BRICK TEXTURE DRAWING OF BRICK TEXTURE (man-made texture)  RUBBING OF A LEAF REAL LEAF TEXTURE DRAWING OF LEAF There are **TWO TYPES** of texture in **Visual Art:** **Real Texture**: How does the object really feel?  **Meret Oppenheim. *Breakfast in Fur. 1936*. Fur-lined teacup, saucer and spoon.** ***Literal / tactile texture*** -- is the texture that you can actually feel with your fingers. It maybe bumpy, smooth, or rough. Artists can create texture in their artworks using various techniques such as impasto (using thick layers of paint) or glazing (using thin layers of paint or varnish). Vincent Van Gogh and Penny Siopis used impasto in their paintings. Other materials and substances can be added into the paint to give the surface texture. **Implied Texture:** How do you imagine the object feels like?  **Illusionary / visual texture** -- is when the artist creates an illusion of texture that is not actually there by the way they paint or draw. The painted or drawn textures appear to be real. Chuck Close painted photo-realistic portraits.  COLOUR Colour helps us to distinguish between different objects, symbols etc. Colour can sway thinking, change actions, and cause reactions. It can irritate or soothe your eyes, raise your blood pressure or suppress your appetite. There have been many studies into the psychological effects of Colour. Artists have used Colour in such ways as to create a mood or feeling of a piece of work. In art we talk about **TYPES OF COLOURS:** ***PRIMARY COLOURS*** -- are the basic colours from which all other colours are obtained or made from. The primary colours are red, blue and yellow. Mixing other colours together CANNOT make these colours. ***SECONDARY COLOURS*** -- are obtained or created by mixing combinations of primary colours. They are as follows: Red + Blue = Purple or Violet Red + Yellow = Orange Blue + Yellow = Green ***INTERMEDIATE/ TERTIARY COLOURS*** - are made by mixing equal amounts of a primary and a secondary colour. The intermediate colors are: Red-Orange, Yellow-Orange, Yellow- Green, Blue-Green, Blue-Violet or purple, and Red-Violet or purple.  ***COMPLEMENTARY COLOURS***- are colours that are opposite on the colour wheel. They are a pair of colours consisting of one primary and one secondary colour. They enhance each other by appearing vibrant when put next to each other. Children's cereals commonly use complementary colours because the contrasting colours are attention getting.  ***MONOCHROMATIC*** -- is when only one colour is used with various different tints and shades.  ***achromatic colour*** - is a colour that lacks hues. The colours are white, black and grey. However, there are many shades of grey, which means achromatic colours can still be visually stunning.  ***ANALOGOUS*** -- is made by using a hue or primary colour and its neighbour/s on the colour wheel. Therefore, the colours used are similar. Eg: Yellow and different grades of orange.  ***WARM COLOURS*** ***COOL COLOURS***   \*Adding white to any colour results in making a "tint" (some people call them "pastels". \*Adding black or complementary colour to any colour creates a "shade" (just like shadows...the colour gets darker) \*Adding gray to a colour makes a "tone". This weakens the original colour or "tones it down" SPACE  1. **Real space** -- the actual space occupied by a sculpture or three-dimensional components in a two-dimensional work (as in assemblage). In sculpture, space is also referred to as void  Perspective is understood either as linear perspective or atmospheric (or aerial) perspective: **Linear Perspective** is a mathematical system whereby objects seem to get smaller as they recede in space. Linear Perspective may be constructed using a series of lines (horizontal lines called transversals and diagonal lines called orthogonal) and vanishing points placed on the horizon line and/or on center of vision line.  **Atmospheric perspective** denotes the way the colours of objects seem to become less saturated (more greyish) as they recede in space, contrasts become less pronounced, edges become blurred, and details are not seen.