Elements of Art

Art I Vocabulary

Color: Element of art derived

from reflected light

Without light there is no color!

3 Main Properties of Color: 1) Hue

2) Value 3) Intensity

Hue: The name of the

color in the color spectrum

Value: Describes the

lightness or darkness of an object

Tint: A light value of a hue

made by mixing it with WHITE

Shade: A dark value of a hue

made by mixing it with BLACK

Tone: A medium value of a hue made by

mixing it with GRAY (black + white)

Intensity: The brightness or dullness of a hue

Color Wheel: The visible spectrum

of color bent into a circle.

Primary: The 3 basic colors

from which all other colors are made

Yellow, Blue, Red

Secondary: Colors made by mixing

two Primary colors

Green, Violet, Orange

Tertiary:

Hues made by mixing a primary color with its

secondary color

These are also known as Intermediate colors.

*Note* The PRIMARY color name is always put first when naming tertiary colors.

(Ex. Red-Orange,

Blue-Violet, Yellow-Green)

The tertiary colors are: Red-Orange, Red-Violet,

Blue-Green, Blue-Violet,

Yellow-Orange, and Yellow-Green.

Neutrals: Black, White, Gray, Brown,

and Metallics

Neutrals can be used in any color harmony

without changing the color harmony.

Color Harmonies: Plans for organizing

colors

Monochromatic: ONE color plus its tints and shades

(Has a unifying effect)

Analogous:

Colors that are side-by-side

on the color wheel.

They have a shared hue.

Complementary: Colors that are

opposite each other on the color wheel

Shape: Objects having two

dimensions (height and width)

Geometric: Precise shapes that can

be described using mathematical formulas

(circle, square,

triangle, rectangle)

Freeform: Irregular and uneven

shapes whose outlines are curved,

angular, or both

Organic: A shape which looks

like something from nature

Template: a stencil, pattern, or overlay used to reproduce letters, shapes or designs

Form: Objects having

three dimensions

(height, width, and depth)

Relief: A type of sculpture

in which forms project from a flat

background.

Bas relief projects only slightly from the background.

High relief projects at least halfway out

from the background.

In the round: A type of sculpture in which the forms stand completely

free of a background

Like shapes, forms can also be

geometric, freeform, or organic.

Line: The path of a moving point through space

(Lines are typically long, narrow marks or strokes made on or in a surface.)

Lines can be described by their:

Length, Width, Texture, Degree of Curve,

Direction (Vertical, Horizontal, Diagonal,

Curved, Zigzag)

Texture:

The element that refers to how things feel or how they appear to feel, if touched.

(Texture is perceived by touch and sight.)

Real: How things feel

(also known as Tactile Texture)

Implied: How things appear

to feel if they were touched

Space: The emptiness or area

between, around, above, below, or

within objects

Positive space: Shapes or forms in

two- and three- dimensional art

Also known as FIGURE.

Negative space: Empty spaces surrounding

shapes and forms.

Also known as GROUND.

What is Figure and what is Ground?

Foreground: Part of the picture plane that appears closest to

the viewer.

(Usually at the bottom of the picture plane)

Background: Part of the picture plane

that seems to be the farthest from the viewer.

It is usually located in the upper part of the picture

plane.

Middle ground:

Area in a picture plane between the foreground

and the background.

Linear perspective:

A graphic system that creates the illusion of depth and volume on

a flat surface.

Vanishing point:

Point on the horizon where receding parallel lines (orthogonal lines)

seem to meet.

Horizon:

The point at which the earth and sky

seem to meet.

Point of View:

The angle from which the viewer sees an

object.

Media: Materials used to

make art

(medium is singular, media is plural).

Pen & Ink techniques that can be used for shading:

Stippling, Hatching, Cross-Hatching,

Scumbling, Contour, Cross-contour, Weaving,

etc.