ELEMENTS OF DESIGN

The elements and principles of design are the building blocks used to create a work of art. The elements of design can be thought of as the things that make up a painting, drawing, design etc.

LINE - is an element of art that is used to define shape, contours, and outlines, also to suggest mass and volume. It may be a continuous mark made on a surface with a pointed tool or implied by the edges of shapes and forms.

SHAPE - is a self-contained defined area of geometric or organic form. Shapes are flat. Some shapes are geometric, such as squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, and ovals. Other shapes are organic or irregular, often found in nature, like leaves or seashells.

TEXTURE - is the surface quality of a surface or substance - rough, smooth, soft hard glossy etc. Texture can be physical (tactile) or visual.

VALUE - is the lightness or darkness of a color. Value is also called Tone.

COLOUR - is the quality of an object or substance with respect to light reflected by the object, usually determined visually by measurement of hue, saturation, and brightness of the reflected light; saturation or chroma; hue.

SPACE - refers to the area that a shape or form occupies. It also refers to the background against which we see the shape or form. Space can be defined as positive and negative. The positive space of a design is the filled space in the design. Negative space is the back­ground.