Element of Design/Art – JSS2 Cultural & Creative Arts Lesson Note (First Term)

The elements of art are the basic parts that make up an artwork, such as line, form, colour, space and texture.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. explain what the elements of art are;
2. name the main elements of art: line, form, colour, space and texture;
3. state the three properties of colour;
4. distinguish between shade and tint;
5. distinguish between positive space and negative space.

What are the elements of art and design?

The elements of art and design are the building blocks used to create a painting, drawing or design.

• Use: they are the ingredients an artist combines to make a work.
• Analysis: each element can be studied on its own when we look closely at an artwork.
• Presence: good or bad, most paintings contain most, if not all, of the elements.
• Lists differ: some books use seven elements: line, shape, form, colour, value, space and texture.
• This lesson: we study line, form, colour, space and texture. Value is taught under colour.

What is line?

A line is a mark that spans a distance between two points, or the path of a moving point.

• Use in art: artists use marks, outlines and implied lines in artwork and design.
• Width: how thick or thin the line is. It is sometimes called “thickness”.
• Direction: the way the line travels.
• Length: the distance the line covers.
• Strokes: lines are sometimes called strokes, especially in digital artwork.

What are the kinds of line?

There are five common kinds of line: horizontal, vertical, diagonal, curved and zigzag.

• Horizontal line: runs flat from left to right, like the horizon. It suggests calm.
• Vertical line: runs straight up and down, like a pole. It suggests height and strength.
• Diagonal line: slants across the page. It suggests movement.
• Curved line: bends smoothly, like the edge of a calabash.
• Zigzag line: changes direction sharply and often. It suggests excitement.

What is form?

Form is the shape of a work together with its volume, or its perceived volume.

• Three-dimensional form: has height, width and depth. It is the basis of sculpture, such as a carved stool or clay pot.
• Illusion of form: a flat artwork can look solid when the artist uses perspective, shading or modelling.
• Formalism: the study of works by their form or shapes in art history or archaeology.

How do two-dimensional and three-dimensional artworks differ?

A two-dimensional (2D) artwork is flat, while a three-dimensional (3D) artwork has depth and can be viewed from all sides.

What is colour?

Colour is the element of art produced when light strikes an object and is reflected to the eye.

What are the properties of colour?

There are three properties of colour: hue, intensity and value.

• Hue: the name we give a colour, such as red, yellow, blue or green.
• Intensity: how vivid the colour is. It is also called colourfulness, saturation, purity or strength.
• Value: how light or dark a colour is.

What are shade and tint?

Shade and tint are changes in the value of a colour.

• Shade: a colour made darker by adding black.
• Tint: a colour made lighter by adding white.

What is space?

Space is the area an artist provides for a particular purpose, including the distances around, between and within things.

• Background: the part of the scene that seems farthest away.
• Middle ground: the part between the foreground and the background.
• Foreground: the part that seems nearest to the viewer.

What are the kinds of space?

There are two kinds of space: positive space and negative space.

• Positive space: the area occupied by an object or form.
• Negative space: the area in between, around, through or within an object.

What is texture?

Texture is the way a work feels when touched, or the way that feel is shown in a work.

• Actual texture: the real surface you can feel, such as rough cloth, smooth wood or bumpy clay.
• Depicted texture: texture shown in a flat work, as in a painter’s rendering of colour to look rough or smooth.

Evaluation

1. What do we mean by the elements of art?
2. List the five main elements of art named in this lesson.
3. State the three properties of colour.
4. How is a shade made, and how is a tint made?
5. What is the difference between positive space and negative space?

Assignment

Answer both parts in your notebook.

1. Explain the difference between a two-dimensional and a three-dimensional artwork, and say how a two-dimensional artwork can show the illusion of form.
2. Describe the two ways in which texture can be shown in a work of art.