Formed Elements and Their Design--Literature Review

Reference:
Composition and Design: Elements, Principles and Visual Effects
This article compares the formal aspects of visual composition as an unspoken language which goes beyond the artwork itself. It states, "the use of design principles applied to the visual elements is like visual grammer".

Composition and the Elements of Visual Design
This article states that the effective images are those that command attention and communicate some feeling to an audience. Capturing a "feeling" and your viewers' attention is a demanding task that requires practice, experimentation and study. Studying the basic elements of visual design and understanding how they work will help new artist improve their composition.


Key Terms needed to understand this subject are as follows:

Elements of Art:

* Color is emphasized based on how it is absorbed and/or how it reflects light
-3 properties of color
hue: name of color
vaule: lightness/darkness
intensity: brightness or dullness

-color schemes
complementary: colors opposite of one another on color wheel
monochromatic: different values of a single color
analogous: colors that are side by side on a color wheel or share a hue
warm: red, yellow, orange
cool: blue, green, violet

*Value: lightness and darkness of a color

*Line: vary in width, direction and length
-horizontal
-vertical
-diagonal
-zigzag
-curved

*Shape: when lines meet, shapes are formed ie flat, 2-D

*Form: 3-D with height, width and depth

*Texture: how the piece of art feels when you touch it

*Space: surface in or around a work of art ie. 2-D, 3-D, negative and/or positive


Principle of Design

*Balance: used to desctive how artists create visual weight
-symmetrical(formal)balance: both sides of an imaginary line are the same

-asymmetrical(informal)balance: each side of imaginary line is different yet equal

-radial balance: lines or shapes grow from a center point


*Contrast: creates excitement/interest in artworks

*Pattern: created by repeating a line, shape or color over and over again

*Rhythm: visual rhythm created by repeating art elements and creating pattern

*Emphasis: used to make certain parts of artwork stand out and grab your attention ie center or focal point

*Unity: the feeling of how everything in the work of art fits together

*Variety: occurs when an artist creates something that looks different from the rest of the artwork

The definitions listed prove the structure of artwork with formed elements. These offer the viewer a type of schematic to understanding what the artist has created.

The first article indicates how visual effects expands an artist's creation instead of limiting it. The effects can bring focus to the artist's choice making and allow experimentation. The second article suggests how a new artist should follow the "structure" of the elements and principle when creating artwork in order to bring forth the specificities applicable for this design.

The following are images of artwork related to this topic. Each offer one or more principles to create a flow. As a viewer and after researching this subject, the definitions and references allow a better appreciation for each creative piece of art I have chosen.









I will attempt to analyze the artwork with the various colors in a swirl because its structure responds to many of the definitions offers in the formed elements.