Elements of Art & Design
The elements of art are the building blocks of any piece. They work together to make our art meaningful. Teaching the elements of art (even just one of them!) will help students to think about their illustrations, and to make purposeful decisions about how they want to convey their messages with art.
The elements of design are how we put it all together. Students can use them to help organize the text and illustration in their books to ensure a product that is engaging, and understandable.
Elements of Art
| Line | They can be used to create shape and form, as well as give a sense of depth and structure. |
| Color | Color can be used symbolically or to create a pattern. It can be selected for contrast or to set a specific mood. |
| Shape | The result of closed lines, shapes are two-dimensional, flat, and only have height and width. Shapes can be used to control how we perceive a composition. |
| Form | When a shape acquires depth and becomes three-dimensional, then it takes on form. Cylinders, pyramids, and spheres are some of the more common forms. |
| Value | The lightness and darkness of a color. Playing with value can not only change certain forms, but also influence the mood of the artwork. |
| Space | Positive space is an area occupied by an object or form, while negative space is an area that runs between, through, around, or within objects. |
| Texture | Texture is an element of art that also plays to our sense of touch. Smooth, rough, hard, soft, furry, fluffy, and bumpy are just some different textures that evoke different responses. |
Elements of Design
| Balance | The distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space. |
| Emphasis | The part of the design that catches the viewer’s attention. |
| Movement | The path the viewer’s eye takes through the work of art, often to focal areas. |
| Pattern | The repeating of an object or symbol all over the work of art. |
| Repetition | This works with pattern to make the work of art seem active. |
| Proportion | The feeling of unity created when all parts (sizes, amounts, or number) relate well with each other. |
| Rhythm | When one or more elements of design are used repeatedly to create a feeling of organized movement. |
| Variety | The use of several elements of design to hold the viewer’s attention. |
| Unity | The feeling of harmony between all parts of the work of art. |
Color
Students can watch this video to understand how colors interact with each other. As they make their books, they can choose a color palette that reflects the mood of the story and ask themselves questions like these:
Layout & Composition
The video introduces students to the vocabulary of layout and composition, how things fit together. They also learn different ways to arrange things on a page to create the best visual effect.
This book explores connections between storytelling and design. It examines the psychology of visual communication from a narrative point of view.
An introduction to graphic design that provides an overview of the field, covering design, creativity, portfolios, developments in graphic design, the design process, and other related topics.
Highlights step-by-step methods for achieving clarity, visual impact and techniques for developing original visual solutions
Explores a variety of informal graphic design techniques, ranging from quick, seat-of-the-pants approaches to more formal research methods, for stimulating fresh thinking.
Graphic designer Chip Kidd describes the elements of graphic design, including form, function, color, and typography.
A handbook for learning the art of lettering.
Typography
Students can watch this video to see what type can do for a product. They will learn to see typography all around them, and think about they way it impacts everyday messages that we see all the time. It will also set up some dos and don'ts for using typography. Afterwards, students can ask themselves:
ProTip! Have students design their own font to convey a particular message!
This first-person narrative ... presents Vic Muniz's personal story and his art, focusing on some of his many processes and mediums. The book emphasizes the importance of play in the creation of art while challenging children to think about how images are made and what they mean.
Text and illustrations look at the world of art, from cave paintings, Cubism, Renaissance to contemporary art.
Provides tips for creating comics and graphic novels, covering characters, plot, supplies, and more.
Analyzes wordless books, told in black-and-white woodcuts, that were popular in the early twentieth century, exploring their impact on literature and society as well as their influence on modern comics.
Artist Chuck Close introduces children to his art, shows the processes he uses in his studios, and answers questions about his life and the challenges--physical and mental--he has faced.
