Elements & Principles of Design Balance
Design in painting is an arrangement of figures and objects in the picture. The way that objects are organized in a painting is known as its principle. There are six elements of design and an array of principles that artists follow when painting. Although principles vary by artist, balance, proportion, harmony, opposition and emphasis are the most common methods of organization. The six elements of design are line, shape, form, space, color and texture.
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Form, Shape and Balance
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Form and shape are elements of design that give art dimension. While forms are three-dimensional shapes that exhibit length, width and depth, shape includes any closed line that forms an image. Shapes encompass everything from circles to trees in paintings. When painting with balance in mind, artists use forms and shapes to create visual stability for the viewer. An individual should have the ability to view a painting and appreciate the entire image -- not just one area of the image. A depiction of house along a river should strike an equal balance between the house and water in the picture.
Proportion and Space
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Proportion and space work together in effective paintings. While the principle of proportion relates to the relationship that objects share in reference to their size, space is the area between and around objects. In a painting of a fruit bowl, for example, proportion would be the size of the fruit in the bowl and the bowl itself.
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Line, Color and Harmony
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Line in art is defined as a mark that has greater length than width. Some lines are horizontal, while others are vertical. Types of lines include curved, straight, thin and thick lines. Color in painting is what adds energy or light to an object. This design element has three characteristics: the color type itself, its intensity and its value. Whereas value concerns how light or dark the color is, intensity refers to the brightness or dullness of a color. When properly combined, color and line create harmony among central images and backgrounds.
Contrast
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In addition to having harmony, a good painting should also provide contrast, or opposition. Contrast can help emphasize the center of interest in a painting. A brightly lit, golden trumpet, for instance, could be contrasted with the dark cloth on which it lies. While contrast is good in a painting, too much can confuse the viewer. Catching the attention of the viewer without distracting him too much should be the goal of a painter looking to create contrast.
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References
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