Elements of Design Colour Colour is the part

Elements of Design

Colour • Colour is the part of light that is reflected by the object we see. It is a visual sensation produced by light. • Primary colours: red, yellow, blue • Colours can be warm or cold we can think about cool colours as colours we see in winter – icy colours such as blue, purple and green. Whilst the warm colours are those we see in a fire such as red, yellow, orange.

Rosina Wachtmeister (born 1939 Vienna, Austrian Artist) The Flute player

Shape / Form • A shape is a flat, clearly defined area. Shapes can be areas of colour, tone, and/or texture defined by lines or edges, the illusion of threedimensional form created through using other elements such as tone, line or colour. • A form is a three dimensional shape, it is solid and can be viewed from more than one angle, it has volume.

Giorgio Morandi (Italian Artist, 18901964) ‘Natura Morta 1955’ Claes Oldenberg (born 1929, Swedish American Artist) ‘Giant Hamburger 1962’

Point • The point serves as the focus of a visual, highlighting or drawing attention to important information.

Anselm Kiefer (German Artist, born 1945) ‘To the supreme being 1983’

Letterform / Type • The use of text / written communication.

John Baldessari (American Artist, born 1931) 1971

Texture • Is a surface that can be felt or seen: Example: Texture can be rough, smooth, soft , prickly etc…

Kurt Schwitter (German Artist 1887 -1948) Merz 1920 (the star picture) Montage, collage, oil and cardboard

Line • A line is a continues mark /stroke on a surface it can create the illusion of movement, flow or direction. A line can be thin, thick, jagged, horizontal etc…

Roy Lichtenstein (American Artist, 1923 -1997) ‘In the Car’ Vincent Van Gogh (Dutch Artist, 18531890) ‘Starry night’