Discovering the Principles of Design: Rhythm, 3.

the pattern in this

Proportion, Emphasis, Balance, Pattern, afghan and the
Repetition, Variety, Unity progression of
monochromatic
colors;
4-H Line and Design Project
Part of the Family and Consumer Sciences 4-H
Project Series
-The elements & principles of design open our eyes
to the beauty that is all around us. The elements & 4. the change in the
principles of art are the building blocks of shapes and gradation of
understanding & creating art, crafts and designs. color.
Just as the letters of any alphabet are fundamental to
understanding that language, the elements &
principles of design are fundamental to
understanding the language of art.
Proportion
This activity will focus on the Principles of Design:
Rhythm, Proportion, Emphasis, Balance, Pattern, -Proportion refers to the relationship between one
Repetition, Variety, and Unity. part of a design and another part or to the whole
design. It is a comparison of sizes, shapes, and
Rhythm quantities. For example, the relationship between
the vertical and horizontal measurements of a wall
-You have felt rhythm in music. Rhythm is also a
hanging may be pleasing because the unequal
part of things you see. It allows the eye to move
lengths produce an interesting contrast.
from one part of a design to another part.
Rhythm can be created by:
• Repeating a color, shape, texture, line, or space
when designing.
• Varying the size of objects, shapes, or lines in
sequence (small to large).
• Using a progression of colors from tints to shades
(light blue to dark blue).
• Shifting from one hue to a neighboring hue
(yellow to yellow-orange to orange to red-orange to
red).

1. The slant in the trees that are repeated;

Emphasis
-Every design needs an accent—a point of interest.
Emphasis is the quality that draws your attention to
a certain part of a design first.
There are several ways to create emphasis:
2. the angle of the lines and change in color in • Use a contrasting color.
the graphic design;
• Use a different or unusual line.
• Make a shape very large or very small.
• Use a different shape.
• Use plain background space
‘ Pattern
-Patterns are everywhere. Many of our habits are
patterns. Pattern is the repetition of the elements of
design or anything else.
Can you identify the pattern below?

Repetition
-Repetition works with pattern to make a work of
art seem active. The repetition of elements of design
creates unity within the work.
Balance
-Balance gives a feeling of stability. There are three
types of balance.
-Symmetrical, or formal balance, is the simplest
kind. An item that is symmetrically balanced is the
same on both sides. Our bodies are an example of
formal balance. If you draw an imaginary line from Variety
your head to your toes dividing your body in half,
-Variety is the use of several elements of design to
you will be pretty much the same on both sides.
hold the viewer’s attention and to guide the
viewer’s eye through and around a work of art.
Variety can show contrast. Variety can be found in
nature or made.

-Designs that have a radial balance have a center

point. A tire, pizza, and a daisy flower are all
examples of design with radial balance. When you
look through a kaleidoscope, everything you see has
a radial balance. Unity
-Unity is the feeling of harmony between all parts
of a work of art, which creates a sense of
completeness. The thing that joins the parts
together. It shows what things have in common.
When things look right together, you have created
unity or harmony. Lines and shapes that repeat each
other show unity (curved lines with curved shapes).
-Asymmetrical balance creates a feeling of equal
Colors that have a common hue are harmonious.
weight on both sides, even though the sides do not
Textures that have a similar feel add to unity. But
look the same. Asymmetrical designs also are called
too much uniformity sometimes can be boring. At
informal designs because they suggest movement
the same time, too much variety destroys unity.
and spontaneity. Asymmetrical balance is the
hardest type of balance to achieve and often takes
experimenting or moving elements around until
balance is achieved.
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Elements & Principles of Visual Arts 3. Diagonal Line
Elements Principles -suggest action and movement;
Lines Patterns
-gives animation to any composition in which they
Perspective Contrast
Form Balance appear.
Color Emphasis
Volume Unity
Texture Proportion/Scale
Space Rhythm/Movement

About Elements and Principles

-The elements and principles of arts are the
building blocks or foundations upon which a work
of art is created.
Lines
-are the path of a moving point. They define the
edges of shapes and forms;
-may either be straight or curved.
Types of Lines
1. Horizontal Line
-are lines o repose and serenity;
Color
-express ideas of calmness and relaxation
-is a property of light, when light goes out, color
goes with it.
-the white light of sun contains all the color of the
spectrum – ROYGBIV
-in 1905, artist and teacher Albert H. Munsell
experienced confusion from using common color
names to describe a color.
2. Vertical Lines
Munsell Chart- is to visually identify a match color
-are lines poised for action; with the use of scientific approach.

-tend to express as well as to arouse emotions of -this are actually series of numbers and letters when
exaltation and inquietude. put together actually pin point the exact color.
-this system is used in many ways for people to
accurately name which color is which.
Dimension of Colors
1. HUE
-is the dimension of color that gives color its name.
Color Wheel
-a visual representation of the primary colors and
how they combine to create all other visible colors.
 it shows the Texture
relationships
-the element that deals more directly with the sense
between the
of touch
primary,
secondary, and -best appreciated when an object is felt with the
tertiary colors and hands.
helps demonstrate
color temperature. Form
-describe the structure or shape of an object or an
art piece.
Perspective
-deals with the effect of distance upon the
appearance of objects, by means of which the eye
judges spatial relationship.
1. Linear Perspective - representation of
an appearance of distance by means of converging
 Warm colors include red, orange and yellow
lines.
and variations of those three colors.

 Cool colors include green, blue, purple and

variations of those three colors.
 Blue is the primary color within the cool
spectrum
 Green share the quality for yellow
 Purple share a quality with red.

2. Value
Foreshortening- representation of
-refers to the lightness and darkness of a color objects or parts of the body as smaller from the
point of view of the observer.
* Tint (always add white)
* Shade (ad black)
* Tone (add gray)
2.Aerial Perspective
-also called as atmospheric perspective, method of
creating the illusion of depth, or recession, in a
painting or drawing by modulating color to simulate
changes effected by the atmosphere on the colors of
things seen at a distance.
Volume
-refers to the amount of space occupied three
dimensions.
-therefore, refers to solidity or thickness.

Space
-in art, space is the area around, above, and within
and object. With consideration to drawings and
paintings, our goal is to create the illusion of space.
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