In June of 2011, I had written a "walk through" type of tutorial on the difference between
"design" and
"scene" [link] since many of our members were confused about which was which. In that tutorial, I had mentioned the
Elements And Principles Of Design with defintions for each. At that time, `
WDWParksGal asked me to write a blog that would fully explain what the
Elements and
Principles were so that she could refer deviants directly to the tutorial. Well, I'm sorry that this is so late, but here it is.
This tutorial is meant for
Novice and Beginning Photo-Manipulators, but I'm hoping everyone will learn something they did not know.
Elements and Principles of Design
Introduction
Question: What is meant by the
Elements and Principles of Design?
Answer:
Elements are the parts of a design, and the
Principles are ways to use the parts.
All art is comprised of the
Elements being arranged following the rules set by the
Principles. Knowing the
Elements and
Principles can help you create more dynamic images. You must know and understand the rules that the
Principles are based on before you can break away from them.
Let's first take a look at each
Element.
Color is light reflected off of objects. The three characteristics of Color are hue, value and intensity.
Light is needed to see color. Grey tones are a result of the little light on an object. The less light, the darker the grey. Therefore, black is the abscense of all light.
Above is a typical
Color Wheel showing the hue, value and intensity of
Color. This one also shows three
Tints (see below) for each color.
Hue refers to the name of the individual colors. The
Primary Colors are red, blue, and yellow. When combined they create the
Secondary Colors, violet (purple), green, and orange. The
Colors that sit between the
Primary and
Secondary colors are the
Tertiary Colors,i.e., red-violet, blue-violet, blue-green, yellow-green, yellow-orange, and red-orange.
Colors that are opposite from one another on the
Color Wheel are called
Complementary Colors, such as blue and orange, yellow and violet, and green and red.
Value refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. Adding white to a
Color will make a
Tint of that
Color. The more white the lighter the
Tint. Adding black to a
Color will make a
Shade of that
Color. The more black you add the darker the
ShadeIntensity refers to the brightness or dullness of a color.
Line is a stroke from one point to another. Lines are straight, curved, or wavy. They can be broken or continous.They can go in a horizonal, diagonal or verticle direction. They can be long, short, thick or thin.
Shape is a line that has been closed. There are
Geometric Shapes,
Abstract Shapes, and
Organic Shapes.
Shapes can be made with thick or thin outlines, or have color within the outline, but they are always flat.
Form is a
3-Dimensional Shape.
Forms have length, width and depth. Boxes, spheres, and cylinders are examples of
Forms.
Space is the area between and around objects. The
Space around objects are called
Negative Space while the object itself is taking up
Positive Space.
Space also refers to the illusion of
Depth in 2-Dimensional art.
Texture is how a surface feels when touched, or how it looks like it should feel if touched. Smooth, rough, soft, hard, bumpy are all examples of
Textures.Now for the Principles.
Balance is the way the
Elements are distributed on the picture plane. The
Elements are equal on both sides from the center in
Symmetrical Balance.
Asymmetrical Balance has one side different from the other.
Radial Balance is when the
Elements are arranged around the central point.
Emphasis is the part of the design that catches the viewer’s attention. Usually
Emphasis is created by doing something different with one or more
Element in contrast with the other
Elements.
Movement is a path through a design that is created with one or more of the
Elements. The viewer eyes will catch the
Element(s) and move in the direction that it/they take.
Repetition is repeating an
Element at least one time.
Pattern happens when the
Repetition of one or more
Elements are done exactly the same over and over.
Proportion deals with the relationship between parts of a design and how they are related. For example, when drawing the human figure,
Proportion can refer to the size of the head compared to the rest of the body.
Rhythm is created when one or more
Elements of design are used repeatedly through the design to create a feeling of organized movement.
Variety is doing something different to hold the viewer's attention.
Unity is the complilation of the
Principles to create the feeling of harmony between all parts of the design. It also gives a sense of togetherness.
Finding Unity In A Photo-Manipulation
In this last section I want to cover how the
Principles are used together to create
Unity in the Photo-Manipulation above.
The left and right background walls are establishing
Symmetrical balance, while the manniquins and the drapes in the background create a sense of
Assymetrical balance.
Since the "doll" is in the center of the back wall, and the color of her skin is brighter than anything else in the image, she becomes the
Emphasis.
The lighter tones of the doll house, hat, tea cups, and tea pot help create
Movement because the eye follows them towards the back of the image.
The
Repetition of the
Colors help maintain the togetherness feeling of the image.
There is
Pattern in the wallpaper.
The two mannequins and the similar colors establish a strong sense of
Rhythm by moving the eye around the art work.
Even though there is blue in both the painting on the right wall and the tea pot, the blue in the painting is brighter, and therefore adds a little touch of
Variety.
That's all. I hope this will help you be more aware of what you're doing when you're planning a Photo-Manipulation. Using the Elements purposefully while following the rules as define in the Principles should give you more exciting and interesting looking images.
If you have anything to add to this tutorial, have questions, or just want to make a statement about what you just read, I welcome them in the comments with this blog.
Good luck, and have fun creating art!
Some definitions are adapted from KIDSPACE ART.
[link]
#ManipulateThis
I am trying to be more mindful of these things. Nothing more frustrating than looking at something you've been working on for hours and knowing it doesn't work but not why! 
`anmari has been spreading her infectious positivity throughout our community for over 6 years. Throughout this time Ana has been at the core of all things devious, passionately developing an eclectic gallery, helping organise devmeets, participating in chat events and also recently completed dedicating her time as a Community Volunteer. We are absolutely delighted to bestow the Deviousness Award for May 2013 to `anmari, congratulations! Read More
Sta.sh
:faq217:
ALWAYS CREDIT THE CORRECT SOURCES/ARTISTS WHEN USING STOCK IN THE COMMENT SECTION OF YOUR ARTWORK.
. It isn’t fair to the artists who use the “stock” and hurts the credibility of not only the stock provider who uploads it, but the stock community itself.
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Photomanipulation vs. Mixed Media
) and all the other "stuff" thats being submitted to stock and resources.
Tutorial--The Elements And Principles Of Designby #ManipulateThis