Principles of Design II

The following is a series of introductions and links from “Articulation.”

You could not spend enough time on this site.

The Principles Of Design refer to the organization of a work of art. Each Principle interprets how an artist uses the Elements of Art, composition and design to express their feelings and ideas. By studying these, your own work will become more sophisticated as you will begin to apply this new knowledge to your own works of art. Let’s take a look at each one.

Rythm & Movement
The words Rhythm and Movement are often associated with music, dance and sports. We think of steady marching rhythms, drum beats and the pulsing sound of the bass on the radio as types of rhythms. The darting of soccer players, the graceful flow of ballet dancers and the artful dodging of basketball players emphasize Movement. Art also has rhythm and movement, a visual rhythm, a rhythmic movement. Let’s explore the Principles of Rhythm and Movement more.

Balance
As humans we experience the need for Balance in our everyday life. We use it as we walk or run and to carry things. Balance is also necessary in other ways. We need to balance our awake and sleeping periods, our food intake and energy exports, and relaxation and stress. Balance is also important to a work of art. A balanced artwork leaves the viewer feeling “visually comfortable”. On the other hand, a work that is not balanced creates a sense of visual stress. Let’s take a look!

Proportion
The word “Proportion” means one part in relation to another. All people have a sense of proportion concerning themselves as compared to others. “My nose is too long for my face”. “She has long legs”. “His eyes are wide set.” All of these comments reinforce the idea that we see and have opinions about the relationships between one thing compared to another. Artists use their sense of Proportion to make statements or express a particular feeling about a subject in a work of art. Let’s see some examples.

Variety & Emphasis
Variety keeps life interesting. Imagine if everything in your life was the same, day in and day out. Imagine the monotony! Artists also understand the importance of Emphasis in their work. Usually one part or area is given more detail to enhance that section. Click here to see how artists use Variety and Emphasis in their work.

Harmony & Unity
“Harmony” in music results in pleasing tones to the ears. “Harmony” in art results from a combination of related Elements of Art creating a pleasing work for the eye. “Unity” infers that the work of art is presented as a ” whole”. When a work of art has “Unity”, the viewer sees the work as a whole, not in separate sections. Let’s go on to see just how this works! http://www.brigantine.atlnet.org/GigapaletteGALLERY/websites/ARTiculationFinal/MainPages/PrinciplesMain.htm