This post is about 8 principles of art and design. The essential knowledge about composition will make your art stand out from the crowd.
What if I told you a secret to help you be a better visual artist? The 8 principles of art I will go over in this post are all about the basics of composition — the essential fundamentals in art and design. This critical knowledge will allow you to create beautiful art with less effort.
Many art mistakes are in the realm of composition. Even if you do a great job painting the subject, your whole creation can fall apart if you ignore the rules of composition. In my opinion, this is the #1 skill to learn if you want to improve in watercolors or any painting.
Let’s jump into this essential knowledge of 8 principles of art and design that will make you a better artist and make your life a lot easier.
What is the difference between elements and principles of art?
There are elements of art, and there are principles of art. They sound similar but have different purposes.
The elements of art and design are the tools used when working with space (source) — line, value, color, texture, shape, size, and direction. These are the fundamentals that make up any painting. We usually use the elements intuitively without too much thought. If I compare this to our verbal and written language, the elements are the letters and words that make up our language. It’s the vocabulary describing the artwork and a necessary toolkit when creating something in two-dimensional space.
The principles of art and design are the rules that help the elements come together to tell a visual story. These rules are necessary to successfully communicate our ideas and emotions in a compelling visual way. It is the grammar that ties all the “words” (i.e., elements) together into a “sentence” (i.e., the design we’re creating).
It’s hard to say how many total elements there are. Some believe there are 7, and others think there are more. I will focus on the eight essential principles described below.
8 Principles of art and design every visual artist should know:
- Balance
- Scale & Proportion
- Contrast (Conflict/Friction)
- Rhythm (Alternation)
- Repetition
- Emphasis & Dominance
- Harmony
- Unity
1. Balance
There are several forms of balance. Formal balance (known as symmetry), informal balance (known as asymmetry), radial balance, and mosaic balance.
Symmetry
A formal balance (symmetry) is a mirror image balance. For example, when you draw a line down the center of the page, all the objects on one side will be an exact mirror of the other side.
Sometimes the objects are identical, and sometimes they are not. They are similar in a number of things, colors, or other elements. Lightness, darkness, a number of objects, details, textures, color, and placement distance will affect the arrangement balance.
Where can we find symmetry? Everywhere! We, the humans, are symmetrical. We have identical left and right arms and left and right legs.
In architecture, many buildings are symmetrical. In interior design, symmetry can be created by placing a lamp on each left and right side of the bed or having a vase on each side of the fireplace. In fashion, the classical and formal garments are symmetrical. Symmetry gives a sense of chic class, formality, and a sense of austerity.
A balanced design often gives an impression of confidence and stability. In paintings and graphic arts, symmetrical objects are visually less heavy. That is why symmetry is often used for backgrounds, patterns, and anything that needs to be visually muted.
And, of course, symmetry can feel monotonous. Asymmetry adds some pizzazz to an otherwise conservative artwork.
Asymmetry
Informal balance (asymmetry) is based on visual weight. The objects placed in space are different but have similar weights. Elements are placed unequally in a way that achieves balance in composition.
For instance, a large type can be balanced with large imagery in graphic design. A large sofa can be balanced with a large TV in interior design. And in painting, we can achieve balance by having several smaller items on one side and a larger item on the other side.
A light object feels lighter than a dark object. A large light-toned shape will have the same visual weight as a small, dark-colored shape. Another way we can create balance is by regulating the distance between objects — a large shape close to the center will feel balanced by a small shape near the edge.
Asymmetry is challenging to achieve but it’s way more interesting than symmetry. If you want your art to be more intriguing, try adding some asymmetrical elements to the composition.
Radial Balance
The purpose of radial symmetry is to draw viewers’ eyes to the center, where all elements radiate from a center point circularly, and the focal point is always the center.
Mosaic Balance
Mosaic balance (also known as all-over and crystallographic balance) is when too many elements are put on the page — an organized chaos. There are so many elements that they merge into a pattern and uniformity. Jackson Pollock’s splatter paintings are an example of mosaic balance.
Balance creates harmony. In artwork, we strive toward balance to create a feeling of connection and unity. Our eyes move freely on the page, and we are not distracted by the artwork message. We subconsciously feel attracted to the design and feel at ease, and a composition seems pleasing to the eyes. If the art is not balanced, we feel uneasiness and tension – something is off, and we can’t figure out why.
2. Scale and Proportion
Scale and proportion are related concepts. Both are important in art and design and involve a feeling or intuition.
Scale
Scale can be described by how the object appears visually — large or small. It is responsible for believability and realism. If the nose is too big for the face, we describe the portrait as a caricature – it looks funny to us. If a cow is too big for a landscape, it isn’t easy to believe the image; we would never call it a realistic painting.
Often when the scale is off, we feel uncomfortable. For instance, in interior design, having a huge bed in a tiny room feels tense and claustrophobic.
Proportion
While scale refers to the size of something, proportion deals with the relationship between parts of the composition.
Proportion is an ideal relationship in size or shape between one thing and another. And it is usually defined in magnitude (size), quantity, or degree.
Proportion plays an essential role in creating realistic art. For example, it’s crucial to have the right proportions when drawing and painting a face. We innately know when the eyes, nose, and mouth are in the proper ratio. When we achieve the correct face proportion, we create a likeness in portraiture. We also intuitively like it when a face is well-balanced.
The golden ratio
Proportion is based on rations. Pleasing proportions are referred to as “golden.” Many classic artists use the golden ratio within their paintings to achieve harmony. The golden ratios of 2:3, 3:5, 5:8, and 8:13 are based on the Fibonacci series and are considered pleasing to the eye.
Scale and proportion allow us to create a realistic setting or caricature of something. All comes to the message we want to portray. Also, if we make something big in scale, it becomes an attention grabber, thus important. That is one of the ways artists communicate when they want to say something loudly.
3. Emphasis & Dominance
Emphasis or focal point is when we intentionally draw the viewer’s attention to a specific element of the composition. It’s the most interesting element within the composition. The uniqueness of the feature attracts the viewers’ eyes. Emphasis can also be achieved by highlighting the differences and creating contrast between elements.
We create dominance by giving one element visual weight through contrast, color combination, or repetition. Usually, dominance is the focal point. It also draws users’ attention because it is more prominent in size and takes over the composition. It is typically an anchor in a visual composition. When communicating something, we decide on the most critical element or concept we want to illustrate in our art. Having dominance allows us to create this anchor.
4. Contrast (Conflict/Friction)
The juxtaposition of opposing elements and effects creates contrast and also interest. Contrast can be created through color, value, shape, size, proportion, detail, texture, and repetition.
Color contrast – The most common type of contrast. Complementary colors (opposite colors on the color wheel) create contrast and enhance each other’s hue. For instance, using a cool tone on warm tone background creates contrast.
Size contrast – Another way to create contrast is to use size differences between elements, one thing being bigger than another.
Shape contrast – round and square, making things notable by their difference in physical shape compared to other objects.
Alignment or positional contrast – Alignment contrast is created when things are positioned differently. The hierarchy of elements is achieved through variant alignment. A simple example is an indentation for bullet points.
The contrast in design can be the secret ingredient that makes something good into something striking and unforgettable. Looking at nature will give lots of inspiration. Imagine red berries hugged by deep green leaves, which, the color combination, is stunningly beautiful!
Contrast creates interest. Bland and low contrast will make your art look washed out and boring. Breathe interest and life into your composition by spicing it up with contrast.
Note: What we want in the design is balance, too little contrast hurts the eyes because a person cannot distinguish separate elements, but too much contrast can hurt the eyes too!
5. Rhythm
Rhythm is synonymous with movement –the oxford dictionary even defines it as a “repeated pattern of movement.” Any repeated pattern or color with a particular direction creates movement.
We need rhythm in design to breathe life into our creation, to make it interesting, unique and unusual. Furthermore, we need a rhythm to create a cohesive unity within a composition so it doesn’t resemble chaos without direction or any point.
Rhythm is the feeling of organized movement, giving a sense of continuity throughout your design. It becomes more vital when the pattern is repeated, and it is achieved with repetition, gradation, transition, opposition, or radial arrangement of various parts of composition or design.
6. Repetition
Repetition is probably the most straightforward principle — it simply means reusing the same or similar elements through your composition. It can form a pattern called regular repetition or doesn’t have to be. It can be irregular repetition.
The primary purpose of repetition is to pull the composition together so all the elements feel like they belong together. Another reason to use repetition is to create interest and tell a story to the viewer.
There are mainly three types of form repetition.
- Regular: A regular rhythm occurs when the elements have consistent intervals and are similar in size and length.
- Flowing: A flowing rhythm is organic and resembles nature. It commonly consists of curves like waves, flowers, or clouds.
- Progressive: A progressive rhythm forms a repeated pattern illustrating step progression.
And there is also color and value repetition. Color can be essential in creating a feeling that all elements belong together. Use a limited color and repeat the colors throughout the composition to create rhythm, interest, and harmony.
7. Harmony
Harmony is the feeling of cohesiveness and belonging, even if the elements are not identical. Our final goal is to get to unity, and harmony is the path to it. Using all the 8 principles of art discussed in this post, we get closer to creating unity, and harmony is the last step toward the feeling of unity.
We want the eye to move throughout the composition, and our eyes like to find similar elements, creating a feeling of belonging. Placing two or more similar characteristics, such as color, shape, and texture, in proximity or repeating throughout the compositing will create harmony.
Having a balanced composition is also helpful in creating harmony and agreement within the artwork.
Leaning on the agreement within the surroundings instead of discord will also help create artwork that is pleasing to the eye.
I want to note that harmony is in the eye of the beholder, but there is a classical sense that many would agree with. Even though we can study how harmony can be achieved through different placement of objects, repetition, and color, it is an art form that requires practice and experimentation.
Finally, let’s discuss the importance of unity.
8. Unity
Unity is when all elements and concepts described above work together to create oneness — one organism.
It’s essential to use our intuition and knowledge when creating unity. We can’t rely solely on understanding the principles. Trust in your intuition and play with your creativity. You will know if something works or not and then use the principles to identify what are the causes of your feeling.
To create unity, we need to experiment and try different versions before we feel the composition is forming one holistic organism.
Unity is achieved in different ways – it can be through repetition of elements or colors, it can be the placement of objects, it can be by using positive and negative space, patterns and groupings.
But most of all, it’s all about a story. When unity is achieved, the viewers can grasp the holistic visual story they can interpret and understand. The artwork becomes a living piece where it has a life of its own and feels unique and complete.
Art and design principles are the foundation of any great work of art. Understanding and utilizing these 8 principles of art allows you to create stunning visuals that communicate your message effectively.
This post is all about 8 principles of art and design that will help you become a better artist.
Resources:
Complete Guide to Watercolor Painting by Edgar A. Whitney
The Elements of Graphic Design: Space, Unity, Page Architecture, and Type
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