The visual elements of an image

Isabel Rivera Galicia

ART 1st ESO bilingüe

The visual elements of an image are:

PointLine

ShapeTexture

Even if there is only one point, one mark on a blank page there is something built into the brain that wills meaning for it, and seeks some kind of relationship or order, if only to use it as a point of orientation in relation to the outline of the page. If there are two points, immediately the eye will make a connection and "see" a line. If there are three points, it is unavoidable to interpret them as a triangle

point

A line is a mark made by a moving point and having psychological impact according to its direction, weight, and the variations in its direction. It is an enormously useful and versatile graphic device.

line

line

Horizontal line suggests a feeling of rest or repose. Objects parallel to the earth are at rest in relation to gravity.

line

Vertical lines communicate a feeling of loftiness and spirituality. Erect lines seem to extend upwards beyond human reach, toward the sky. They often dominate public architecture, from cathedrals to corporate headquarters.

line

Diagonal lines suggest a feeling of movement or direction. Since objects in a diagonal position are unstable in relation to gravity, being neither vertical nor horizontal, they are either about to fall, or are already in motion, as is certainly the case for this group of dancers.

line

Form and shape are areas or masses which define objects in space. Form and shape imply space; indeed they cannot exist without space. There are various ways to categorize form and shape. Form and shape can be organic or geometric, two dimensional or three dimensional.

shape

Organic forms are irregular in outline, and often asymmetrical. Organic forms are most often thought of as naturally occurring.

shapeOrganic

Geometric forms are those which correspond to named regular shapes, such as squares, rectangles, circles, cubes, spheres, cones, and other regular forms. Architecture, is usually composed of geometric forms.

shape Geometric

Two dimensional form is the foundation of pictorial organization or composition in painting, photography, and many other media. It is created in a number of ways.

shapeTwo dimensional

Three dimensional shape and space is the basis of architecture and most designed objects.

There are added design considerations in that the object will be experienced from more than one side

shapeThree dimensional

The surface quality or "feel" of an object, its smoothness, roughness, softness, etc. Textures may be actual or implied.

Texture

• TACTILE TEXTURE is the actual 3D feel of a texture. Tactile means touch. Painters like Van Gogh can use sand in their pant to get a texture on their painting.

• VISUAL TEXTURE refers to the illusion of the surface's texture. It is what tactile texture looks like (on a 2D surface). The textures you see in a photograph are visual textures. No matter how rough objects in the photograph look, the surface of the photograph is smooth and flat.

Texture

Texture