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=                          The Principles of Art =

Imagine you're using your favorite pen to draw a spaceship. You take into careful consideration where to place this spaceship on the page and how far away to draw the moon and stars that the spaceship is about to fly by. You want to show that the spaceship is moving, so you draw a few squiggles. Finally, because of your love of star gazing, you color in a nearby shooting star with your favorite shade of yellow and voila; you have just created your own artwork.

Without even knowing it you have just used some of the principles of art. They include:

balance

proportion

emphasis

variety

movement

rhythm

harmony

They are used to organize the basic elements of art: line, shape, form, value, color, space, and texture. They are sometimes also referred to as principles of organization or design principles.

Another important element in creating art is composition. A composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements in an artwork, and art principles help figure out the arrangements of those visual elements.

Each Principle Defined Balance: The sense of stability achieved through implied weight of an object. There are three different types of balance: symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial.

Symmetrical balance: When one image is mirrored on the other side to repeat itself

Asymmetrical balance: When different types of elements create a visual balance.

Radial balance:The distribution of elements around a central point in all directions.

Here is an example of asymmetrical balance, showing a bright red apple in one corner balanced by a large area of neutral color on the other side. Together, they work to create balance in the overall composition

Balance Proportion: The ratio of one art element to another. It is important to keep in mind the relationship between different elements of the composition so that the scale of your artwork always makes visual sense. For example, if you were drawing your best friend sitting in a chair, the size of the chair should be in proportion to the size of your friend. The image below shows the different size proportions of a variety of fruits.

Proportion Emphasis: When one element of an artwork stands out more than another. This creates a sense of importance and is intentionally used to communicate a message or feeling. Emphasis creates variety in your artwork. This image of one lone, yellow pear among a bowl of red apples demonstrates the principles of emphasis.

Emphasis Variety: The counterweight to harmony and creates visual interest by slightly changing or using different elements together in a composition. It can be created with contrast, change, elaboration, or diversifying elements. With variety, it is important to consider how the elements are working together so that you still have harmony and unity within a composition. This image of different fruits and vegetables is an example of variety.

Variety Movement: The visual flow of your artwork. It's the path that you intend your viewer's eye to follow. You can create this by purposefully placing art elements in a way that creates this path. The image below of an apple tree shows movement through the strong line of the branch from left to right.

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