ELEMENTS

Visual Arts and Auditory Arts

ELEMENTS OF VISUAL ARTS
Element Simple Definition

Line Extended point

Shape Enclosed line or space.

Space Illusion of Depth

Color Reflection of Light

Form 3-Dimensional Shape

Texture Tactile Element

LINES
◦ One of the earliest artistic elements.
◦ Used to show the shape of various animals for hunting.
◦ Lines are foundations of art.
SHAPES
◦ Areas of enclosed space which gives permanent meanings.
◦ Shapes are flat by default,
◦ They may be natural or geometric.
SPACE
◦ Deals with the illusion of depth on a flat surface.
◦ It is the area or surface occupied by the artwork.
COLOR
◦ What we see when light reflects on an object.
◦ Enhances the attractiveness of artworks.
Hue - the family of colors where one color belongs to. For instance, the
yellow belongs to the primary colors or primary hues because it cannot be
achieved by mixing other colors. Orange belongs to the family of
secondary hues because it is made by mixing red and yellow.
Value – the dimension of color that pertains to the lightness or darkness of a
color. In the color wheel which you already should know by now, the colors
are always found in the middle value. But when you add an amount of white
or black to a color, then it becomes either darker or lighter.
Tint – the color that we produce when we add or mix white into a color to
make it appear lighter. The example below shows you that the dark pink
becomes light pink when we add white tint to it.
Shade – the dimension of color that is present when we add black to a hue
or color to make it darker. Look at the example below. Orange, as the first
box on the left, changed shades when we add black to it, little by little.
 COLOR
SCHEMES
FORM
◦ Refers to the three-dimensional version of a shape.
◦ An artwork that has form can be viewed in different angles.
◦ Forms can be hard-edged or free flowing.
Texture
◦ This is the way something feels, or looks like it might feel, in an
artwork. This pertains to the tactile appearance or quality.
ELEMENTS OF AUDITORY ARTS
Element Simple Definition

Rhythm The pulse of music

Dynamics Volume

Melody Tune of the song

Harmony Togetherness of sound

Timbre Color or sound quality

Texture Interaction of melodies

Rhythm
◦ This is the consistent pattern of identical or similar sounds in music.
◦ Associated with beats (basic unit), tempo (speed) and meter
(organized beat in a recurring pattern)
Dynamics
◦ Refers to the loudness or softness, volume and intensity of music.
Melody
◦ The original tone and sound that we retain in our heads even after
listening to the song / music.
◦ Memorable series of pitches.
Harmony
◦ How each component of a musical piece or performance is
supporting one another to create a coherent sound.
◦ For harmony to exist, there need to be more than one note sounding
at once.
Timbre
◦ This pertains to the color or sound quality of a tone.
◦ Defined by three factors:
◦ Harmonic Content – Intensity of harmonic tones
◦ Attack and Decay – The way sound is produced and naturally recedes.
◦ Vibrato - Natural and controlled pulsation of a tone.

Sharp / Round / Reedy / Brassy

Texture
◦ The interaction of melodies and harmonies within a song.
◦ Thin or thick.
TYPES OF TEXTURE
◦ Monophonic - Only one musical part in a song
◦ Polyphonic – Two or more independent melodies are
heard in a song.
◦ Homophonic – Homo meaning the same - Two or more
sounds but one of the sounds is accompanying the main
melody.