Principles of Arts (Designs)

 Principle is something that can be repeatedly and dependably done

with elements to produce some sort of visual effect in a composition.
 The principles of design
1. BALANCE
are the rules by which
an artist uses the
elements of design.
3. HARMONY They suggest how a
designer can best
4. EMPHASIS arrange the various
elements
5. PROPORTION
They affect the
6. MOVEMENT expressive content or
the message of the
artwork
7. RHYTHM
BALANCE Is concerned with arranging elements
thus no one part of an artwork
overpowers any other part.
Formal Balance
Formal balance happens when one half of a work is a mirror image of
the other half. Also called symmetrical balance (suh-meh-trih-kuhl),
formal balance is the easiest type to notice.

Let’s take a look at one of the most famous buildings in the world -- the Taj
Mahal. While there are numerous reasons the Taj Mahal is aesthetically-
pleasing, one reason is its symmetrical balance, which evokes a sense of
traditionalism and stability.
Informal Balance
In informal balance, two unlike objects are made to seem to have equal weight. The weight is suggested
by the hues, values, intensities, and shapes of those objects. Also call asymmetrical balance (ay-suh-
meh-trih-kuhl), informal balance often shoes up in the way the artist has used color and shape
Informal balance is often used to create more interesting
compositions. Arranging objects or elements informally can be
very complicated, but can create visual interest when used Now,let’s take
skillfully.
a look at
another famous
piece of
artwork -- The
Starry Nigh by
Vincent Van
Gogh. This
painting, unlike
the Taj Mahal,
is asymmetrical
in nature -- and
yet, it’s still
balanced and
strategic in
design.
Radial Balance
Radial balance happens when elements or objects in an
art work are positioned around a central point. A flower with
its petals spreading outward from the center is an example
of radial balance in nature.
The Principle of Variety

Imagine that you had to eat the same food every day for a whole year. Even if the
food were your absolute favorite, after a while you would grow tired of it. You
would long for other things to eat – even things you disliked – just for the change
of pace.

People need change to keep their lives interesting. The same goes for art. In art,
variety is combining one or more elements to create interest. By giving a work
variety, the artist heightens the visual appeal of the work.

Variety may be brought into play in many different ways. Light values of a color
may be used to break the sameness of mostly dark values of that color. Straight
lines can be a welcome change in a work made up mainly of curved lines.
 War by Otto Dix
This dark vision of the horrors of war
by German artist Otto Dix reflects the
artist's experience as a soldier in
World War I (1914-1918).

Variety is concerned with combining one or more

elements to create interest or enthusiasm by adding
some dramatic changes.

VARIETY
Human nature accede the popular
saying: “variety is the spice of life.”
Too little variety can become dull and
boring.
Too much variety may also project
disorder and chaos.
The Principle of Harmony

On the opposite side of the coin from variety is harmony. Harmony in art,
as in music blending, is blending elements in a pleasing way. Harmony is
uncomplicated and soothing. Often artists use a small number of the
same elements again and again, or in repetition, to bring harmony to a
work of art.

Skilled artists use the principles of harmony and variety together in

different amounts to bind the parts of a work to the whole. Too much
variety and too little harmony in a work can make it complicated and
confusing. Focusing only on harmony, on the other hand, can make a
work humdrum and uninteresting.
HARMONY

Harmony is the art of blending elements to create a

calm, soothing, and restful appearance.
In music, harmony is the arrangement of two or more
melodies sounding together at the same time.
Harmony in color refers to paintings that
utilize a fairly limited range of hues. For
example, a painting that features mostly
different tones of green, Claude Monet,
Water Lilies or tones of blue of Pablos
Picasso's The Old Guitarist is united by
the dull, blue tones used
Emphasis is the art of making an element in a work stands out. To attract and gain the
viewer’s attention to salient aspects of an artwork, artists use the principle of
emphasis.
 The Principle of Emphasis

When people want to call attention to an important word

in a sentence, they will underline it. Underlining a word
makes that words stand out from the rest of the words in
the message. It gives emphasis.

Artists also use emphasis in their messages to viewers.

In art, emphasis is making an element or object in a
work stand out. The use of this principle helps the artist
control what part of a work the viewer looks at first.
Emphasis can be created by contrast, or extreme changes in an element.
The Principle of Proportion

Have you ever tried on a piece of clothing and found

that it made you look shorter or taller that you
actually are? Perhaps the problem was one of the
proportions. In art, proportion is how part of a work
relate to each other and to the whole.

Proportion as an art principle is not limited to size.

Elements such as color can be used in differing
proportions.
PROPORTION Proportion is concerned with the relationship of one part to
another in creating the whole.

Proportion is one of the principles of art and design that organizes and arranges
their structural elements, together with balance, unity, rhythm, and emphasis.
The relationship between parts is the main issue in proportion, which is often
discussed in terms of context and used standards
The Principle of Movement

You live in an age of special effects. When you go to the movies nowadays, you
see strange life forms arriving from different galaxies. You see humans traveling
backward in time or dancing with cartoons figures. These amazing sights and
others like them are possible only though creative imaginations and special
effects.

In art, special effects are nothing new. Artists have been using them for a long
time. One of these effects is movement. Movement is the principle of art that
leads the viewer to sense action in a work or it can be the path the viewer’s eye
follows throughout a work. Artists create movement through a careful blending of
elements like line and shape.

Through the principle of movement, the artist is able to guide the viewer’s eye
from one part of a painting to the next.
 MOVEMENT
Raft of the Medusa

L’Etoile (The Star)

1878
Edgar Degas French romantic painter
Oil on canvas Théodore Géricault

Movement is used to create the appearance and feeling of action

and to guide a viewer’s eye through the work of art. It encourages
the viewer to scan, visualize, and investigate the artwork.
The Principle of Rhythm

Have you ever found yourself tapping your fingers or feet to the beat of a
song? Songs can have catchy rhythms. Sometimes it seems as though we
can feel these rhythms as well as hear them.

In art, we feel rhythms as well as see them. To the artist, rhythm is the
repeating of an element to make a work seem active.

Sometimes, to create a rhythm, artists will repeat not just elements but the
same exact objects over and over. When they do this, a pattern is formed.
 RHYTHM
The
Goddess
Durga as
Slayer of
the Buffalo-
Demon
Mahisha
(Mahishasur
amardini),
14th–15th
century
Nepal
Gilt copper
alloy, inlaid
with
semiprecio
Rhythm is concerned with repeating elements us stones
to make an
artwork seem active. To create rhythm, an artist can repeat not
just an element but also the same exact objects over and over.