INTRODUCTION TO THE VISUAL ART

• VISUAL ARTS are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture,
ceramics, video, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture.

ELEMENTS OF VISUAL ARTS

• The elements of visual art are the fundamental components used by artists when
creating a work of art.

• These elements, often referred to as the building blocks of art, include line,
shape, value, color, space, texture, and form.

1.LINE
Line is one of the most basic elements

A. Straight -- Straight lines are more mechanistic and dynamic and rarely found in
nature.

• Horizontal - create a feeling of stability and calm

• Vertical - gives the impression of height and strength and often has spiritual
connotation.
• Diagonal - give movement and dynamism to a composition

• Curved - change direction gently with no sharp angles and suggest comfort and ease
to the viewer.
• Zigzag - alter direction fast and create feelings of unrest, turmoil, and movement
• Imaginary - can be imaginary or implied;
• Three-Dimensional / 3d - Hatching lines (straight or curved) are used to turn a
shape into a form using value as seen in the works of masters like Rembrandt.
 2.SHAPE
• Shapes are two-dimensional (i.e. they have height and width but no depth forms
that are defined by an outline or border.
2 TYPES OF SHAPE IN ART
A. ORGANIC SHAPE-- Organic shapes are sometimes referre to as biomorphicshapes.
-These shapes are often complex and irregular, with curved, uneven sides.
Vincent Van Gogh - Irises (1889)

B. GEOMETRIC SHAPE

-These are also called regular shapes and they are the shapes described in mathematics.
Andre Derain: Untitled (1906)

3.FORM

• Form is a three-dimensional object that has mass and volume. It occupies space
and it can be viewed from any angle.

4.SPACE

Space is the area around, within, and between shapes that create a sense of depth
Within an artwork
There are two types of spaces:

• POSITIVE SPACE - is defined as the space in artworks occupied by subjects or

objects, while negative space is the area around and between the subjects.

• NEGATIVE SPACE - is the area around and between the subjects

M.C Escher: Metamorphosis II (1939-1940)

OVERLAPPING

• When an object is drawn or painted on top of another object the viewer’s eye
interprets this as one object being in front of another implying there must be a
space between them.

PLACEMENT

• Objects higher up in the picture plane will seem to the viewer’s eye to be further
away than objects placed low down in the picture frame.

SIZE

• Smaller objects look as if they are further away than larger objects. Notice how
much smaller the house is in relation to the flowers.

DETAIL

• The further away an object, the less detail is visible to the viewer. By purposely
reducing the amount of detail in an object it will appear further away than an
object with greater detail.

COLOR AND VALUE

• Objects in the distance usually appear cooler (bluer) and lighter in colour.
Close up objects appear warmer and darker in value.

PERSPECTIVE

• Can be used to create the feeling of depth on a 2-dimensional surface. The most
commonly used perspective types are linear and 2-point perspective.
5.COLOR

• Color is an important element of art that helps to bring life to an artwork.

COLOR THEORY

• a set of principles that govern how colors interact with each other and how color
affects our perception. It is used to determine color harmony and how color can be
used to create a desired effect in an artwork.

HUE

• A description of color in its purest form

without taking into consideration other
attributes such as value, tints, shade, or
saturation.

SATURATION

• Is how intense and vivid the color appears.

Another way to describe it is the “relative
colorfulness of light, independent of its brightness”. – Munsell.com

TINTS, TONES AND SHADES

• A TINT is a colour that has been lightened by mixing it with white.

• A TONE is a color that has been neutralized, by mixing it with a small
amount of its complementary colour. Tone describes the lightness or
darkness of a colour.
• A SHADE is a colour that has been darkened.
COLOR HARMONY

• Colour harmony in art and in colour theory refers to the use of colours that
interact with each other to make an artwork pleasing to look at.
 • The harmony in an artwork relates to the effect it has on a viewer, based on the
colour choices the artist makes.

• An artist may select a colour scheme, or use a variety of saturated and muted tones
to create a sense of balance.

• Colour harmony truly adds an extra layer of beauty to artwork, inspiring the viewer
on both a visual and emotional level.

FAMOUS EXAMPLES OF COLOR HARMONIES

Vincent Van Gogh: Blossoming

Claude Monet: The Seine at
Bougival in the Evening Almond Branch in a Glass
(1869 With a Book (1888)

Primary Colors – consists of red, yellow, and blue. These cannot be mixed from any other
colors.

Secondary Colors – two primary colors mixed together resulting in green (blue + yellow),
orange (yellow + red), and violet (red + blue)

Tertiary (Intermediate) Colors – one primary and one secondary mixed together

Aggressive (Warm) Colors – reds,oranges, yellows

Receding (Cool) Colors – greens, blues, violets

Hue – another name for color

Tint – color + white

Shade – color + black

Tone – color + gray
Neutral gray – combination of black and white
Key color – dominant color in a color scheme
6.VALUE
• Is the lightness or darkness of a color used in an artwork.

THE VALUE SCALE

CHIAROSCURO

• is an Italian word meaning “light-dark.” In art, it refers to the use of light

and dark elements to create a sense of volume and depth.

Caravaggio: St. Jerome Writing

Artists who are well-known for their use of chiaroscur0

Leonardo da Vinci:The
Adoration of the Magi
(1481)

Caravaggio: The
Calling of Saint
Matthew (1599-
1600)

7.TEXTURE
• refers to the surface quality of an object or material that can be seen and felt.

ACTUAL TEXTURE

- Artists create this effect by layering thick paint that holds its shape, creating
marks and visible brush strokes in thick paint or painting on a textured surface.

IMPLIED TEXTURE

-Refers to the texture in art that cannot be felt by touch, but which resemblance
is instead achieved through the masterful use of artistic tools and materials.
 MODULE 5
TYPES OF VISUAL ARTS I – PAINTING AND DRAWING
PAINTING is the art of representing objects and natural phenomena on a flat

surface with pigment or other coloring material.

3 COMPONENTS OF PAINTING

PIGMENTS
BINDERS
SOLVEN

TYPES OF PAINTING

I.MURAL PAINTING-

it has to do with picture-making on walls

(and ceilings and floors, by extension) it is
called mural painting, murus being the Latin for “wall” .

MEDIUMS OF MURAL PAINTING

1. SECCO-Named for the Italian word meaning“dry” the medium consists of painting on
walls of dried plaster.

2. FRESCO-Named likewise by an Italian word, meaning “fresh,” fresco consists of

painting on freshly applied plaster before it has had the chance to dry and set.

3. MOSAIC-The medium of mosaic consists in the making of pictures by inserting

4. STAINED GLASS-The colored glass used for making decorative windows and other objects
through which light passes.
II. EASEL PAINTING

In the art of easel painting, mediums tend to vary less than they do in
mural painting, to resemble each other in certain important respects
MEDIUMS OF EASEL PAINTING
1. ENCAUSTIC-Encaustic painting is done with the use of hot wax (beeswax)

2. TEMPERA-Tempera (from the Latin word “to temper” or “to regulate”) consists of
painting with glue for vehicle and binder.
3. OIL-Oil painting is done with the use of ground pigments (from minerals, coal tar,

vegetable matter, etc.) Oil paints are applied in two ways:

DIRECT METHOD the paints are opaque and once they are applied on the
surface, they dry up and give the finished product its final appearance
INDIRECT METHOD which the paints are transparent and they are applied in
many thin layers or coatings

4. WATER COLOR-Watercolors are composed of more or less transparent pigments which the
gum medium binds to the paper and covers with a thin protective film

5. GOUACHE-Gouache colors are composed of exactly the same pigments and ground in to
exactly the same gum medium,

DRAWING

The art or technique of producing images on a surface, usually paper, by means of

marks in graphite, ink, chalk, charcoal, or crayon.
GIORGIO VASARI0

TYPES OF DRAWING

LINE DRAWING

FIGURATIVE DRAWING

REALISTIC DRAWING

GEOMETRIC DRAWING

ORGANIC DRAWING

MEDIUMS OF DRAWING

GRAPHITE Most generally often called pencil or lead. Graphite can be a grayish material

that’s obtainable in a number of distinct grades

CHARCOAL Whilst graphite is grayish in appeal, charcoal offers prosperous, dim blacks in the

development of drawings
THREE MOST COMMON TYPES OF CHARCOAL :
Willow & Vine charcoal is delicate, can make lighter marks and it is simply
erased. Willow breaks less than vine charcoal but is also less black than
vine charcoal.
Compressed charcoal is tougher, can make darker marks, and is also tougher
to erase. It’s more permanent than willow charcoal
Charcoal pencils are similar to compressed charcoal, using ground up charcoal
mixed with something to hold it together and it’s now bound up into a pencil
as well.
COLOR PENCIL-Colored pencils are created of the pigmented stick held collectively by a
waxy binder.

CHALK PASTELS-Chalk pastels are powdery pigmented sticks

OIL PASTELS-colored sticks that might be held jointly by linseed oil.

PEN AND INK-Ink which is utilized to some surface area by way of the software of the pen is
regarded as pen and ink

MARKERS-Markers are generally employed for layout operations. Markers are typically not
long-lasting,

2 TYPES OF MARKER:
WATER BASED

ALCOHOL BASED

DRAWING TECHNIQUES
HATCHING - This involves drawing closely spaced lines in the same direction
to create a dark area.
CROSS HATCHING - This involves drawing intersecting lines to create a darker
area.
TONAL DRAWING - Tonal drawing refers to the effect produced by pencil strokes
applied so closely together and so compactly that they appear to merge.
STIPPLING - This involves creating small dots in an overlapping pattern to
create a darker area.
SCUMBLING - This is a technique that uses swirling lines to create texture
and shading in your artwork.
SMUDGING - Smudging involves using your finger or a brush to smear the colors
together.
 MODULE 5
Sculpture is the art of carving or otherwise forming a three-dimensional work of art.

The word sculpture originated from the Latin word sculpere meaning to carve.

THE ART OF SCULPTING

CASTING-made of a moldable material such as clay, wax, or plaster.

MODELING-working of plastic materials by hand tobuild up form. Clay and wax are the most
common modeling materials, and the artist’s hands are the maintools, though metal and
wood implements are oftenemployed in shaping.

ASSEMBLING-These materials can be wood, paper, metal, and objects. Assembled sculptures
are always three dimensional

CONSTRUCTING-are made by connecting pre-formed materials

KINDS OF SCULPTURE

RELIEF SCULPTURES-Reliefs are one of the oldest forms ofsculpting that date back as far
as 25,000 years ago in the caves of Eastern Europe and other parts of the world.

DIFFERENT KIND OF RELIEF SCULPTURE:

HIGH RELIEF- The front part, as well as the left and the right sides, can be viewed.

LOW RELIEF-lmost the same as painting

SUNKEN RELIEF-images are carved in low relief

SCULPTURE IN THE ROUND-The term ‘sculpture in the round’ simply refers to a three-
dimensional work. Free-standing
ADDITIVE SCULPTURE-These materials are often fairly malleable and they allow theartist
to manipulate them into the desired shape.

OTHER EXAMPLES OF ADDITIVE SCULPTURE:

1. CLAY MODELING
2. 3D PRINTING:
3. ASSEMBLAGE:
4. PAPER MACHE:
5. WELDING AND METAL FABRICATION:

SUBTRACTIVE SCULPTUREStaken a chunk of stone or other material and worked to remove

various parts or add more definition to already existing shapes.

INSTALLATION SCULPTURES is a creative process where pre-formed pieces are assembled to

create a three-dimensional sculpture.

KINETIC SCULPTURES-that uses shapes, contours,lines, and light effects to create movement
in the work or surroundings.

EARTHWORK SCULPTURES-These ancient works, often resembling animals or humans, were

created using rocks or wood.

MEDIUMS OF SCULPTURE

MEDIUMS OF SCULPTURE-Any material that can be shaped in three dimensions can be used
sculpturally.

STONE

-monumental sculpture

resistant to the weather

available in all parts of the world

can be obtained in large blocks

WOOD

indoor sculpture

changes in humidity and temperature may

cause it to split
subject to attack by insects and fungi

The grain of the wood is one of its most

attractive features

METAL

most used for sculpture is bronze gold, silver, aluminum, copper, brass,
lead,and iron have also been widely used.

CLAY

most common and easily obtainable of all materials.Used for modeling

IVORY

The main source of ivory is elephant tusks Paleolithic times, mammoth tusks
also were used for sculpture Ivory is dense, hard, and difficult to work

PLASTER

Many sculptors today omit the clay-modeling stage and model directly in
plaster.As a mold material in the casting of concrete and fiberglass
sculpture, plaster is widely used.
 MODULE 7
THE KINDS OF VISUAL ARTS:ARCHITECTURE

ARCHITECTURE-It is defined as the art and science of designing

buildings and other physical structures.

TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE ex: Bahay Kubo

CONTEMPORARY DESIGN ex: White and Brown Concrete Building

EARLY DEVELOPMENTS IN BUILDING DESIGN AND TECHNIQUE METHODS

CATALHOYUK

-In western culture, one of the earliest settlements with

permanent structures was discovered at Catalhoyuk Turkey

-the dwellings are constructed from dried mudand brick and show
wooden support beams spanning the ceilings.

POST AND LINTEL

With this, a system of post –either stone or wood – are placed

at intervals and spanned by beams at the tops.

COLONNADES can be free standing or part of a larger structure.

Over time columns became categorized by the capital style at

their tops. The smooth and unadorned Tuscan and fluted Doric
columns give way to more elaborate styles: the scrolled Ionian
and the high relief Corinthian.

ROMANESQUE architecture was popular for nearly three hundred

years (800 – 1100 CE). The style is characterized by barrel or
groin vault ceilingsthick walls with low exterior buttresses and

squared off tow

ARCHITECTURE IN CHINA & THE FAR EAST

-Chinese architectural (and aesthetic) design is based

osymmetry, a general emphasis on the horizontal and site layouts
that reflect a hierarchy of importance.

EX;THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

CROSS-INFLUENCE OF EAST & WEST

a classic Greek colonnade at the main entrance, the gold dome and central
turret supporting it, western style arches and colorful Islamic surface
embellishment.

EX:THE DOME OF THE ROCK

CROSS-INFLUENCE OF EAST & WEST

The building’s style is French Renaissance – marked by a formal symmetry,

horizontal stability and restrained ornamentation.

EX: THE LOUVRE PALACE IN PARIS

THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

Beginning in the 18th century theIndustrial Revolution made fundamental

changes in agriculture, manufacturing, transportation and housing.

EX:EIFFEL TOWER(UNDERCONSTRUCTION)

MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE

The move to modernism was introduced with the opening of the Bauhaus school
in Weimar Germany.

BAUHAUS( House of Construction)

POST MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE

Postmodernity in architecture is generally thought to be heralded by the return of “wit,

ornament and “reference” to architecture in response to the formalism of the

International Style. EX:PORTLAND BUILDING

We can see how architecture is actively evolving in the contemporary work of Frank

Gehry and Zaha Hadid.

GREEN ARCHITECTURE

In the last decade there has emerged a strong interest in

developing “green” architecture – designs that incorporate

ecologically and environmentally sustainable practices in site

preparation, materials, energy use and waste systems.

Top three Filipino National Artist

Pablo S.Antonio- (1901-1975)

Juan F.Napkil- (1899-1986)

Leandro V.Locsin- (1928-1944)