Graeme Smith

Elements Graeme Smith

Visual elements are thus concepts when considered independently. But in reality they do not happen like that. Reality is the relationship between various visual elements in a thing. The focus here is on Tone, Texture, Colour and Shape. Visual element: Tone (or value) The factor that indicates darkness or lightness or light and shade. Tones may vary between extreme dark (black) and extreme light (white). These intermediate tones are grey. Visual element: ColourColours are often grouped according to their mixing properties. Primary colours (red, blue, yellow) cannot be made by mixing other colours. Secondary colours are made by mixing two primary colours. Green - yellow and blue; orange - yellow and red; purple - blue and red. Tertiary colours such as brown, grey, rust are mixtures of all primary colours. Tints such (pink) are mixtures where white is one colour. A shade (olive) is a colour mixed with black or a darker colour. Visual element: TextureThe factor that indicates tactile quality of a surface. Texture may be rough or smooth, gritty or greasy, etc. Texture may be actual (sandpaper) or implied but it is still visual. Visual element: ShapeThe factor that indicates external form. That which shape encloses is area. Shapes may be simple such as square, triangle, circle, oval or rectangle. But they can also be complex such as an eye. Visual element: LineThe factor that indicates a row, series, course or contour. Line may be strokes or long narrow marks. Line may be straight, curved, broken, jagged, flowing or a combination. Line has length and breadth where length is dominant. It can be thick or thin and has direction. A series of lines if joined, shape, area and space may be defined by the line. Line is two-dimensional (flat pencil lines) but can be three-dimensional (wire). Visual element: SizeThe factor that indicates dimension. Size may be large, small, of somewhere in between. Visual element: MassThe factor that indicates heavy or light weight, or density or solidity of matter. Simple forms of mass are sphere, cone, cube, pyramid, prism, or ovoid. Mass relates to space and may be real (lump of clay) or apparent (drawn). Visual element: SpaceSpace relates to a lack of obvious other element (particularly mass and line). However space usually relates to being inside, outside, under or over. Space may be open (incomplete) or closed (a boundary). Space also may be actual or implied. It is sometimes termed environment. Visual element: DirectionThe factor that indicates aim or course of movement. The movement may be actual or suggested. Direction may be horizontal, vertical or oblique and relates to a plane or axis. There is a start and an end and can be seen in a serial order or sequence.