7 Elements of Art and Their Importance

Understanding any field requires complete knowledge about it. If you are unaware of the basics, you may not be able to step in it.

14:30 24 February 2020

Art is considered the easiest field to choose, but in reality, it has the same demands as any other field. Your strong foundation in the art can help you become the best painter in town.

Art isn’t something you see in frames with different colors. Art is an expression of feelings and thoughts of the painter. If someone digs up a little, the painting is a tsunami of emotions and secret thoughts. How does anyone achieve the level of excellence to depict his or her emotions? Complete grasp over the basic seven elements of art can make you an expert of art just like the father of Elizabeth Segerstrom.

Becoming the best in art isn’t easy, but if you are well-aware of the seven elements, it wouldn’t be impossible either.

Here are the seven elements of art and their importance to help you become a fine painter. 

1. Line

This is the simplest and most effective element that links two points together. It can be two dimensional, three dimensional, or an abstract. The first draft of a painting is never perfect. You have to amend it at least twice or thrice to get the right shape.

Lines can be straight or curly, thick or thin. Being the first and most important element, you must have good command over the drawing tools. The right lines can help you get the right picture. With the right shape of your thoughts, filling it and adding details would be the easiest task for you.

2. Color

Colors are the best part of every painting. Have you ever wondered about the impression colors leave on the viewer? A combination of bright colors portrays you as a happy painter. On the contrary, dark colors especially black and navy blue depict the darker side of one’s personality. It isn’t something that you can control, because the theme of your painting decides the color combination, but you have to wise in making the combination. Not every dark color can look good with another dark color. You would want to use a contrast of light and dark shades sometimes for your painting to be the best.

3. Form

The three-dimension effect or illusion in your painting is referred to as the form of the painting. Generally, it is a blend of length, height, and width that can create an optical illusion in the painting. Cubes, spheres, and cylinders are some common forms. In easier words, any shape that has a three-dimensional effect is called a form.

The form is the most important constituent in sculptures, but on paper, it has a comparatively lesser contribution. Nonetheless, it is important that you use the right forms in your painting and make it as real as possible. The more real it looks, the better you can convey your message.

4. Value

The value here doesn’t refer to the monetary or emotional value of art. The level of sharpness or depth your colors have is called the value of the painting. You may have chosen the right colors for your painting, but are you sure about the intensity of the colors? If not, then you must be worried about it.

Immensely intense colors can spoil your painting and extremely light colors can do the same. Every painting has a message or personality trait to depict. Choosing the right intensity of the colors is as important as choosing the appropriate colors. Be sure about the colors as well as the value of the painting. 

5. Shape

Form without its three-dimensional effect is called a shape. What would your painting look like if it has square instead of a circle? Weird, right? The perception of composition is based on shapes and the way they are blended. Shapes and lines are the two-dimensional elements that must be used rightly for the best painting you are expecting.

Is it possible to paint a human on canvas using squares only? No, you need more imaginations and shapes to give your thoughts some light. The right shapes mean the right painting. The right painting means the right color blending and the best painting.

6. Texture

The texture is the elaboration of how something feels or would feel like. It is the tactile quality of the area or illusion of that quality. Some painters use physical entities like cotton, wool, etc. to give their panting some texture. 

Texture makes the viewer feel what you want them to feel. Adding texture means adding value to the art. It makes your painting look more realistic and rich in emotions.

7. Space

Space is the area that surrounds the main picture. With modernity, the idea of space is categorized into two; positive space and negative space. Positive space means the area that the subject has used whereas, negative space means the empty or unused area of the painting that surrounds the subject.

Space is another important element that depends upon the lines, colors, forms, and shapes of the painting.

How to Blend the Elements Rightly?

This is a trick question for most of the painters especially beginners. The right amalgamation of the seven elements results in the best portrait. One wrong combination and the portrait may lose some points. For bonus points, you have to be wise in blending the elements.

The easiest way to blend the elements rightly is confidence and practice. How can you be confident about the portrait? No matter what the theme is, brainstorm it and visualize it in mind. Start working once your mind is set. You will ultimately have the confidence to give your thoughts a life.

No human is perfect and you can’t expect the most beautiful piece of art in your first attempt. It takes time and practice for the perfect element blending and the most precious pieces of art to make a way in exhibitions.

The Final Word

Being perfect at everything isn’t possible but you can be the best at something. Art is one of the most interesting areas of life. It lets you express yourself without saying anything. A little focus on the paintings in an exhibition can help identify the basic personality of the artist.

Being able to express yourself in a splash of colors sounds easy, but it requires expertise as well. The seven elements of art and their importance are not unknown to anyone. If you can understand them, art wouldn’t be a problem for you anymore. These elements serve as the ingredients of a meal. Taking the appropriate amount of everything, the dish would be appealing to everyone. Happy painting!