Critiquing Tools

Art Vocabulary List

Emphasis- is a principle of art which occurs any time an element of a piece is given dominance by the artist. In other words, the artist makes part of the work stand out, in order to draw the viewer's eye there first.

Balance- As a basic principle of art (specifically of design), balance refers to the ways in which the elements (lines, shapes, colors, textures, etc.) of a piece are arranged. Balance is one of those useful terms to know, if one is to employ Art Speak.

cross hatch styles

Cross Hatch - Hatching (hachure in French) is an artistic technique used to create tonal or shading effects by drawing (or painting or scribing) closely spaced parallel lines. (It is also used in monochromatic heraldic representations to indicate what the tincture of a "full-colour" emblazon would be.) When lines are placed at an angle to one another, it is called cross-hatching.
Symmetry - is what occurs when one side of something balances out or mirrors the other. If you were to draw a midline from the top of your forehead, down the middle of your nose, over your lips and to the bottom of your chin, you could see that your eyes, ears, nostrils, and teeth all mirror each other on either side of the line. That's symmetry.

Rhythm- is a principle of art that's difficult to summarize in words. Assuming that you've picked up on a rhythm in music before, take what you heard with your ears and try to translate that to something you'd see with your eyes. Rhythm, in art, is a visual beat.

Adjecticve List

Value- Shadows, darkness, contrasts and light are all values in artwork.

Collage -Collage is from the French meaning "paste up". The combination of pieces of cloth, magazines and other found objects to create artwork.

Impasto

Fresco-Pigment is applied directly to damp plaster making this wall painting medium one of the most permanent form of wall decoration.

Impasto -A manner of painting where the paint is laid on thickly so texture stands out in relief.

Pigment-Pigment is the material used to create the effect of color on any surface.

Principles and elements of Design

Principles:

Emphasis- is the design principle that makes sure attention is drawn to the most important part of a design. This can be seen in the design to the left. This design uses scale and proportion to draw your attention to the main focal point.

Balance- is what gives a design stability and equilibrium. It distributes visual “weight” throughout space making the design seem fluid rather than lopsided or heavy. There as the symmetrical balance and asymmetrical balance.

Harmony- Harmony in painting is the visually satisfying effect of combining similar, related elements. eg.adjacent colours on the colour wheel, similar shapes etc.

Scale-Scale controls object size and make sure everything is well balanced and ensure a smooth and eye-catching design.

Elements: 

line

Line- Line can be considered in two ways. The linear marks made with a pen or brush or the edge created when two shapes meet.

Value- Value is the lightness or darkness of a colour. Value is also called Tone

Texture- Is the surface quality of a shape - rough, smooth, soft hard glossy etc. Texture can be physical (tactile) or visual.

Shape- A shape is a self contained defined area of geometric or organic form. A positive shape in a painting automatically creates a negative shape.

Direction- All lines have direction - Horizontal, Vertical or Oblique. Horizontal suggests calmness, stability and tranquillity. Vertical gives a feeling of balance, formality and alertness. Oblique suggests movement and action