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| DESIGN ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES DESIGN ELEMENTS: point line shape form tone texture colour letterform FOR TEACHERS DESIGN PRINCIPLES: figure-ground balance contrast cropping hierarchy scale proportion pattern |
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| DESIGN ELEMENT FORM FORM is three-dimensional (height, width, and depth) and encloses volume For example, a triangle, which is two-dimensional, is a shape, but a pyramid, which is three-dimensional, is a form. Cubes, spheres, pyramids, cones, and cylinders are examples of various forms. To see a variety of forms click here for a prism, cylinder and sphere click here for more, including a cone WHAT IS FORM? (and how is it achieved?) Go to www.mindspring.com/~maw01/school/introart/formcolr/formcolr.htm DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SHAPE AND FORM An area of color or an area defined by an enclosed line on a flat surface is a 'shape'. It is two-dimensional, consisting only of height and width, but not of depth. The three-dimensional mass or volume is called a 'form'. It consists of height, width and depth. The cube above appears to have depth although it is on a flat surface - it is an illusion of a form. A cardboard box, a ball, a pyramid in the desert - these are all examples of a three-dimensional form. You can see a form from many angles, whereas a shape is visible only from a certain number of angles. HOW TO SHOW FORM Shading of Lights and Darks When drawing or painting, one way to show the three-dimensionality of the subject is to shade the light and dark areas, also known as tones, or values. When working in black-and-white or color, subjects have varying values of light and dark, on a scale from white to black, or grayscale. Geometric objects, like a cube, will have more sharply defined areas of differing tones, depending on the amount and types of light in a room. These will have a smaller number of tones represented, and these will have sharper edges of tones. EXAMPLES To depict a cube, only three tonal values are necessary: the side which receives the most light being the lightest, the side furthest from the light source (the darkest), and a middle grey tone for the side which receives an in- between or indirect amount of light. Natural objects, on the other hand, can have an endless number of tones represented, and these will often have softer, less defined edges. EXAMPLES Nemo Still Life Face Head (by Durer) Click here for ACTIVITY: SPHERES - RENDERING HOME |
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