This document provides information about elements and principles of art and assigns a project for students to create compositions highlighting a specific element or principle. It defines the seven elements of art as line, shape, color, value, form, texture, and space. The principles of art are described as techniques used to arrange the elements into aesthetically pleasing compositions, including balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, and unity/harmony. Students will be assigned an element or principle and asked to research it, create six compositions demonstrating it with various materials, photograph their compositions, and present three of their best works to the class.

1. Elements + Principles =
Compostion

2. Artist Inspiration: Lisa Congdon
Lisa Congdon is an internationally known fine artist,
illustrator and writer. Lisa is self-taught and didn’t achieve
momentum in her career until she was nearly 40 years old.

3. Elements of Art:
The Building Blocks of Visual Art
There are 7 main elements (or ingredients) that allow images to
communicate - this is the VISUAL language.
Just as we have a language for speaking and music, artists need a
consistent method with which to convey an idea, and therefore, all
artworks are constructed from these building blocks:
● Line
● Shape
● Color
● Value
● Form
● Texture
● Space

5. Artist Inspiration: Sarah Sze
Sarah Sze is a contemporary artist known for sculpture and installation
works that employ everyday objects to create multimedia landscapes.
She was born in Boston and is a professor at Columbia University

6. Principles of Art:
The Techniques of Visual Art
The job of the principles is to arrange and organize
the elements (like a recipe) into aesthetically
pleasing compositions.These are the techniques
artists use to convey their ideas clearly:
● Balance
● Contrast
● Emphasis
● Movement
● Pattern
● Rhythm
● Unity/Harmony (used interchangeably)

8. Artist Inspiration: Fred Wilson
Fred Wilson is an American artist and describes himself as of "African, Native American,
European and Amerindian" descent. He creates sculptures of his own, but is also known for
re-curating gallery collections to convey new messages about race and colonialism.

9. Composition
The term composition means "putting
together". It can be thought of as the
organization of the elements of art according
to the principles of art. Composition can apply
to any work of art, from music through writing
and into photography, that is arranged using
conscious thought.

10. Artist Inspiration: Mark Dion
“Trash on the Beach” Mark Dion is an American Conceptual
artist whose practice examines the history of the museum and
the presentation of knowledge.

11. Project Requirements
• You will be split up into small groups or
partnerships to become the ambassadors
for your assigned element & principle
• You must research your assigned element
or principle so that you can confidently
explain to the class how you used the
element & principle in your composition
• You will create 6 different compositions
that highlight your assigned element &
principle
• You must take clear photographs of each of
your compositions once they are complete.

12. Tips:
● I would suggest working on one composition
at a time.
● Make sure all group members are
contributing to the project in a meaningful
way.
● Don’t be afraid to try something new.

13. Steps to take:
1. RESEARCH – familiarize yourself your element & principle by doing
a bit of research on how artists use it in their own work
2. WORK TOGETHER - with your teammate(s), come up with a plan for
how you can create compositions that effectively conveys your
assigned element & principle.
3. GATHER MATERIALS– using whatever materials you can find in the
art room, begin to gather what you need for your compositions
4. CREATE - using a piece of paper as your substrate, begin to arrange
your materials into a composition
5. PHOTOGRAPH – once your group is satisfied with the composition,
take a photo of the composition and move on to the next one.You
need a total of 6 different compositions.
6. PRESENT - you will choose the 3 best compositions you created and
present them to the class, making sure to include information about
your assigned element & principle and how you utilized it