Elements and Principles
Explore Mia’s collection to learn about the elements and principles of the visual arts.
Elements of Art: Texture
Look closely at artworks to figure out how artists created an illusion of texture using color, line, shading, and brush strokes. Draw on your personal experience knowing what the object should feel like—to describe what you see.
Elements of Art: Space
Select artworks at Mia to explore and demonstrate how create space using a variety of techniques including positive and negative space, linear and atmospheric perspective, overlap and size.
Elements of Art: Shape
Geometric shapes are mathematical shapes like circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, cubes, spheres, and cones. Organic shapes are shapes from nature like leaves or flowers. Sketch and describe the geometric and organic shapes you see in artworks.
Elements of Art: Line
Geometric shapes are mathematical shapes like circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, cubes, spheres, and cones. Organic shapes are shapes from nature like leaves or flowers. Sketch and describe the geometric and organic shapes you see in artworks.
Elements of Art: Color
Color can be an incredibly expressive element of art. Color is used to project a mood or tone, create depth and focus, and emphasize light. Learn about hue, value and intensity, and study artworks to understand how artists use all three.
Primary and Secondary Colors
Use a color wheel to learn about the relationship between primary and secondary colors. Then, identify which of these you see in diverse artworks.
Warm and Cool Colors
The color wheel contains two groups of colors: warm and cool. Pick three artworks—one primarily made with warm colors, one primarily made with cool colors, and one that is black and white—to explore how color impacts the mood of each.
Color Schemes
Use this worksheet to enhance classroom study of color schemes including Triadic, Monochromatic, Complementary, Split Complementary, and Analogous.
Principles of Art: Balance
Visual balance is the way different parts of an art composition are arranged in relation to each other. Three of the most common types are Symmetrical, Asymmetrical and Radial balance. Find three different artworks that incorporate each type of balance. Sketch the artwork and explain how it is balanced.
Principles of Art: Emphasis
Artists create emphasis to draw attention to the most important elements in an artwork They can use a range of techniques including distortion or exaggeration, contrast, size, or repetition. Look for an artwork that catches your eye, sketch it and describe how it illustrates emphasis.
Principles of Art: Rhythm and Patterns
Pattern is created by a combination of regular, repeated elements like lines, shapes, and/or colors. Look closely at artworks to figure out what kind of pattern or rhythm it illustrates ranging from regular to random.
Principles of Art: Unity
Unity is a sense of oneness in an artwork. To create unity, all parts of the design must work together in harmony instead of competing for attention. Find three artworks that illustrate unity and describe the ways the artists achieved it.