The Elements of Art

The building blocks of all creative work

Whakataukī | Proverb

"Toi te kupu, toi te mana, toi te whenua"

Art of language, art of prestige, art of the land.

All art forms - whether visual, spoken, or performed - carry deep meaning and connection to our environment. The elements of art we study today are the same tools our tīpuna used in their carvings, weaving, and storytelling to express their relationship with the world around them.

Line

A mark made on a surface. Can be straight, curved, thick, thin, etc.

Educational diagram showing different types of lines used in art: straight horizontal and vertical lines, curved lines, zigzag lines, dotted lines, and diagonal lines demonstrating the variety of marks artists can make

Shape

A 2D area enclosed by a line. Can be geometric or organic.

Visual comparison of geometric shapes including circles, squares, triangles, and rectangles alongside organic shapes like leaf forms, cloud-like shapes, and irregular natural forms showing the difference between man-made and nature-inspired shapes

Form

A 3D object that has height, width, and depth.

Three-dimensional forms including a cube showing geometric edges and corners, a sphere with rounded surface, and a cylinder demonstrating how shapes become forms when they have height, width, and depth

Colour

The element of art that is produced when light, striking an object, is reflected back to the eye.

Traditional color wheel showing primary colors (red, blue, yellow), secondary colors (green, orange, purple), and tertiary colors arranged in a circular pattern to demonstrate color relationships and how colors mix to create new hues

Texture

The way something feels or looks like it would feel.

Visual examples of different textures including smooth surfaces, rough bark-like textures, soft fuzzy materials, hard metallic surfaces, and bumpy textures showing how artists can create the illusion of how things feel through visual techniques

Space

The area around, between, or within elements of an artwork.

Diagram illustrating positive and negative space concepts where positive space shows the main subject or object while negative space shows the empty areas around and between objects, demonstrating how both work together in artistic composition

Value

The lightness or darkness of a colour. It helps create depth and form.

Grayscale value scale showing gradual progression from pure white through various shades of gray to deep black, demonstrating how value creates contrast, depth, and dimensional form in artwork

Art Detective 🎨

Look at the artwork below. Identify three elements of art that the artist has used and explain how they used them.

Vincent van Gogh's famous painting 'The Starry Night' showing a swirling night sky with bright stars over a village with a prominent cypress tree in the foreground. The painting demonstrates multiple elements of art including curved and flowing lines in the sky, organic and geometric shapes in the buildings and landscape, vibrant colors of blue, yellow, and green, varied textures through thick brushstrokes, and strong value contrast between the dark foreground and bright sky

Element 1:

How it's used:

Element 2:

How it's used:

Element 3:

How it's used:

Your Mini-Masterpiece

In the box below, create a small drawing that focuses on using line, shape, and texture.

📚 NZ Curriculum Alignment

The Arts - Visual Arts

Achievement Objective: VA4-1

Use the elements and principles of visual art to create works

Key Competencies

• Using language symbols and texts (visual)
• Thinking creatively in visual arts

📋 View Full Curriculum Framework