Did you know that what we think of as a good piece of art typically includes seven elements? Those elements are:
- line: the basic marks that form a drawing or painting
- shape: two-dimensional objects that can be formed from lines
- form: three-dimensional objects
- space: the illusion of depth and distance between objects
- texture: how something looks like it feels
- value: lightness or darkness
- color: refers to the particular hue, value and intensity of colors used in a project
Those are super quick definitions, and of course artists can study these elements deeply and consider how different choices make their work look and feel different to the viewer.
When teaching kids about art, these are great terms for you and for them to know so you can talk about their art in ways that don’t judge or interpret it but really refer more specifically to what you see. (“Those forms are interesting” instead of “Is that an elephant?”)
Little Bins for Little Hands has a more in-depth discussion of the seven elements of art, complete with a free printable and different exercises you can do with your kids to learn more about how the different elements work in a drawing, painting, sculpture or other piece of art.
It might be fun to try having an art week where you work with each of these elements, or a DIY summer camp where you play with a different one of the elements each day. Like, how many different ways can you think of to add texture to a project? Maybe painting on a surface that was rough to start with, or using something with a lot of texture to paint with. What does painting with a feather look like versus painting with bubble wrap? What happens when you draw with a single color, or try to use all the colors? So many fun potential ideas!
[Photo: Little Bins for Little Hands.]
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