Learning about the Seven Elements of Art

May 6, 2023 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

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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Celebrating Mexican Independence Day

Lots of Americans seem to think that May 5 is Mexican Independence Day, but that holiday actually falls on Sept. 16.

May 5 is the celebration of the Battle of Puebla, in which the Mexicans defeated the French in 1862. Independence Day marks the beginning of their fight for independence from Spain in 1810. That was the day of what’s known as El Grito de Dolores, or the cry of Dolores, for when the Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla rang the church bells at his church in Dolores and declared that Mexico should be free from Spanish rule.

They would fight for their freedom until 1821 when they finally gained independence.

Fabulous Classroom has a little of the history and ideas for celebrating the holiday for all age groups. There’s also a link to a good video in that post about the real story of Mexican Independence Day.

Twinkl also has a good tops about the history and different activities, discussion ideas, crafts and foods that can be incorporated into lessons at school or used at home.

I also found a few pins that no longer link to a website but include good information on Mexican Independence Day, including some questions for students to answer based on the reading. You can find more printables and questions for kids from TX Homeschool Mama on Etsy (also available in Spanish).

You can find a lot more paid resources about Mexican Independence Day at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Mexican flag crafts are a fun option for celebrating Mexican Independence Day (though the current iteration of their flag has only been in use since 1968). Kids Activities Blog has a free Mexican flag printable and a few different ideas for decorating it including dot markers and torn tissue paper.

You can also find some great Mexican crafts at Red Ted Art. The post includes all sorts of Mexican inspired projects including Day of the Dead crafts, Frida Kahlo pinatas and upcycled musical instruments. I love the giant paper flowers they shared from Honestly WTF.

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