Essential Elementary Art Vocabulary

ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES

Line

Thick/Thin • Wavy • Zigzag • Horizontal • Vertical • Diagonal • Contour

Color

Primary • Secondary • Neutral • Intermediate • Warm • Cool • Complementary • Monochromatic

Shape and Form

2D • Geometric • Organic • 3D • Cube/Sphere/Pyramid/Cone (etc.) • Silhouette

Texture

Real • Implied

Space

Positive • Negative • Overlap • Perspective

Value

Shading • Highlight • Shadow • Tint • Shade

Balance

Symmetrical • Asymmetrical • Radial

Pattern

Repetition

SUBJECT MATTER

Landscape

Background • Foreground • Middleground • Horizon Line • Vanishing Point • Cityscape • Seascape

Portrait

Self-Portrait • Profile

Still Life

MEDIA/MEDIUM

Drawing

Outline • Sketch • Stippling • Hatching • Cross-Hatching

Painting

Watercolor • Wash • Resist

Printmaking

Stamping • Relief

Sculpture

Mobile • Free-Standing

Ceramics

Clay • Pinch • Roll • Coil • Slab • Slip/Score • Kiln • Fire • Bisque • Glaze

Weaving

Loom • Warp • Weft

Collage and Assemblage

Architecture

Photography

RESPONDING AND REFLECTING

Realistic • Abstract

Detail • Sharp • Blurred

Decorative • Functional