7 Themes Of Art 

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”― Pablo Picasso

Art, like many subjects, has a set of basic rules. These foundational elements are studied to enhance your development as an artist and consist of understanding line, shape, form, texture, colour, value, and space. Team these rules with your creative intuition and you have the perfect recipe to build your artistic skills and develop your person style. Let’s have a brief look at each of these basic building blocks that set you up for growth as as artist.

Lines
Lines convey all sorts of movement, direction and emotions which is why they are considered the most basic but essential element of art. How you present them can change the feeling of your artwork. For example, jagged lines can evoke feelings of chaos or tension, while smooth, flowing lines can convey calmness and grace. Mastering the use of straight, curved, thick, thin, solid, or broken lines allows artists to outline shapes, suggest textures, and form intricate designs. Nailing your line work helps in drafting compositions, structuring artworks, and enhancing the overall visual impact.

Shape 
By shape, we are referring to flat entities in art, anything defined by lines that is two-dimensional. Learning this is fundamental in creating a sense of space and structure within an artwork. By manipulating shapes, artists can create balance, contrast, and harmony through geometric shapes like squares and circles, or more organic forms that are irregular and free form in style. Understanding this helps in understanding how different elements within a piece relate to each other and how they contribute to the overall composition.

Form
This refers to anything three-dimensional and adding depth and volume to art. Mastering this allows artists to create more realistic and lifelike representations through the use of cubes and sphere in geometric form or more organic forms like the contours of the human body. This all adds to having a better understanding of dimension and perspective which is crucial for all artists aiming to achieve a sense of realism or three-dimensionality in their work.

Texture
This is all about how the surface of an artwork feels or how it appears to feel. Texture adds to the surface quality, depth and interest of your artwork to make it more engaging and can be done via a literal, physical texture or an implied visual. An example of this could be a forest scene - the rough texture of the trees and foliage can be depicted through detailed brushstrokes or physically built up of textured materials. Creating and using texture effectively in your work can bring a tactile quality, enhancing its visual appeal and makes it more immersive.

Colour
Colour is the most effective way to express over all feelings and the mood with in your artwork. Made up of hue, saturation and brightness, these elements teamed together in the right way can have a powerful psychological effect. Understanding colour theory and how colours connect and interact with each other enable artists to make informed choices to enhance specific emotional messages for visual impact. Mastering this will allow you convey your intended message more effectively by creating harmony, contrast, and emphasis more effectively.

Value
Value is the study of light and dark in colour and is a crucial element in creating depth and contrast to your work. Once you understand value, you can manipulate your medium to create a sense of volume and form, making two-dimensional artworks appear three-dimensional. Learning this means shading, highlighting, and dynamic range of tones more achieved with more realistic results and will enhance the overall visual impact of a piece.

Space
This is the area in, around and between objects and is referred to in two forms: Positive and negative. Positive space is what is occupied by an object, negative is the empty area around an object. By using space, it helps artists create a sense of depth and perspective, making their work more realistic. Practicing techniques such as overlapping, scaling, and linear perspective will enable you to nail the essential tools for manipulating space. It enables artists guide the viewers eye, enhance the balance and harmony as well as composing your work more effectively.

Embracing these foundational elements will not only improve your technical skills but also enrich your creative expression, helping you grow and evolve as an artist. It will enhance your ability to convey your artistic vision, create more dynamic compositions, and engage viewers on a deeper level. We completely understanding these rules aren’t for everyone – and that is OK! Everyone has their own vision and that the amazing thing about art, there are no limitations. Follow the rules, break the rules - so long as you are having fun that’s where art starts and ends. So... Keep Scrawling!