The Artist's Toolkit: Encyclopedia: Balance | ArtsConnectEd (2024)

FAQs

What is balance in art principles? ›

The principles of design describe the ways that artists use the elements of art in a work of art. Balance is the distribution of the visual weight of objects, colors, texture, and space. If the design was a scale, these elements should be balanced to make a design feel stable.

Balance can be achieved with just color values alone. A small amount of color can offset the visual weight of a large area of neutral values. Similarly, a small area of warm color can balance a large area of cool color. This Pop Art image illustrates symmetrical color balance.

Variety refers to how artists and designers add complexity to their work using visual elements. Contrast, difference and change, and elaboration all add visual interest to an artist's work. Part of Art and DesignPrinciples of Design.

UNITY is about separate parts working together in a composition. In an artwork, unity creates a sense of harmony and wholeness by using similar elements and placing them in a way that creates a feeling of “oneness.” VARIETY adds interest by using juxtaposition and contrasting elements within the composition.

The tree is asymmetrically balanced; its branches are not distributed equally on each side but their total weight is balanced left and right. The sun is an example of radial balance; all its rays are equal in length from the center.

There are three main types of balance: symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial.

Balance refers to how the elements of art (line, shape, color, value, space, form, texture) relate to each other within the composition in terms of their visual weight to create visual equilibrium. That is, one side does not seem heavier than another.

Balance is how equal or unequal a visual appears. Harmony is when combined elements complement one another.

Shape: Shape size is VERY important to balance… Individually-small shapes are light, larger shapes are heavier. A small shape next to a large shape will weigh less than the larger shape. Grouping a few small shapes together can have equal weight with one larger shape.

Focal Point – the most important part or area in a work of art. All other parts should center around, provide background for, or draw attention to the focal point. It is also called the center of interest.

What is dominance in art? ›

Dominance refers to the visual weight or prominence of an element within a design composition. It involves making certain elements stand out more than others, creating a clear focal point. Dominance helps establish the hierarchy of importance and directs the viewer's gaze.

In the world of art, we see juxtaposition used to refer to works composed various unrelated elements or fragments placed side-by-side, or atop one another to create an interesting effect of comparison or contrast.

Value is one of the elements of art that dictates how light or dark a color appears. Whether you're working with acrylic paints, watercolors, pastels, or graphite, a basic tonal shift in the value of a color can communicate light source, focal point, and depth.

A tint is where an artist adds a colour to white to create a lighter version of the colour. An example of a tint is pink. Pink is a tint created by adding white to red. A shade is where an artist adds black to a colour to darken it down. A tone is where an artist adds grey to a colour.

Scale refers to the overall physical size of an artwork or objects in the artwork. We always relate scale to the size of the human body - how big or small the piece is in relation to us. An artist may decide to use a scale which is different from life-sized and this will have an impact on how it feels.

In visual design— whether it's illustration, graphic design, photography — balance is one way forms and space relate to each other. It deals with the positioning and proportion of elements in a design as they relate to each other and also to the entire design space. Balance is an innate, fundamental human expectation.

Balance refers to an individuals ability to maintain their line of gravity within their Base of support (BOS). It can also be described as the ability to maintain equilibrium, where equilibrium can be defined as any condition in which all acting forces are cancelled by each other resulting in a stable balanced system.

Balance is a principle of art concerned with arranging elements so no one part of a work overpowers, or seems heavier than, any other part. In art, balance is seen or felt by the viewer. In works of art, three kinds of balance are possible. They are formal balance, informal balance, and radial balance.