Visual Language and the Formal Elements
The building blocks artists use: line, shape, form, tone, colour and texture, and how they combine into a visual language that communicates mood and meaning.
Justify the choices, the way you are assessed
Free interactive practice on the decisions the assessment actually asks you to justify.
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The building blocks of art
Artists build their work from a set of formal elements: line, shape, form, tone, colour and texture. Together these make up the visual language of art, the way an artist uses marks and materials to communicate an idea or a mood. A strong personal response uses these elements on purpose.
Words for the elements
Learn these four formal elements before you explore the rest.
Shape and form
Two elements are easy to confuse, so compare them carefully.
Trace it back to your investigation
To reach the top grades, make sure your final response traces back to your earlier investigation, and explain the effect of each formal element you use, not just its name.
Match the element to its meaning
- line
- shape
- form
- tone
- a mark that shows outline, movement or direction
- a flat, enclosed two-dimensional area
- a three-dimensional shape with volume
- how light or dark something is
Match the term to its meaning
- colour
- texture
- visual language
- primary colours
- the hue of something, which can feel warm or cool
- how a surface looks or feels
- using the formal elements to communicate meaning
- red, yellow and blue
What is tone?
What does tone mean in art?
- How light or dark something is.
- The subject of the artwork.
- The price of the materials.
- The colours an artist chooses.
Formal elements
Select the TWO formal elements.
- Line.
- Texture.
- The gallery.
- The picture frame.
Order the artwork
Put the steps of building an artwork in order, earliest first.
- Sketch the main lines
- Block in the shapes
- Add tone for light and shadow
- Add colour and texture
Summarise the elements
Artists use the formal elements as a visual _____. A mark is a _____, a flat enclosed area is a _____, and a three-dimensional shape is a _____. How light or dark something is, is called _____.
Count the elements
How many formal elements does the spec list: colour, line, form, shape, tone and texture?
Spot the two formal elements
Tap the TWO formal elements.
- tone
- texture
- the gallery
- the frame
- the price
Which formal element?
Decide which formal element each artist is using.
- An artist draws bold marks to lead the eye across the page
- An artist shades from light to dark to show a curved surface
- An artist adds rough, bumpy marks so the surface looks gritty
Create a mood
Explain how an artist could use the formal elements to create a calm or a dramatic mood. Name at least two elements and describe the effect of each.
- Name a formal element and its effect
- Name a second element and its effect
- Say what overall mood they create