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Human beings are uniquely wired to receive stories. Our brains instinctively try to put images together to make sense of what we see. The art of visual storytelling is the ability to use images to convey a certain message.

Video, being a visual medium, is one of the supreme storytelling formats. If you want productions that will stay in your audience's mind, you must tell a story. This is true of the news, sitcoms, business presentations and wedding videos. People may become interested by your stunning visuals and graphics, but the story is what will remain in their mind. On the flip side, your visuals can also contradict your storytelling. Using the wrong framing, lighting or music can actually send the wrong message.

Additionally, the ability to tell your story visually, without dialogue, can open up the entire non-English speaking world. Learning the art of visual storytelling can help you communicate your message to a new audience. The key to learning visual storytelling is to observe how this is being done all around you. For example, large corporations often use the same advertising around the world by simply changing a few graphics.

Try This Experiment

To begin understanding visual storytelling, try this exercise: Turn your television to a drama that you have never seen and turn the sound off. Without hearing a single word, can you tell what's happening? You may not be completely correct, but your mind will want to make sense of the story. How quickly do you begin to tell yourself the story?

Continue watching until you can tell who is the villain and who is the hero. How can you tell the difference? Is it a matter of lighting? Is there a difference in the framing of the shot? Start watching TV and movies in this way; watch for the visual story.

The Elements of a Story

What makes a good story? Every story, whether visual or not, has to contain several elements or it's not a story. A story needs a main character, preferably someone we care about. Second, the character needs to have some kind of problem or conflict. Finally there has to be a resolution of that problem.

This story arc, as it is called, was discovered by Aristotle thousands of years ago. The professional visual storytellers in Hollywood have been using this concept since the silent movie days.

The storyteller's art is in how well he or she can make us care about the main character and draw us into the conflict. For example, in Star Wars, you begin to genuinely care about Luke Skywalker, and George Lucas kept us engaged with his quest. Partially, this was done with great visual storytelling. Luke was in his white clothes and Darth Vader all in black. Even the bright planet of Tatooine vs. the colorless Imperial spacecraft demonstrates the hero and villain of the story.

It's a Matter of Trust

The most basic visual element to be considered when building your story around a main character is your subject's eyes. Humans are wired to look at a person's eyes. It begins with nursing babies looking at their mother and we never stop throughout our lives. We gain information about other people by looking at their eyes. In building a visual story, the eyes are critical. Always check focus on your subjects' eyes. It's mandatory that the main character's eyes are seen. Eyes in shadows are fine for a villain, but not the hero, unless you're making a dramatic reveal, like in the Indiana Jones movies when Indy is first introduced. Consider lighting your subject's eyes with small eyelights.

The placement of your lens to your subject's eyes is important. The camera is the audience's eyes. The viewer needs to be at the same eye level, or close to it, to establish trust. Watch the evening news and you'll notice that the newscasters are always at eye level. In the very early days of television it was discovered that we have to trust the newscaster. If someone is above the level of the camera, they are essentially looking down at the audience. You never want your protagonist to look down at the audience. It's fine for your antagonist. We expect that. Think Star Wars again. Darth Vader is portrayed by actor Dave Prowse who was chosen partially because he stands 6-feet 6-inches. He always looks down at the camera.

Lighting your character's eyes also plays a big part in the visual story. It is said that director Francis Ford Coppola deliberately didn't light the eyes of his main character, Don Vito Corleone, but rather kept them shadowed to make him appear a more menacing character.

Stirring the Pot

Once we establish who our characters are and we begin to trust them, we need to get to heart of the story: the conflict. In telling a story with visuals, this may be difficult to think through and it does require planning. If your goal is to tell some of your story without dialogue, angles play an important role. Just as having a villain look down to the camera conveys a certain mood. Your subject's relationship to a person or thing also communicates ideas and feelings. One common scene shows the main character looking up at something, then the camera pulls out and up to show what he or she's looking at. This shows a conflict. The visuals show the obstacle that needs to be overcome.

Another visual storytelling angle that shows emotion is the reaction shot. All of us do this more than we realize. We're with a friend and someone insults them. We will instinctively look for our friend's face for a reaction.

The shot is used in dozens of ways like a crowd applauding or laughing, a tight shot of our hero's eyes looking angry at the villain, a bride's mother tearing up, etc. A great reaction shot can add to your story by showing feeling. Of course, lighting can convey many moods as well. Lighting can change the mood of a scene from a happy stroll in the park to a scary, dangerous, trek through the woods. Same scene, same actors, just changing the lighting from high-key with little contrast to a low-key deep contrast look.

Visualizing Shot by Shot

If you haven't already thought of this, this is going to require planning out every shot of your story. If you are planning a completely wordless story, you will have to think differently.You will have to think in shots. As the camera records, think about what every scene says in the visual story. Visual storytelling will often rely heavily on a storyboard. A storyboard is a series of sketches that map out each shot. Don't worry if you feel you can't draw, it just has to make visual sense. The storyboard becomes the script for your visual storytelling.

Mood Music

Music plays a key role whenever you are telling a story without dialogue. Although the concept of music and mood is a study in itself, music has a powerful effect to add to or take from the story.

As you are looking to enhance your project, pay attention to what your music is saying. One last journey to the galaxy far, far away; think about how you could tell Darth Vader was near because of the dramatic Imperial March. It just wouldn't be the same if this classic villain was introduced with circus music.

Think about your choice of music carefully. Make sure the music conveys the right theme. For example, what does heroic music sound like? What does music do for a conflict scene? Watch your favorite movie and become aware of the music. You can learn a lot from observation.

Bringing It Together

If your goal is to create a completely wordless video or simply enhance the stories that you are already telling, become aware of the art of visual storytelling. Watch movies and TV with a new perspective. Watch how the various angles say something about what is happening in the conflict. Be aware of how editing and lighting plays a part. Become more aware of the music around you. Ask yourself how all of these change your mood and enhance the story.

SIDEBAR 1

The Disney Difference

If you want to immerse yourself in the art of visual storytelling, visit a Disney theme park. As Walt Disney created his first park, Disneyland, he called upon the talents of cinematographers, lighting designers, art directors and more. He called these professionals "Imagineers." He charged them with creating rides and attractions that tell stories entirely with visuals and music.

Imagineers today will tell you that Disney's tradition is even stronger now. Everything they do revolves around telling a story. They will tell you that even the shops and restaurants have stories. They plan the story before they begin the design process. They apply the same concepts found in visual storytelling to architecture, interior design and ride design. Nothing is added unless it fits the story. As you walk around a park, or even one of the hotels, look for the angles and lighting. Ask yourself who is the hero and who is the villain. Look for the conflict. Even the music will add to the story experience.

SIDEBAR 2

A True Test: Watch The Artist

For a real test of a modern movie with an old-fashioned storytelling style, watch the 2011 Academy Award winning silent film, The Artist. The story takes place during the heyday of the silent film era, right when the talkies were emerging. Due to it's story, the black and white footage without dialog fits the era, yet it was written, filmed and edited very strategically to entertain a modern-era audience. French director Michel Hazanavicius must have had quite the struggle with the Hollywood industry to get the movie off the ground. What made it work? Good storytelling. Once you get past the first few minutes' revelation that there is no dialog, every video producer who strives to tell a story well would benefit from watching this movie.

Jeff Chaves is the Chief Creative Officer of Grace Pictures Inc., which he co-owns with his wife, Peggy. He got his start as an Army Broadcaster in the 1980s and spent 12 plus years working on broadcasting. Jeff left broadcast television to pursue full-time ministry.

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Visual storytelling is the art of conveying a message with the visual images of a story. Because people are uniquely wired to receive stories, it's important to understand this art. With it, we can help impact people with our videos. Without it, we can take away from the message we want to send.

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What really differentiates movies from plays is the way filmmakers manipulate the audience's field of view. In theater, the audience is in a "wide shot," always looking at the entire stage and all the actors on it. They are free to look wherever they want. In cinema, however, the filmmaker directs what the public sees and how. While a long shot can show a vast vista of Mount Everest, an extreme close-up can show the silent despair of a child learning that his mother has passed away. These different shots make up the fabric of visual storytelling. Read on:

Wide/Long Shot

Long shots are used to emphasize a sweeping location around the subject.

Long shot and wide shot are interchangeable terms.

This frame from Gone with the Wind (1939) emphasizes the tragedy of the Civil War and its death toll. Can you find Scarlet O'Hara in the picture?

Wide shots are more easily captured with wide-angle lens*.

For the Sake of Clarity

Establishing Shot and Master Shot

An establishing shot and a master shot are not the same per se. But they were combined under the same subheading because the framing and composition are usually the same for both of them.

An establishing shot introduces a new location - a church, a city street, a rooftop, a hospital room - from a vantage point that allows the audience to see all the relevant characters in the filmic space. A master shot would probably be recorded from the same position, with the same lens, also showing all the characters. The difference is the duration. A master shot records the entire action, a complete run-through from that same camera position. This way if a tighter shot is forgotten or messed up during coverage, the director knows her editor will have enough material to show the scene in its entirety by cutting back to the master shot. In most movies, an establishing shot will last a few seconds before the editor cuts to medium shots and close-ups. However, if for someone reason the director decides that the cuts are not good enough, he may use the master shot of a scene to show the action unfold, in which case there would few to no cuts in that scene, which can a be a pleasant style.

I can already hear some of you asking that question. There are several purposes why that may be the case. For starters, a scene without cuts or edits keeps the viewing distraction-free, which can be great for tense scenes.

Have you seen Hitchcocks' Rope. That film is in my opinion one of Hitchcock's finest pieces. In Rope, there are two obvious cuts throughout the film. The other cuts are hidden in smooth transitions. This technique does wonders for the most suspenseful scenes in the movie by locking the audience to specific camera setups, which is not what we as movie-watchers are used to.

Another reason for that choice is budget constraints. If planned ahead of time, fewer cuts could translate to fewer camera setups, which could translate to fewer days of principal photography, which is amazing for the budget.

Sling Blade (1996, Billy Bob Thornton) comes to mind. This film, which was reportedly shot for 1 million dollars ( pocket change for Hollywood standards), uses a lot of lengthy master shots to show the action of a scene. And if you think that fewer shots means a poor movie, think again. Sling Blade went on to gross almost 25 million dollars and earn an Oscar f0r Thornton's screenplay.

To a sense, master shots are usually part of cinematography terminology because they should be standard practice for every new scene. Establishing shots, in the other hand, refer more to the editing phase of the movie, when the editor selects one quick angle to reveal the location.

Also, note that an establishing shot doesn't necessarily mean that we see the character's full body. Basically, the establishing shot displays the elements needed for the scene to function.

Full Shot (FS)

A full sh ot displays the character from head to toe, without showing much of his surroundings (or else it would be considered a long shot). These shots were very popular in the beginning of cinema before filmmakers had understood the power of medium shots and close-ups.

A full shot distances the character from the viewer both physically and psychologically. They carry less emotional weight, and therefore they are not the best choice during emotional scenes.

Whenever the director wants to convey someone's anger, fear, or joy, close-ups are way more effective. A full shot would be more appropriate during a character's entrance or a foot pursuit, for instance.

Medium Shot (MS)

Medium shots are the most common types of shots in the movies. Showing most of the subject's body, medium shots are halfway between long shots and close-ups; however, author s disagree on the definition. While some writers say that the medium shot shows the character from a little above the knees to the top of his head, others state that medium shots only go as low as a little above the waist. Regardless of the academic debate, a medium shot is by all definitions a happy medium between a full shot and a closeup. Also, composition guidelines suggest that frame lines shouldn't cut the actors on the joints, so as long as operators avoid knees, waists, elbows, etc., the framing shouldn't be a problem. In other words, just go a little higher or lower with the framing to avoid the joints.

The medium shot also includes two other famous shot types: The two-shot, with two actors facing the same screen direction, and the over-the-shoulder shot, showing a conversation in which the actors sit or stand across from each other:

To record medium shots, a normal lens* should be enough. Adjust distance accordingly.

In close-up shots, the subject occupies most of the frame, allowing very little observation on the environment. Close-ups are much more dramatic than long or medium shots. They are preferred when emphasizing someone's emotion:

Extreme Close-Up (ECU)

Often labeled as a detail shot, extreme close-ups do exactly that: show a small detail that would otherwise be missed in a winder shot.

For close-ups and extreme close-ups, telephoto lens* are more appropriate.

Insert Shots

Insert shots don't focus on people. They are utilized to emphasize a relevant object, such as a letter, an envelope with money, or a gun that would otherwise be lost in the grand mise-en-scène. Insert shots are tight shots in which objects fill most of the frame. Even if inserts don't reveal anything new, they are still welcome during the editing phase, as they smooth transitions between shots, often serving as a neutral shot that allows a breach of the 180 degree rule.

Reaction Shots

Simply put, reaction shots are a cutaway - usually a close-up - of an actor reacting to the main scene, like a conversation or an event, though it can be pretty much anything.The reaction may be conveyed by a sneer, furrowed browns, a grin, or any other gesture that conveys an emotion.

The logic of the reaction shot is that the emotional reaction of the actor depicted will move the story forward or reveal his traits.

* Further Reading: If you are confused by all the different types of lenses (i.e. wide-angle, telephoto, etc.) I mentioned on this page, then read our article about focal length here for further clarification. If questions persist, please don't hesitate to contact me.

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What really differentiates movies from plays is the way filmmakers manipulate the audience's field of view. In theater, the audience is in a "wide shot," always looking at the entire stage and all the actors on it. They are free to look wherever they want.

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Getting the right volume

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Background music can do wonderful things for your video. It can help create emotion, drive the pace and flow, and even hide pesky audio edits. But counter to what you may believe, the most successful background music is the music that you didn't even know was there.

Music VolumeMusic volume is one of those things that when done right, you won't even notice it's there. But getting the volume just right takes a bit of practice. If the music's too high, you risk drowning out the true message of your video. I mean, look at this. We have to use subtitles. But If it's too low, it can be kind of annoying, like the sound of a fly buzzing around your ear. In this case, music is doing more harm than good. There's no prescription for how loud or quiet your music should be. But when you hit that sweet spot, it'll just fade right into the background.

If the volume is too high, the music will overpower the spoken narrative of your video. This... is no good. If background music is too low, it can paradoxically draw attention to itself by making the viewer strain to hear it. The goal of background music to invisibly assist your video, not create a distraction.

Mixing the music volume in your video takes practice, and there's no exact formula for what level the music should be relative to the voice. It's all about training your ears to feel when the music is sitting just right in the mix.

To start your training, play around with this interactive volume video and try to listen for when the volume sits right in the mix. Click each different volume option below the video to hear the difference:

I watch a ton of videos that use ducking, where the music level comes down when someone is talking on screen, then instantly rises when they finish. This technique ensures that the music is not overpowering the voices on screen, but it fails by constantly calling attention to the music.

Personally, I keep the music at a consistent volume throughout the video. For this technique to work, you really have to find the right piece of music. Unless the video is highly specialized, I look for music that's simple and free from distracting elements (for example, group "whoa"-ing). In this case, I mix the music volume as high as I can get away with while making sure it doesn't overpower the narrative.

I'd be lying if I said I get the music volume right every time I edit a video. I've been known to mix the music too loud and make it tough to hear what's being said on camera. In these cases, I promptly remix the audio and use the good ol' Replace Video feature in Wistia.

Before you export, it helps to check how the video is going to sound in the real world. To do this, I listen to the video on headphones, external speakers, and even on the built-in laptop speakers to get a more realistic understanding of how the video will be watched in the wild.

What's your music mixing technique? How do you make sure the music volume is perfect in your video? How do you find the perfect song to match your narrative?

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Video Background Music: Getting the Volume Perfect

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Background music can do wonderful things for your video. It can help create emotion, drive the pace and flow, and even hide pesky audio edits. But counter to what you may believe, the most successful background music is the music that you didn't even know was there.

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There are different types of interviews and different ways of setting them up. The Oprah Winfrey show is different than 60 Minutes which is different than the Nightly News. This issue, we're going to look at several different interview styles, what they work best for, and how to prepare for and use them in your own work.

Prepared or Unprepared?

Certain types of interviews depend on complete spontaneity - a reporter with a microphone doing "man-on-the-street" interviews where they stop passers-by and ask for an instant response to a question. This works well for getting a quick sample from somewhat random people, but it doesn't work at all for some things. Compare this to and interview between a presidential candidate and a major news anchor. For weeks before the interview, the candidate and his advisors will carefully prepare responses to every question they think it's conceivable the interviewer would ask, and the interviewer will also spend a large amount of time researching current topics to the most relevant questions they can. Both the interviewer and the subject are prepared and usually have a general idea of how the interview will progress. We also expect that this interview will have perfect lighting and perfect audio in a studio, office or well-planned location with the perfect background.

When doing a prepared interview there's always more time available for you to set up equipment because you know several critical things - namely the where and the when. When chasing a disgraced CEO up the steps of the court house shouting "How much money do you have in your offshore accounts?" there isn't the time nor the facility to set up lights, to pre-focus and to attach a lav mic to the subject. You maybe put a light on your camera, make sure your batteries are charged, and go for it.

How to Prepare for a Spontaneous Interview

If your assignment is to try to catch a celebrity and get an unscheduled interview, (this is often called an "ambush interview" even when you're a wedding videographer getting reaction from people at the reception), there are some things you can do to increase your chances of getting usable footage.

Research: Find out the where and when as far in advance as possible. Do you know that your subject is scheduled to make a court appearance? Will they be walking down a red carpet? Arriving on an airplane? Getting out of a limo? Arrive early and survey the area - are there things to watch out for? Noise in the background? Alternate entrances your subject may use? Are there people there who may know more about the scene? Other videographers? People who live nearby?

Be Polite, be firm: Very often "no" means that you just haven't asked the right person. Bob Woodward, one of the journalists who broke the Watergate scandal said years later that the phrase that worked best in getting people to talk was "I need your help."

Be Prepared: It would be great if you get to ask ten questions, but plan for only getting one, try to make it one that hasn't already been answered. "Do you like your new movie?" is a question actors are asked and answer all the time. "How does this movie compare with your favorite childhood films?" is more unique. Someone on trial for bank robbery probably isn't going to blurt out a confession on the courtroom steps because you shout out "did you rob the bank?" but they may have something to say to a more practical question relating to their experiences with the trial.

Setting up for a Prepared Interview

Depending on what you want your final product to look like, there are a number of different things to take into consideration when setting up your lights and camera. Will the interviewer be in the shot? Will the interviewer be audible to the audience? Will it be shot with multiple cameras? Will the subjects be seated, or moving? Will you be able to stop during the interview, move cameras, or re-ask questions?

Who's Asking Who What Why?

Interviews can be held for a number of purposes - some of them might be:

1. To find out information that your subject might not want to divulge

2. To find stories and anecdotes that will entertain an audience

3. To create a historical record

4. To help the interviewee get information across

Interviews are usually considered either "soft" or "hard". A soft interview is one where both the person doing the interview and the person answering the questions have similar goals, which may be to promote a book, introduce a person to an audience, or honor a bride and groom. "Hard" interviews are ones where the interviewer's goal is finding out something, usually news, and the subject may have a different agenda. (such as covering their company's liabilities). This doesn't mean that a "hard news" interview is an unfriendly interview, but it may ask tough questions. The subject and the interviewer may decide beforehand the scope of the questioning ("Senator Smith will do the interview, provided no questions are asked about the incident in the cake factory.")

Interviews can be set up in a number of ways:

1. Both interviewer and subject visible in camera shot

2. Interviewer not visible, but heard

3. Interviewer not visible and not heard

4. Interviewer and subject in different locations entirely ("remote")

5. Live or edited?

Having both the subject and the host in the shot doesn't have to be "talk show" style, it can be two people walking down a road, or sitting on a bench. This style of interview is often used when the host is part of the interview's selling point because of their position or reputation. (Think Oprah.)

The host can also be off camera with a steady shot of the subject. You can cover this with one camera by shooting "reaction" shots afterwards. When the interview is over, turn the camera on the host and have her nod, frown, listen patiently, and then repeat one or two questions, this will give you some cutaways and keep your interview from being a single, static shot. It also gives you the option of cutting out some portion of the interview during a long reply.

Sometimes also, common in documentaries, the person asking the questions is neither seen nor heard - this requires the collusion of the subject along with open ended questions such as "Tell us about the early days of the band" which will give the subject room to talk at length. In the editing room, these longer answers can be woven into a narrative of the subject's own words.

"Remote" interviews are typically done by TV stations with the use of satellites bouncing audio and video between locations but there's no reason you can't do a remote interview on the cheap with the aid of an accomplice with a telephone and a video recorder. Your subject can even wear an "in the ear" type of telephone receiver to avoid having someone relay the questions. Need to interview a baker in Sausalido for your documentary but don't have any friends there? Try online resources like craigslist.org to locate a camera operator.

Some interviews have to be done live, you don't have a choice. But others can be edited - this gives you the opportunity to stop, go back, and re-ask or re-answer a question. You can tell your subject "if you get off track on an answer, you can just stop, pause to give us some space in the editing room, and start over."

Be Prepared (like a Boy Scout)

Regardless of the type of interview you've chosen to do, some things remain the same:

1. Do your research. Start with the subject. Authors, actors, and business people often have prepared biographical information that you can start with. Don't read from it, but use it as a jumping off point.

2. Keep your subjects calm and happy. Meet with them before the interview, explain what's going to happen, where they'll sit, who the other people on the set are. Put them at ease.

3. Start out with easy questions. These are often called "low balls", questions that are easy for your subject to answer well and will get them into the swing of the things.

4. Avoid questions that can be answered "yes" or "no". Instead of asking "Is it hot in Florida in July" ask "Compare the summers in Florida to the summers in Maine, where you grew up." This invites your subject to tell parts of their story that you might not know about and opens up a conversation, providing more avenues to explore.

Lighting

"Three point lighting" or some variation of it is very common for interviews. Advantages of artificial lighting are that it can be recreated in different locations and isn't dependent on the weather. Natural lighting is often nice and can add a softer touch - placing your subject by a large window or in a shaded area outside. You can use a single reflector to throw a little extra light onto your subject. Watch out for hot-spots (over exposed areas) in the background and don't be afraid to set your exposure manually.

Sometimes you have no choice but to use whatever horrible light is existing. Remember to set your white balance and look for features in the room such as reflective walls that may lessen the worst parts of the existing light. Sometimes and on-camera light can be used just as a fill in conjunction with existing over-head lighting. Videomaker magazine has dozens of stories on three point lighting, a little research here can also help your interview tremendously.

Your Homework

While watching television now, pay careful attention to interviews. How many cameras were they shot with? Were they done live, or edited later? What types of backgrounds and lighting were used? How did the video team utilize available space? Listen to interviews on the radio as well - how were questions formatted? How long are they compared to the length of the interview? How many were biographical and how many factual? What techniques does the interviewer use to put the subject at ease? Paying attention is the first big step to understanding. If you incorporate interviews into your video work, post them to the Videomaker forum, we want to see what you're doing.
Contributing Editor Kyle Cassidy is a visual artist who exhibits regularly and has written books on technology and photographic art.

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There are different types of interviews and different ways of setting them up. The Oprah Winfrey show is different than 60 Minutes which is different than the Nightly News. This issue, we're going to look at several different interview styles, what they work best for, and how to prepare for and use them in your own work.

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Teaching The Elements of Art...

Quality art starts with the elements and principles of art. I like to explain to my students how the elements and principles of art work through the illustration of cooking. (I even speak like I am Julia Childs when I am explaining this concept to them. )

Difference Between The Elements and Principles of Art

It's easy to get confused when discussing the elements and principles of art and group them all together as one big group of abstract terms. It's much easier to understand when you compare them to cooking.

When you are cooking something, you have a list of ingredients that are organized by the recipe. The elements of art are like the ingredients. If you are a good cook, then you care about quality ingredients. The same is true if you are a good artist. You care about the quality of elements that you chose to put in your artwork.

The lines, shapes, forms, values, colors, textures, and spaces that are incorporated must all work to make your artwork great. The elements must be used as quality ingredients in an artwork.

So you must spend some time exploring them, understanding them, and learning how to use them together effectively. The same is true of cooking - you cannot just throw a list of great ingredients together and expect to create a great dish. You must follow the recipe.

The recipe is the principles of art. The principles of art are an organized way that the elements of art are arranged in a work of art.

The elements can be arranged in a work to produce balance, harmony, unity, rhythm, proportion, variety, emphasis, and movement. So the principles of art are dependent on the elements. No elements - no principles. No ingredients - no recipe.

So you must explore the principles as well. Creating good artwork is not just skill. It is definitely not luck or trial and error. It is knowledge.

The Principles of Art

The principles of art generally deal with the way the elements of art are composed within the work of art. So, the principles of art typically deal with composition. The principles tend to be more fluid than the elements meaning that opinions vary on what the principles really are. I suggest that there are eight concrete principles of art, and few others that would be considered art fundamentals.

The eight principles of art are balance, proportion, unity, harmony, variety, emphasis, rhythm, and movement. All of these principles clearly deal with the placement of elements within artwork.

Other Fundamentals of Art

Of course, there are other art fundamentals other than the elements and principles that every artist should understand and implement. These include, but are not limited to composition, contrast, dominance, content implementation, aesthetics, art criticism, and symbolism.

Composition - The way visual elements are positioned in a work of art. Composition is highly dependent on the use of the principles of art.

- refers to difference between elements or subjects within a work of art. Contrast can be created through variety within the elements of art. (i.e. value, color, texture) Contrast can used to create a focal point or area of interest in an artwork.

Dominance - refers to one area of a work of art that is visually heavier demanding more attention. Dominance is closely related to emphasis.

Content - refers to the message or meaning within an artwork.

Aesthetics - refers to the artwork's visual attraction or beauty.

Art Criticism - An organized approach to evaluating artwork.

Symbolism - Using visual objects or arrangements to represent an alternate meaning.

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The elements of art are the building blocks for successful art-making. Learn how to use the elements of art in your compositions.

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Create color schemes with the color wheel or browse thousands of color combinations from the Color community.