Beginning Drawing 1

term typically used to denote art works that do not appear to refer descriptively to concrete objects or situations. the forms, lines and tones in a work of abstract art are conceived as either a set of self-justifying relationships or if they denote anything at all, refer to the artist's mood or emotional state

a technique of rendering depth or distance by modifying the tone or hue and distinctness of objects perceived as receding from the picture plane, esp. by reducing distinctive local colors and contrasts of light and dark to a uniform light bluish-gray color

refers to the equalization of elements in a drawing composition. can be symmetrical or asymmetrical

design in which the elements on both sides of the center are identical mirror images of one another

design in which the elements do not necessarily relate to the center and the two sides are not identical, but still balanced

a line drawn around a shape, form, or other object. popularly referred to as outline

the difference between two unlike elements in a drawing, such as a dark color and a light color. the greater the difference, the greater the contrast

derived from the latin composition, meaning the arrangement of parts to make a whole. the placement of line, shape, color and value in a work of art; basically the total design

a boundary along which two different colored areas or surfaces meet

horizon line

to shorten the lines of an object in a drawing so as to produce an illusion of projection or extension in space. the optical shortening of forms when viewed end-on. became a prominent feature of drawings of the late renaissance and the baroque periods.

three dimensional object or, in artwork, the representation of a three dimensional object defined by contour, height, depth and width

laying an area of parallel lines on a selected part of a drawing to create tonal mass and to describe volume and shadow.