Elements of Art Worksheet – All 7, With Drawn Examples

The seven elements of art

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The elements are what every picture is made of. These are the definitions the sheets print, in the wording the page opens with; the other wording is one tap away.

Element	Definition
Line	A line is the path a moving point leaves behind. Lines can be thick or thin, straight, wavy, zigzag or broken.
Shape	A shape is a flat area with an edge around it. Geometric shapes have names. Organic shapes are free and uneven.
Form	A form is a shape you could hold: it has height, width and depth. A circle is a shape. A ball is a form.
Value	Value is how light or dark something is. Pressing harder, or adding layers, makes a darker value.
Texture	Texture is how a surface feels, or how it looks as if it would feel: rough, smooth, furry, bumpy.
Space	Space is the room in a picture. Things that overlap, sit higher up or get smaller look farther away.
Color	Color is what we see when light bounces off things. Red, yellow and blue are the primary colors; two of them mix into a secondary color.

The principles of design are the ways an artist arranges the elements. The second page of a sheet sets each beside a small example.

Principle	What it means
Balance	How the weight of a picture is shared out. A large quiet shape can be balanced by a small busy one.
Contrast	A strong difference set side by side: dark against light, big against small, rough against smooth.
Emphasis	The part of a picture that catches the eye first, because it differs from everything around it.
Movement	The path the eye takes through a picture, led by lines, edges and things that repeat.
Pattern	A shape, line or color repeated in a regular, planned way.
Rhythm	Repeats with a beat: the gaps and sizes change in an order the eye can feel, as in music.
Unity	The feeling that every part belongs to the same picture, often because the parts share a shape or a kind of mark.
Variety	Differences that keep a picture interesting: several shapes, sizes or values where one would be dull.

Every sheet has a short code, printed at the foot of each page, so loose pages can be matched again. A share link brings the same sheet back, line for line. Every drawing is made by this page from plain lines and shapes: no clip art, nothing to license.

How it works

This elements of art worksheet gives each of the seven elements (line, shape, form, value, texture, space and color) a drawn example, a one-line definition and an empty box with a task. New examples on every press.

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Worksheet or handout

The worksheet sets an empty box beside each example. Choose Reference handout for an elements of art handout: the boxes become a second example and a line on where to find the element outside the classroom.

One element, or all seven

Switch off all but one element and the sheet becomes a closer study: three examples and six small tasks. The definitions come in two wordings, Grades 3 to 5 and Grades 6 and up.

Questions and answers

Is there an elements and principles of art worksheet?

Yes. Tick the principles of design and a second page follows: balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, unity and variety, each with a small drawn example.

What is the difference between shape and form?

A shape is flat: it has height and width only. A form has depth as well, like a cube, a sphere or a cylinder. Shading is what turns a drawn shape into a form on the page.

Can I print it without the definitions?

Yes. Switch the definitions off and students write their own under each example. It makes a quick check at the end of a unit.