Line: Is the most basic building block of a formal analysis. Line can be used to create more complex shaped or to lead your eye from one area in the composition to another.
Value: Is the degree of light and dark in a design. It s the contrast between black and white and all the tones in between. Value can be used with color as well as black and white. Contrast is the extreme changes between values.
Shape: Is created when lines are combined to form a square, triangle, or circle. Shapes can be organic( irregular shapes found in nature) or geometric ( shapes with strong lines and angles such as circles, triangles, and squares).
Form: Is a three-dimensional shape with length, width, and depth. Balls, cylinders, boxes and pyramids are forms.
Space: Is the area between and around objects. Increasing or decreasing the amount of space around an object affects the way we view the object.
Texture: Is the surface that can be seen and felt. Textures can be rough or smooth, soft or hard. Textures are often implied. For instance, a drawing of a rock might appear to have a rough and hard surface but in reality is as smooth as the paper on which it is drawn.
Principles of design
Balance: Is created in a work of art when textures, colors, forms, or shapes are combined harmoniously.
Contrast: Is the use of elements of design that do not seem to go together to hold the viewers attention and to guide the viewers eye thorough the artwork by creating visual tension.
Movement:Is the way a viewers eye is directed to move through a composition, often to areas of emphasis. Movement can be directed by lInes, contrasting shapes, or colors within the artwork.
Emphasis: Or focus is created in work of art when the artist contrasts colors, textures, or shapes to direct your viewing towards a particular part of the image.
Pattern: Is the repetition of shape, form, or texture across a work of art
Proportion and Scale: Is created when the sizes of elements in a work of art are combined harmoniously. Sometimes changes in Scale- making large things small or small things large- can change our perceptions.
Unity: Is created when the principles of analysis are present in a composition and in harmony- things go together. Unity is the other end of the spectrum from contrast.