Use of colour and visual elements

Use of Colours

Introduction

Colour is an important element that gives life to all object and images. Without colour, things will just be lifeless. There are three types of colours, which are primary colour, secondary colour and tertiary colour. Primary colours are red, yellow and blue. Combination of either two or more of these primary colour will form the secondary and tertiary colour. 

Usage of colour

·         Effect of colour on mood

Different type of colour tends to amplify different kind of mood. When one is currently having emotional breakdown, if given the correct colour will enlighten his/her mood back to normal.

Here are examples on how different kind of colour influences the mood of some:

Red                : Power, stimulation, competition, passion

Yellow           : Cheers, energizing

Blue               : Calm, peaceful, relaxes

Orange           : Cheers, charity

Green             : Peaceful, relaxing, refreshes

Black             : Disciplines, authority, power

·         Decoration

When decorating a space with colour, it will create an atmosphere of its own. A specific colour should be used in certain places so that it create a warm, easygoing atmosphere for everyone in it. These are the few examples on how colour influences when decorating a space.

Hospital                    :               Green, induces a relaxing feel

Kindergarten             :               Yellow, induces an energizing environment

Home                        :               Bright colour such as yellow or peach, induces an energizing

       environment

However, these colour are not fixed. We still have to right to choose which colour do we want in our environment, as long it induces a relaxing feeling and doesn't cause any irritation or the feel of uncomfortable when we're surrounded by that particular colour in our environment.

·         Art and culture

      ("In the world of art and high culture colour plays an important symbolic role. ")

-Dominic Yeoman, 2013

Colour plays a big role in arts and cultures from all around the world. In the Chinese culture for example, bright colour such as the colour red during Chinese New Year means it symbolizes good luck and prosperity to everyone, while dark and dull colour such as black are avoided due to superstitious as it brings bad luck and also the meaning of death.  In different parts of the world, colour has also different meaning according to the perspective places. These are the examples of the usage of colour in arts and culture.

Red
In China, the colour is the symbol to any celebration and also a symbol in bringing luck. While in India, it is the colour of purity. In the United States, when the colour red is combined with green, it's normally showing the Christmas colour.

Yellow

In Asia, the colour always refer to someone who is imperial. Example for in the early days of China, the king is dressed in the colour yellow gold to show that his rank is higher than the people in China, proving that he is the king to his people. While in the western culture, the colour yellow symbolizes joy and happiness.

Blue

For Hindus, the colour of blue is important to them as it is the colour of Krishna, one of their gods. But then, for Jews, it is the colour of holiness. In the Middle East, it serves as a protective colour.      

          Green
           For Muslims, green is the colour of Islam. In Ireland, it has a vital role as a religious significance. While in 
           some tropical countries, it is sometimes used to be associated with danger involving with the 
          environment. While in traffic lights, it serves a 'GO' light.

                             

           White
           In the Easter cultures, the colour white signifies death. In Japan, white carnations are used when
          signifying the death of someone. In the United States, white means purity as the bride is dressed in white
          during wedding.     

        

           Black

           In the western culture, the colour black signifies death.

·        Everyday life

      Colour are used in our daily life. Colour is not only used for signes but also as light itself. These are the examples.

           Red           Ø         - Appears on prohibitive road signs such as ‘NO ENTRY’

                - Appears on Malaysia's 'DO NOT CROSS' tape as a warning for people not to    
                   breach that particular area

          Yellow       Ø          - Act as the ‘PREPARE TO STOP’ colour in traffic lights

                             

          Green         Ø          - Act as the ‘GO’ colour in traffic lights

                                              - Appears as any nature campaign logo main colour

·         Therapy

      During counselling and therapy sessions, colour plays a big role in it. The colour choices we make not only describe how we are but can also help us in solving our daily problems. With the right choice, these colours can also help us to stimulate our thoughts, feelings and states that we reveal even more about ourselves. Colour can also be used to retrieve memories that have been locked up deep in our mind, memories that we weren’t able to retrieve by our own.

                       

Use of Visual Elements 

      Introduction

      

      In an attempt to create the perfect art, various artists from around the world will try to use different visual elements with the proper arrangement to aid them in obtaining their goal in creating the perfect art. There are 7 types of visual elements, the key elements that help these artists. The elements are lines, shapes, colour, forms, textures, value and space.

      Lines

         
       ("The purpose of line in art is two-fold: 
                                                                 •To record the boundaries of form 
                                                                 •To convey direction and motion.")

 -Anon, n.d

      Most of the time, forms a shape or an outline of an object. They are the foundation of all art as they build up to the visual basics of all reality. Types of lines are normally differs from each and another as they have different functionality. Line can or may be two-or three-dimensional, descriptive, or abstract.

      Types of line

     There are different kinds of lines used to create an object, image, shape or even words. Each of them has their own functionality, but sometimes can be combined to form one, single object.

     Contour lines 

      Normally, these lines are used while drawing a map in a particular area as it joint up two different areas. Basically these lines form the boundaries of different area. Such as the lines that separate the borders between two nations or separates the borders between two different districts.

      Lines formed by Edges

      Created when two colors, values, or textures meet one another, forming a boundary. Normally, the two elements that meet each another tends to have a very big difference in contrast value. Example, when black color is placed side by side to the color white, the line between black color and the white color is known as the line formed by edges.

     Linear forms

     Linear lines are straight lines that forms a shape or an art. By using straight lines, an art, image or a shape is formed.

                                 

 A heart shape formed using linear lines

Broken or Dotted Lines

A line that is straight but is broken in the middle. Broken lines are normally used graphs, as a secondary lines to be compared with another graph line.

Broken lines are used to show another value

Shapes

("A shape is a two-dimensional form that occupies an area with identifiable boundaries")

-Anon, n.d.

A shape is formed when a line is drawn and the end of the line meets back with the beginning of the line. Shapes formed are basically two-dimensional form that occupies an area with identifiable boundaries. Depending on the shapes use, curving shapes tends to point out feminine looks while sharp angles tends to point out masculine looks.

Different shapes have different meaning. Example, a circle can imply eternity and virtue. Other shapes such as triangles, and squares suggest different concepts and emotions. The triangle shape focus the mind upwards, while square often suggests practicality and usefulness.

Forms

Forms are three-dimensional object that has volume and thickness. They are normally formed from shapes and it is the combination of line and shape. Form can be seen from different angles in order to get a clearer picture of the object.

Forms are normally used by architectures and designers when it comes to making an object. Forms are much better than shapes as they give the architectures and designers to have a better view on their sculpture and enable them to look for flaws so that they can be fixed before the final version is released.

Textures

("Texture is the surface qualities of an object. They can be smooth, suggesting refined tastes, or rough, suggesting toughness")

- Walter Johnson, n.d.

Texture is the surface qualities of an object. It shows how smooth or rough is the surface feels like. Normally, the textures are used in giving the first impression on how the surface of an object might feel like. Textures might be actual and real, depending on how the designers wants it to be.

Textures may be actual, as found in the materials of architecture and sculpture or it may be visual texture, an illusion created by the painter’s skill to give a false impression on how the surface of an object might feel. The painter that creates the illusion can reproduce the exact same textures in the same way that photography does. Sometimes, illusion are produced so that the object is able to blend into the surroundings or give a more natural feel to the environment.

Colour

The different colours that exist

Colour are image builders to all objects and images that exist. They give to all images and makes life more colourful. There are 3 types of colour which are primary colour, secondary colour, and tertiary colour. The primary colour are made out of three different colours, which are red, blue and yellow, while secondary colours are the combinations of either two or more of the primary colours and tertiary are made from two types of primary colour, or the combination of secondary and primary colour.

Different kinds of colour tends to symbolize different types of meaning. Such as red, which is almost always used to depict youthfulness, power, action or rage. Blue colour is always used as a relaxing colour, putting the mind into a much more peaceful state. The colour blue is often used in furniture or even aid in helping someone to sleep easier. Green almost always suggest the meaning of growth, hope, organic and nature. Yellow sometimes means royalty. The combination of yellow and red together can also suggest speed and power in a single object. White tends to mean light while black mostly refers to hopeless, dead ends or dark situations.

Colour an also be change in their tone of colour by adding white, black or gray. By adding either of these three, the original colour can be change to produce shades, tones or tints.

Value

The colour red with different values

Value is whereby the degree of the amount of light or dark in a design. The degree ranges between the colour black and white, and also all the types of colour between them. White is the lightest value while black is the darkest. Contrast is the extreme changes between values.

Different intensity in colours have different meanings. Normally, colour which has a light value tends to be used to suggest speed, youth, and virility. While colour has dark value tends to be used as slow, old or darkness. Examples, product ads which normally are aimed at youth often use bright, overpowering values, giving a more youthful look to the person wearing them.

Space

The car being the key element, while the road, light effect, and building acts as a stage

("Space is the most comprehensive of all artistic elements. It is the synthesis of all other elements in the campaign. It is the stage on which all other artistic elements come together.")

                                       -Walter Johnson, n.d.

Space is the most important among all other visual elements. It acts like a stage, compromising all other elements together. Without stage, nothing will come together. This space is not empty, but rather a spatial distribution of an object in a defined environment. In two-dimensional art, this space is called as the picture plane.

Without space, nothing will make sense. Example, in an automotive advertisement. When the automotive stresses on speed and handling, the space will be compromised of the condition of the road, the horizon and other objects such as obstacles so that these things will act as a stage for the automotive to show and perform its capabilities. Without these objects in the space, the automotive advertisement won’t make sense. Another example is a truck, more about strength and utility, might be in a cluttered space such as a construction zone.

Conclusion

Colour and visual elements play a big role in our daily life. Without them, life seems meaningless and boring. We might have gone crazy if these elements didn't exist our life. Colour plays a major role in helping us mentally, and also help artists in making a more beautiful piece of art.

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References
Unit 3: The Visual Elements [pdf]. Available at : <http://learn.midsouthcc.edu/learningObjects/art/pdf/Unit3AVocabScriptVisualElements.pdf> [Accessed 21st September 2013]. 

Dominic Yeoman. 2013. Uses of colour. Available at : 
http://colourconscious.com/colour/usesofcolour/ [Accessed 21st September 2013]

Anon, 2013 Elements and Principles of Art[pdf] Available at:
http://www.oberlin.edu/amam/asia/sculpture/documents/vocabulary.pdf[Accessed 21st September 2013]

Anon, n.d. The Effect of Color in Web Page Design[pdf] Available at:
http://www.edb.utexas.edu/minliu/multimedia/The%20Effect%20of%20Color.pdf [Accessed 21 September 2013]

Anon, 2013. Elements and Principles of Design. Available at:
http://www.incredibleart.org/files/elements2.htm[Accessed 21 September 2013]

Walter Johnson, n.d. 7 Visual Elements of Arts Used in Advertisement. Available at
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/7-visual-elements-art-used-advertisement-25752.html[Accessed 21 September 2013]
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