Elements of Art | COLOR
Facilitation Guidelines
HoMA presents Elements of Art, a video series examining the fundamentals of art through seeing, making
and talking about art. Each part of the series addresses a different element of art and has three sections(Art in Context: Seeing; Art in Practice: Making; and Art in Conversation: Talking), which can be experienced
together on a single day, or shared over a number of sessions, as fits the teaching schedule.
Each part of the series is geared toward a specific age group, but can be modified to accommodate multiple grades. We suggest
watching the videos in this order: Art in Context > Art in Practice > Art in Conversation, but the resources can work in a different
sequence, as well. Please preview the series prior to sharing with students.
Here’s how each section functions:
Section 1 – Art in Context: SeeingThis section surveys the key workings of the specific element utilizing an array of artwork curated from the museum’s collection.
Simple thought-provoking questions are peppered throughout, as a way to warm students toward engagement and discourse.
Pause the video at any time so that your group may reflect and respond.
Section 2 – Art in Practice: Making
In this section, a HoMA teaching artist leads the students through an art-making activity inspired by the element of art being
studied. As artists themselves, the students activate and apply awareness of the element in action. A simple supply list is provided.
Pause the video at any time so that your group may expand their making session, reflect and respond.
Section 3 – Art in Conversation: Talking
In this section, through the lens of a specific element of art, we look closely at two to three works of art in our galleries. A narrator
will offer questions for discussion. In addition, students are encouraged to think about the artwork that they made during the Art
in Practice section and how it relates to the artwork on view in the galleries. Pause the video at any time so that your group may
reflect and respond.
LINKS TO VIDEOS AND RESOURCES
Grades K–5
Elements of Art: Color

Elements of Art: Shape

Elements of Art: Texture

Art in Context (11 min. 41 sec.)

Art in Context (13 min. 42 sec.)

Art in Context (9 min. 27 sec.)

Art in Practice (10 min. 57 sec.)

Art in Practice (9 min. 27 sec.)

Art in Practice (13 min. 11 sec.)

Art in Conversation (7 min. 29 sec.)

Art in Conversation (7 min. 17 sec.)

Art in Conversation (8 min. 36 sec.)

WATCH HERE

WATCH HERE

WATCH HERE

Elements of Art: Line

Elements of Art: Space

Elements of Art: Form

Art in Context (14 min.)

Art in Context (13 min. 20 sec.)

Art in Context (8 min. 27 sec.)

Art in Practice (13 min. 44 sec.)

Art in Practice (10 min. 33 sec.)

Art in Practice (27 min. 3 sec.)

Art in Conversation (6 min. 18 sec.)

Art in Conversation (8 min. 5 sec.)Art in Conversation (9 min. 33 sec.)

WATCH HERE

WATCH HERE

WATCH HERE

Grades 6–12

Elements of Art | COLOR
Facilitation Guidelines
ART ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS AND RESOURCES: Collage
Suggestions
Paper• Different paper sizes.
• Colored paper choices or types (tag board, cardboard, etc).
• Option to use collage material pages as canvas.
• Either before or after collaging, trimming the paper into a new shape (i.e. thought bubble).

Collage material• Pre browse & cut whole pages from magazines, catalogues, etc. and store in trays or folders.
• Patterned and textured paper•

Can be student made- paint splatter, leaf rubbings, wrinkled.

•Junk mail security envelopes, calendars, stationary.

• Students incorporate material from home, may be specific to cultural heritage, interests, etc.
• Reminder to view both sides of a collage material to see what’s wanted before cutting it out.
• For additional layers, incorporate drawing tools like markers.

Cutting• Emphasis on cutting what’s interesting or useful for one’s artistic ideas.
• Play with clean cut edges vs. ripped or irregular cut edges.
• For Gr. 6-12, a craft knife and cutting mat for details and cutting specific parts of images.

Glue• Glue sticks in varying sizes if pieces are large.
• Some collage material may require white glue, offer as needed.

Challenges
Odds and ends
• Use small, indistinct, and scrappy leftover collage materials to form a clearly defined finished image.
• How does the artist use color here to create the images we see?
»ARTIST INSPIRATION: Derek Gores

Elements of Art | COLOR
Facilitation Guidelines
Using specific type(s) of collage material• How can a chosen material be effectively used to create a body of work?
• Why would an artist choose to use one material over another?
»ARTIST INSPIRATION: Mark Wagner Inc.

»ARTIST INSPIRATION: Brian Dettmer

Abstraction• Cutting shapes and playing with color, scale, and composition.
• When is an abstract collage “complete”?
»ARTIST INSPIRATION: Kurt Schwitters

Narratives• Explore world building and storytelling. Pair with student writing (i.e. Comic, D&D campaign, etc.)»ARTIST INSPIRATION: Jesse Treece»

ARTIST INSPIRATION: Ben Giles

Same start, different ends
• Provide every student the same exact collage material (i.e. specific issue of a mall magazine) and see how each
student creates a collage. Additional project parameters can be determined by the class/students.

Assemblage
Assemblage: An artistic composition made from scraps, junk, and odds and ends (as of paper, cloth, wood, stone,or metal). (Merriam Webster)• Use found objects to form art with 3D elements, “sum is greater than its parts.”»ARTIST INSPIRATION: Jason Mecier• HoMA art inspirations: Louise Nevelson-Black Zag X & Alfonso A. Ossorio-Linea Alba
Explore use of color, objects chosen, composition, etc.

Other artists»

Lance Letscher»

Dolan Geiman»John Stezaker»Annegret Soltau»

Peter Blake

Elements of Art | COLOR
Glossary
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Elements of art: The building blocks used by artists to create a work of art (line, shape, color, value, texture,space, form). These components can be isolated and defined.
Principles of design: The principles of design describe the ways in which artists use the elements of art in awork of art (balance, emphasis, movement, pattern, repetition, scale, rhythm, variety, unity, and contrast).
1

Color: Color is our experience of light reflected, transmitted, or emitted from a surface. Color has three main
characteristics: hue (the name of the color we see), intensity (saturation: how bright or dull), and value (howlight or dark is its tonal variant). White is the absence of color, and black is the absence of light.

2

Line: The path left by a moving point, where its length is greater than its width. Lines can be two or three
dimensional, implied or abstract. Diﬀerent types of lines include continuous, broken, jagged, vertical,horizontal, or diagonal. Lines are the foundation of drawing. A visual path of action.

3

Shape: Shape is a two dimensional area confined by an actual line or an implied line (an edge for example).
In drawing, shapes are created when the ends of lines are joined to enclose areas. The area that comprises ashape can be defined by a line or a change in value, color, or texture. The shape boundary may be hard or soft.

4

Space: Space refers to the area between and around objects. The space around objects is often called
negative space; negative space has shape. Space can also refer to the feeling of depth. Real space is threedimensional; in visual art, when an artist creates the feeling or illusion of depth, we call it space.

5Texture: Texture is the surface quality that can be seen and felt. Textures can be rough or smooth, soft or
hard. Textures refer to the tactile qualities of a surface, either actual or implied. Textures do not necessarily
feel the way they look.

6Value: The degree of lightness or darkness in a color is its value. When a photograph, painting, or drawing
is made in black and white, varying degrees of value are the only thing that we see. In the colorless range ofblack and white, each tone is a value.

7

Form: Forms are three-dimensional objects, or shapes that express length, width, and depth. Cylinders, boxes,balls, and pyramids are examples of forms. The illusion of a three-dimensional object on a flat surface can also
be described as having form.

Elements of Art | COLOR
Glossary1Hue: This is another name for color.

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Chroma: Refers to the intensity, brightness, or saturation of a color.

3Value: Refers to the degree of lightness or darkness in a color.
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Tint: Adding white to any color can change its tint.

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Shade: Adding black to any color can change its shade.

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Tone: Adding black or white (or the combination of the two: grey) to any color can change its tone.
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Monochromatic: An artwork comprised of a variety of tints, shades, and tones from a single hue.

leftYoshida Chizuko (Japanese, born 1924)​Diamond Shaped Star, Blue​, 1972
Relief print; ink and color on paper with embossing​​
Gift of James A. Michener, 1976 (16927)
rightKusaki Ippei​
Blue Tree, 1980​
Woodblock print​
Gift of Philip H. Roach Jr., 2010 (31785)

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Elements of Art | COLOR
Glossary
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Complementary colors: On a traditional color wheel, complementary colors areplaced opposite each other. Complements make each other appear brighter.
Warm colors: Reds, oranges, and yellows.
Cool colors: Purples, blues, and greens.
Neutral colors: Greys, browns, and blacks.
Alternate primaries: Cyan, magenta, and yellow. Mixing thisassortment of colors can create an even broader range of colors
than is possible with red yellow blue.

CYAN

MAGENTAYELLOW

Elements of Art | COLOR
Supply List
Below is the suggested supply list to accompany the Elements of Art Color art project.
Feel free to change and adapt the materials to fit the needs and abilities of your students.
• Sheets of plain white paper• Scissors• A glue stick• Assorted papers, some good options are:»Discarded Magazines»

Newspapers»

Wrapping or origami papers»

Discarded old Books or old map»

And anything you find and want to use.