An expressive art vocabulary should be used when helping children talk about their art work and the art work of adults and peers. This will help the children to gain new words to express how they perceive their marks, shapes, forms, or images and how they feel about their work. Lines can be described as straight, crooked, curved, slanting, thick, thin, edge, smooth, jagged, long, or short. They can be horizontal, vertical, or diagonal. Lines can be single or multiple.
Lines can be wavy or zig-zaggy.
They can make shapes or forms. A child's body can create a line as it moves during dramatic play and responds to music. Sound and movement have direction. They can be fast or slow, high or low, loud or soft, beside, above, or under. Forms and shapes can be large or small and flat, bumpy, or round.