TASC Visual Art Level 3 cheat sheet

The seven elements of art are line, shape, form, space, color, value, and texture; principles organize these elements into compositions.

Line types: contour outlines an edge, gesture captures movement, implied line directs the eye without being drawn, and hatching uses parallel lines for shading.

Shape is two-dimensional and flat; form is three-dimensional and encloses volume, shown through shading, perspective, or actual depth.

Color properties: hue is the color name, value is lightness or darkness, and intensity (saturation) is purity or dullness.

Primary colors in subtractive (pigment) mixing are red, yellow, and blue in traditional theory, or cyan, magenta, and yellow in modern printing.

Complementary colors sit opposite on the color wheel and neutralize each other when mixed; analogous colors sit adjacent and harmonize.

Value creates the illusion of form through a range from highlight to core shadow, reflected light, and cast shadow.

Principles of design include balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, proportion, unity, and variety.

Balance types: symmetrical (mirror), asymmetrical (unequal but visually weighted), and radial (radiating from a center point).

Drawing media differ in binder: graphite and charcoal are dry, ink uses a liquid vehicle, and pastel combines pigment with a minimal binder.

Charcoal produces soft, erasable darks; fixative spray reduces smudging by binding particles to the surface.

Watercolor is transparent and layered light-to-dark; white is reserved paper, not added paint.

Acrylic dries fast and can be thinned with water; oil paint dries slowly and is thinned with solvent or medium, not water.

Tempera uses pigment bound in egg yolk, dries quickly, and is applied in thin, precise layers.

Fresco applies pigment to wet lime plaster so the image bonds into the wall as it cures.

Printmaking processes: relief (woodcut, linocut) inks raised surfaces; intaglio (etching, engraving) inks recessed grooves; screen printing pushes ink through a stencil.

Sculpture methods: additive (modeling, assembling), subtractive (carving), and casting (pouring liquid material into a mold).

Clay stages run from plastic to leather-hard to bone-dry to bisque; glaze is applied after bisque firing and matured in a second firing.

Prehistoric art is known mainly through cave painting and portable carvings; function is inferred from location and subject, not written records.

Ancient Egyptian art follows conventions: composite view of the figure, hierarchical scale, and registers, serving religious and funerary purposes.

Greek art moved from stiff Archaic figures to idealized Classical proportions and then to dramatic Hellenistic movement.

Medieval European art centers on religious subjects, flat or shallow space, gold grounds, and symbolic scale.

Renaissance art revived classical proportion and applied linear perspective to create convincing depth.

Baroque art favors dramatic light (chiaroscuro), diagonal composition, and emotional intensity.

Impressionism emphasized light, color, and momentary perception over academic finish; Post-Impressionism pushed structure and expressive color further.

Modern movements include Cubism (multiple viewpoints), Expressionism (distorted color and form for emotion), and Surrealism (dream imagery).

Contextual factors for interpreting a work include patronage, function, materials available, belief system, and viewing location.

Formal analysis describes what is visible (elements and principles) before interpreting meaning or judging quality.

Description, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation form a sequence: observation grounds analysis, which supports interpretation, which enables judgment.

Subject is what the work depicts; content is the meaning or message conveyed through subject plus form.

Iconography decodes symbols and their conventional meanings within a culture or period.

Contextual criticism explains a work through its time, culture, and artist biography; formal criticism judges it on internal visual relationships.

A defensible interpretation cites specific visual evidence from the work rather than personal preference alone.

Compare-and-contrast analysis should name a shared criterion, such as color use or spatial depth, before contrasting two works.

Mood is the emotional atmosphere evoked; tone is the attitude the work takes toward its subject.

Planning tools: thumbnail sketches test composition cheaply, and a value study checks light and dark structure before final work.

Focal point strategies include contrast, isolation, convergence of lines, and placement near a rule-of-thirds intersection.

Visual weight increases with size, saturation, high contrast, and placement away from center; use it to balance an asymmetric composition.

Color schemes: monochromatic (one hue), analogous (adjacent hues), complementary (opposite hues), and triad (three evenly spaced hues).

Matting and framing protect work and direct attention; archival materials reduce acid damage over time.

Portfolio presentation should be consistent in documentation, ordered to show range and depth, and labeled with title, medium, size, and date.

Safe studio practice: ventilate for solvents and sprays, wear eye protection when carving, and keep flammable materials away from heat.

Revision is a normal stage: check values, edges, and focal hierarchy, then adjust rather than restarting.