Elements of Art and Principles of Design
Elements of Art and Principles of Design asks you to name the building blocks of an artwork and explain how they are arranged. UPMSP questions often ask you to identify an element in a described work, match a principle to its effect, or correct a false pairing.
Elements
Line, shape, form, space, texture, value and colour are the elements. Shape is flat; form has volume. Value means lightness or darkness, not hue. Space includes positive shapes and negative gaps. Texture may be real or implied.
Principles
Balance, rhythm, harmony, emphasis, proportion, unity, variety and movement are principles. Rhythm comes from repeated elements with intervals; pattern is repetition without variation. Emphasis creates a focal point through contrast, isolation or placement. Proportion compares parts to the whole.
Worked example
A described village-fair poster uses a diagonal row of flags, a bright ferris wheel at the upper-right third, warm stalls in front and a quiet sky. Reasoning: the diagonal gives movement; repeated flags give rhythm; warm colours advance and the cool sky recedes; the wheel is emphasised by contrast and placement; the large sky is negative space that stops crowding; the off-centre layout is asymmetrical balance. Do not call the flags 'balance' just because they repeat.
Traps
Mixing elements with principles; using 'colour' when the answer is value; saying 'pattern' for rhythm; ignoring negative space; claiming symmetry when the two sides differ in visual weight; listing principles without linking them to the described work.