UPMSP Intermediate Drawing & Design flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Elements of design

The basic visual components - line, shape, form, space, texture, value, and colour - that artists combine to create any composition.

Principles of design

Guidelines for arranging elements: balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, unity, and proportion.

Asymmetrical balance

A composition in which visual weight is distributed unevenly but still feels balanced, often through size, colour, or placement differences.

Negative space

The empty or background area around and between subjects in a composition; it defines positive shapes and can create visual interest.

Cross-hatching

A shading technique using intersecting sets of parallel lines; denser intersections create darker values.

One-point perspective

A drawing system in which all receding parallel lines converge at a single vanishing point on the horizon line.

Atmospheric perspective

The effect where distant objects appear lighter, cooler, less detailed, and lower in contrast due to atmosphere between viewer and object.

Value scale

A stepped gradient from white to black used to plan and check the range of light and dark tones in a drawing.

Complementary colours

Pairs of colours opposite each other on the colour wheel (red/green, blue/orange, yellow/violet) that create maximum contrast when adjacent.

Analogous colours

Colours that sit next to each other on the colour wheel, such as blue, blue-green, and green; they produce harmonious, low-contrast schemes.

Tint, shade, tone

A tint is a colour plus white; a shade is a colour plus black; a tone is a colour plus grey or its complement.

Warm and cool colours

Warm colours (red, orange, yellow) appear to advance; cool colours (blue, green, violet) appear to recede in a composition.

Core shadow

The darkest band on the shadow side of an object, located between the mid-tone and the reflected light.

Cast shadow

The shadow an object throws onto a surface; it falls opposite the light source and its shape depends on the object and light angle.

Reflected light

Light bouncing from a nearby surface onto the shadow side of an object; it is dimmer than the main highlight.

Ellipse in still life

The oval seen when a circular rim is viewed at an angle; it narrows as the eye level approaches the top or bottom of the object.

Rule of thirds

A composition guide that divides the frame into a 3×3 grid and places key elements near the grid intersections for dynamic balance.

Foreground, middle ground, background

The three depth planes in a landscape; overlapping, size change, and detail contrast separate them.

Water reflection

The mirror image of objects and sky on a water surface; reflections are darker, less saturated, and broken by ripples.

Tree structure in landscape

A tree is drawn as trunk, primary branches, secondary branches, and clustered foliage masses rather than individual leaves.

Head-length proportion

The adult human figure is about 7.5 to 8 head lengths tall; the head length is a standard unit for measuring the body.

Contrapposto

A pose in which weight rests on one leg; the hip on that side rises and the opposite shoulder drops, creating an S-curve.

Gesture drawing

A quick sketch (30 seconds to 2 minutes) that captures the action line and overall rhythm of a pose before structural detail.

Facial proportions

Eyes sit at the vertical midpoint of the head; the space between eyes is about one eye width; the nose base is midway between eyes and chin.

Bhimbetka rock art

Prehistoric Indian rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh with hunting scenes and animal figures dated to the Upper Paleolithic.

Ajanta caves

Buddhist rock-cut caves in Maharashtra (2nd century BCE–6th century CE) containing murals of Jataka tales painted in fresco-secco technique.

Madhubani painting

A folk art from Bihar using geometric patterns, natural dyes, and mythological themes, traditionally painted by women on mud walls and paper.

Pattachitra

A traditional cloth-based scroll painting from Odisha depicting Hindu mythology with bold outlines and natural colours.

Impressionism

A late 19th-century movement (Monet, Renoir, Degas) using visible brushstrokes and plein-air light and colour rather than outline.

Cubism

An early 20th-century movement (Picasso, Braque) that fragments forms and shows multiple viewpoints at once.

Chiaroscuro

Strong contrast between light and dark used to model form and create drama, especially in Baroque painting (Caravaggio, Rembrandt).

AIDA model

An advertising framework: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action - each ad element should support one stage of the consumer response.