Rhythm

Rhythm

Legato

Symmetrybox. "Chase the Storm." DeviantART: Where ART Meets Application!DeviantART, 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.deviantart.com/?offset=48>.

In artwork, legato is the rhythmic connecting and flowing of colors and textures. In the above image, swirls, colors, and figures are repeated in a flowing motion to achieve rhythm. 

Alternating Rhythm

H0tsh0ts. "Alternating Rhythm by ~H0tSh0ts on DeviantART." Alternating Rhythm by ~H0tSh0ts on DeviantART. DeviantART, 2007. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. <http://h0tsh0ts.deviantart.com/art/Alternating-Rhythm-61909801>.

Alternating rhythm consists of patterns with elements that reappear in a regular order. The artist who created this image used a series of different colors and hurricane shapes in a repeating pattern to create an alternating rhythm. 

Progressive Rhythm

Mims, Casey. Progressive Rhythm. Round Rock: Casey Mims, 29 Nov. 2012. Jpeg, psd.

PA progressive rhythm is formed when a pattern becomes progressively larger or smaller from a given point. In the artwork above, the beige dots start small at one point in the image and become progressively larger. 

A

Emphasis

Emphasis

Emphasis by Contrast

Igreeny. "DeviantART: Where ART Meets Application!" DeviantART: Where ART Meets Application! DeviantART, 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://www.deviantart.com/?offset=96>.

One way to achieve emphasis in an image is by creating contrast. In the image above, the viewer's eyes immediately go towards the bright colors in the eyes because the contrast in color there is greater than the contrast of the colors in the rest of the image. 

Emphasis by Isolation

Emphasis by Placement

Aniline. "Digifox-Illustration." Deviantart.com. DeviantART, 2004. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=digital+illustration&offset=24#/d2qjeb>.
In the image above, the artist creates emphasis by placing the focal point, the girl's face,  higher up in the image rather than in the center. 

Scale and Proportion

Scale and Proportion

Hieratic Scale 

Exaggerated Scale

Kerembeyit. "Out of Blue." Www.deviantart.com. DeviantART, 2008. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=digital+illustration&offset=144#/d1dl959>.

In artwork we tend to notice the unexpected or exaggerated, such as when small objects are magnified or larger objects are scaled down. In the image above, the first thing a viewer may notice is the size of the shark. However, the human identifies that the shark is just in exaggerated scale because sharks are not bigger that blue whales in the ocean. 

Surrealism

Jeffsimpsonkh. "Orca." Orca by ~jeffsimpsonkh on DeviantART. Www.deviantart.com, 2008. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. <http://jeffsimpsonkh.deviantart.com/art/Orca-106570640>.

Surrealism is art that is based on paradox. This is art that cannot be expressed in rational terms. In surrealistic artwork, the artists focus on presented the irrational world of dreams or nightmares.   

Balance

Balance

 Bilateral Symmetry

Reagan, Kevin. "DESERT ISLAND." DESERT ISLAND. Desertislandbrooklyn.blogspot.com, 13 Aug. 2008. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://desertislandbrooklyn.blogspot.com/2008/08/showpaper-33.html>.

In bilateral symmetry, one side becomes the mirror image of the other side. The picture above creates balance by taking a single image, repeating it, and flipping it over in order to form a mirror image. This creates bilateral symmetry.

Asymmetrical Balance

Yang, Mingzhu. "CG-Hub." Erosion by MingzhuYang. Cghub.com, 8 Oct. 2011. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://cghub.com/images/view/171434/>.

There are several different ways to show asymmetrical balance. In this image, the balance is achieved by visual texture and pattern. The neutral colors and smooth items leads people to assume that the figures surrounding the faces is slick metal. 

Radial Balance

Mims, Casey. Dandelion Blossom. Round Rock: Www.blogger.com, 6 Dec. 2012. Jpeg, psd.

In Radial balance, all the elements radiate out from a central point. In the image above, the center can be found in the middle of the woman's face and the dandelion petals circle out from that point. 

  

As

W

Unity

Unity

Unity by Proximity

     

Hong, Yu Cheng. "Favorite Artist of the Moment: Yu Cheng Hong." - My Modern Metropolis. Www.mymodernmet.com, 25 Sept. 2008. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. <http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/2100445:BlogPost:33407>.

An easy way to create unity is by proximity, which is made by making seperate elements look as if they belong together by simply placing the elements close together. In the image above, there are several different elements, but by placing them close together in the image, they work together to create unity. 

Unity by Continuation

ETrost. "Kingyo." Www.deviantart.com. DeviantART, 2012. Web. 26 Nov. 2012. <http://catastrophe101.deviantart.com/favourites/#/d4vwsub>.

Continuation is another way to achieve unity. Continuation means that something "continues", commonly seen as lines or a direction from one form to another. The picture above depicts a girl blowing bubbles. Without much thought, your eye looks from the girl's lips to the bubbles that are blown. This shows that the image has continuation because you can continue in a given direction.

Unity by Repetition

Mims, Casey. Unity by Repetition. Round Rock: Www.blogger.com, 4 Dec. 2012. Jpeg.
Repetition is a very valuable device when achieving unity. The elements that repeat can be anything from a simple color to an intricate figure. In the image above, the figure repeats but the colors change, giving it a sense of unity.