
I like to think of form as a 3-D shapeįorm and Shape are related. Their outlines may be curved, angular, or a combination of bothįorm - an element of art, means objects that have three dimensions. Circle, square, triangle, oval, rectangle, parallelogram, trapezoid, pentagon, pentagram, hexagon, and octagon.įreeform Shapes - also called organic shapes, are irregular and uneven shapes. Geometric shapes - precise shapes that can be described using mathematical formulas. A shape may have an outline around it or you may recognize it by its area. Shape - an element of art that is a two-dimensional area that is defined in some way. Even complicated objects become easy to draw when we isolate basic geometric and organic shapes. Our brains are even capable of making sense of complex relationships between positive and negative shapes.īy organizing geometric and organic shapes, we can draw anything. The relationships between the positive and negative shapes help the brain of our viewers understand what they are seeing.

Shapes defined around objects are negative shapes (space). Shapes defined by objects are positive shapes (space). You can learn more about the process of construction in the following lessons. This process of drawing with shapes is usually referred to as "construction" and it is considered a foundational principle to drawing and painting. First the shapes are drawn lightly and then the contour lines are added, using the shapes as a guide. In this case, a bird is drawn using basic shapes. Here's another example of using shapes to build a drawing. Notice how basic shapes are combined to make this organic shape. Take a look at the drawing of a hand below. The process is the same when drawing organic objects with basic shapes. Now the chair and ketchup bottle above are man-made objects and are made up mostly of geometric shapes. In this case, a ketchup bottle is drawn using basic shapes. Here's another example of how this works. But since the structure of the object is in place, the contour lines are more accurate. After these basic shapes are drawn with proportion considered, the artist can then concentrate on the contour lines (outlines).

In this case, the chair can be broken down into "easy to draw" rectangles and trapezoids. What if we broke it down into easier shapes and pieced them together? We can easily recognize the chair below simply based on its shape.īut the shape of this chair is complex. Instead of thinking of objects in terms of lines, we can think in terms of shapes. Recognizing the shapes that we see will lead to improved accuracy in our drawings and paintings. We can learn to see the world around us as shapes. If we instead think of drawing in terms of shape, we can speed up our process and also be more accurate. While this method of drawing is valid, it is a slower and less accurate way of working. We naturally look for edges and try to capture these edges in our sketch. Many of us begin a drawing by making lines. Shapes play an integral role in how we decipher what we are observing and how we record it in a drawing or painting.
#GEOMETRIC VS ORGANIC SHAPES HOW TO#
In fact, observation, and learning how to see, is crucial to your development as an artist. Representational drawing and painting is more about observation than basic mark-making. Organic shapes can resemble things that we find in nature.īelow, you'll find several examples of organic shapes. Organic shapes generally do not have a name associated with them and are typically not man-made. Organic or freeform shapes are shapes that seem to follow no rules. Cell phones, buildings, and wheels are all examples of man-made forms that resemble geometric shapes.īelow, you'll find several examples of geometric shapes. Many man-made objects are made in the form of geometric shapes. Examples include: circle, triangle, square, and trapezoid. Geometric shapes generally have a specific name associated with them. Usually, math can be used to find information about these shapes. Geometric shapes or regular shapes are easy to recognize. Types of ShapesĪll shapes will fall into one of two categories. Shape can also be defined as a two-dimensional area that is defined by a change in value or some other form of contrast.Īll shapes are two-dimensional, meaning that they have only length and width.įorm, another element of art, differs from shape in that forms have length, width, and height.

Shape can help to create complex drawings and paintings, affect composition, and contribute to the balance within a work. Shapes can play important roles in the creation of drawings and paintings. So, if you take a line and enclose it, then you will have created a shape. We typically think of a shape as a closed contour. Shape is one of the seven elements of art and it has a variety of uses in the creation of art. A shape is created when a line is enclosed.
