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Year 9 - Art and design

Principles of art: depth

The principles of art

Unit Summary

This unit expands pupils understanding of the foundations of creative practice, building on knowledge of the elements of art, to now explore more complex principles. This will deepen understanding of how artists use these principles to question the world around them and communicate their ideas.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to use a range of methods to create depth in your artwork.

Key Notes

  • Depth is the illusion of distance between the foreground and background of a composition on a flat surface
  • There are several ways of creating depth in an image, such as overlapping objects
  • Shading and contrast can also be used to create an illusion of depth

Vocabulary To Learn

  • depth: the distance between the background and the front of an image
  • foreground: the area at the front of the picture space
  • atmospheric perspective: replicates how your eye sees a scene with more colour and detail towards the front

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Depth can only be created in a realistic scene or in a realistic way.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

Depth is the illusion of distance between the foreground and background of a composition on a flat surface. There are several ways of creating depth in an image, such as overlapping objects.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'depth'

the distance between the background and the front of an image.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: Depth can only be created in a realistic scene or in a realistic way. Correction: Depth can be entirely imaginary or realistic. Artists can manipulate elements to create the illusion of shapes, colours and lines standing out or recessing in an image.

More Lessons In This Unit

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