Paints, Crayons, Pencils, Inks and More: An Art Education Guide

Whether a professional enterprise or a weekend hobby, art creation has captured many for thousands of years. From exploring the basic elements and principles of art to the foundation of color, art can be an intriguing subject to practice and study. In addition, the discovery of different types of media and historic styles of art can add even more curiosity to the theme. It is this wide variety of ideas in art that makes it so interesting.

Elements of Art

• Elements of Art at the Getty: A comprehensive listing of art elements that includes color, line, composition, space, texture, shape and form.
• Elements of Art - Lines: A listing of descriptions, examples, and photos of line types.
• Descriptive Elements of Art: An in-depth analysis of each element of art and how it affects a painting or sculpture.
• The Artist’s Toolkit: An interactive and highly informative demonstration of art elements and principles.
• Form, Shape, and Space: A look at these three basic art principles.
• Lines: Information on the basic types of lines in art and design.
• Texture in Art: A definition of texture as it relates to art.
• Art & Design Elements – Learn more about the elements of art and design and how they are incorporated into art.
• Exploring the Elements & Principles of Design – This document clearly explains the important elements of art and design with examples.
• Elements of Art – Detailed information about the elements of art, including color shape, and texture.
• Art and Design – Explore the elements of art through this easy to follow website.
• Element Examples – Gain a better understanding of the elements of art with these examples.
• Elements in Ancient Art – Learn how the formal elements of art have been used in ancient art.
• Introduction to the Elements – Basic information about the elements of art.

Principles of Art

• Illustration of the Principles of Art: An interactive slide show that explains basic principles of art and gives examples.
• Principles of Art: Easy to understand definitions and basic examples of the principles of art.
• Basic Definitions and Icons of Elements of Art: A collection of basic art principle terms with easy to understand icon examples.
• Definitions of Art Elements with Artistic Examples: This incredibly easy to read guide shows artistic examples of repetition, movement, rhythm, variety, and others.
• Proportion Explanation: Basic principles of art explained, with a great summary and example section for proportion.
• Balance – Discover the importance of balance in art with this basic information and examples.

Other Art Concepts

• Philosophy of Color: An in-depth guide to the philosophy of color.
• Color Terms: An in-depth description of colors, hues, and the spectrum.
• Color Theory: Extensive introduction to color theory and why it is important.
• Light, Color, and Vision: Definitions and examples of light, color, and vision in art.
• Luminance and Art: How luminance affects art.
• Art Glossary – Use this art glossary to familiarize yourself with art terminology.
• Color Theory – Explore the use and importance of color in artwork.
• Printable Color Wheel – Information and examples of primary, secondary, and color schemes using the color wheel.

Media

• Art Safety Guide – Learn how to use different media and the precautions that you should be aware of when using a particular media.
• Pigments in Acrylics: Pigments and types of acrylic paint.
• Watercolor: A description of watercolor paints with examples.
• Tempera: What tempera paint is made from and how it is used.
• What is Pastel?: Definition, examples, and uses of pastels in art.
• What Are Oil Paints?: Description of oil paints and the pigments they contain.
• Oil Painting – Detailed information about oil painting and how it has evolved and been used throughout art.
• Selection, Care, and Handling of Paint Brushes: How to appropriately select and care for artist paintbrushes.

Styles

• Renaissance Art: Educational website with examples and history of Renaissance artwork.
• Abstract Art: A gallery and examples of types of abstract art,
• Abstract Expressionism: An extensive description of abstract art with famous examples.
• Museum with No Frontiers: A collection and online museum dedicated to baroque style artwork.
• Cubism in Art: Definition of cubism, with a listing of famous painters and an example. 
• Fauvism: An introduction to fauvism with extensive examples.
• A New Approach to Color in Art: Descriptions of Fauvism.
• Futurism: The definition of futurism in art with examples.
• Gothic Art and Architecture: The history behind Gothic art and architecture with photo examples.
• The Art of Classical Greece: Examples and historic descriptions of Greek art.
• Neoclassicism: Examples of neoclassic artwork.
• Pop Art: Pop art examples, including the works of Andy Warhol
• Pop Art Around the World: Examples of pop art from around the world.
• Post-Impressionism: Examples and analysis of post-impressionism art, circa 1880s to 1900s.
• Pre Raphaelite Critic: Critiques of the pre Raphaelite movement and artwork.
• Romanesque Art: Examples and definitions of Romanesque art.
• Romanticism in Art: A collection of works showcasing romanticism in art.
• Expressionism: Definition and examples of expressionism in art.
• Portraiture: Information of the portraiture art style with examples.