Design elements are in themselves neither good nor bad. They are ideals that can be used in many ways. That’s why two paintings with identical subject matter can land so differently.
You can understand the principles of design intuitively, without being able to name design elements, but it helps to have a common language.
The basic design elements
- Line—that’s either a long mark or boundary between two shapes;
- Shape—an area defined by boundaries;
- Form—that has different meaning in 2D and 3D design. In painting it means how we represent three-dimensional space;
- Color, which is made up of:
- Hue—the position on the color wheel,
- Chroma—how intense the color is, and,
- Value—the lightness or darkness of a color, creating contrast and dimension;
- Texture—the surface quality of the work, which in practice means brushwork;
- Rhythm and movement—the organized repetition of objects, and the path through the painting;
- Balance—how far the painting moves off from symmetry;
- Focal points—the areas that draw the viewer’s eye first.
No artist can focus on all these at one time. Composition depends on which design elements we choose to stress and how they relate to each other. For example, almost all paintings have line in some form. But is that line restrained? Kinetic? Is it meant to support focal points or recede into the background?
A masterpiece may have quiet, smooth brushwork or bravura brushwork. Neither is ‘better,’ no matter how many times you’ve been told to loosen up. Bravura brushwork may be associated with the brilliant palettes of modern painters, but there were many Old Masters, including Diego Velázquez, Frans Hals and Rembrandt, who painted loosely. Conversely, there are contemporary painters using polished surfaces. What matters is how design elements fit together.
Subject matter has little to do with design.
I have taken tens of thousands of photos I’ll never paint. A strong photo is not necessarily a strong painting. The camera records everything with glacial indifference; we, the artists, must emphasize what’s important.
I find nature a very compelling subject, but nature itself doesn’t guarantee a strong painting. Paintings fail when the value structure is vague, focal points are accidental or don’t exist at all, and nothing is dominant.
This has been a guiding principle of painting in all times and places. Compare Francisco Goya’s The Third of May, 1808, Jusepe de Ribera’s The Martyrdom of St. Andrew, Winslow Homer’s Weatherbeaten, Wayne Thiebaud’s Around the Cake and Hasegawa Tōhaku’s The Pine Trees. They’re from different times and places and about radically different subjects. However, they all pare representation down to its essentials. Design is not a modern invention.
Arthur Wesley Dow was one of the great American painting teachers. He pioneered the ideas of space-cutting and nōtan. Both ideas emphasized the arrangement of beautiful shapes, and they’re skills worth practicing.
Want to learn more about this? I’d love to have you join me for Trust the Process (making technique tell the story you want to tell), my live Zoom class designed to help you build a dependable, joyful, repeatable painting practice. We’ll dig into technique, creative decision-making and the mindset that frees you to paint with confidence. We meet Monday nights, 6-9 PM EST, starting on January 5, 2026. It’s suitable for all levels and all media. You can learn more here.
Registration is now open for workshops in 2026! Reserve your spot:
- Canyon Color for the Painter | Sedona, AZ, March 9-13, 2026
- Advanced Plein Air Painting | Rockport, ME, July 13-17, 2026
- Sea & Sky | Acadia National Park, ME, August 2–7, 2026
- Find your Authentic Voice in Plein Air | Berkshires, MA, August 10-14, 2026
- New! Color Clinic 2026 | Rockport, ME, October 3-4, 2026
- New! Composition Week 2026 | Rockport, ME, October 5-9, 2026