When you finish a piece, there is an important period of reflection before you can move on to your next work. Look at your finished piece and consider what is successful and what you can improve upon. Did you succeed in articulating your concept visually? Visual art is a language and the Elements of Art and Principles of Design are the tools we can use to articulate our ideas. How did you use the Elements of Art and Principles of Design to reenforce your concept?
Consider the following:
-What is your concept? (idea, theme, what you are trying to tell the viewer)?
-Which Elements of Art did you focus on? How do those elements help define your concept?
Line- How did you use lines? (geometric, organic, outlines?) How did you use implied lines (to direct the eye to a certain part of your piece or around the composition?)
Value- How dark or light is your piece? Is there high or low contrast?
Color- How did you use color?(Saturation, Hue, Value) (Complementary Colors, Warm vs Cool, Monochromatic, Grayscale) How does your use of color affect the viewer’s eye? How does your use of color affect the mood of the piece? How does your color use affect the composition?
Form- How did you use 3 dimensional forms? Where are they placed on the picture plane? Where are they placed in relation to other forms? How do the forms affect the composition?
Shape- How did you use shapes within the picture plane? How does it affect the composition?
Space- (Flat vs Deep) Do you have a realistic or a flat space? How does the use of space reflect your concept?
Texture- Do you use texture, pattern, repetition, or variation? How do these affect the composition? How do these affect the viewer’s eye movement? Does it enforce the concept?
-Use of Principles of Design:
Unity- Describe the overall whole-ness/ complete-ness of your piece. How do you use the proximity, similarity, repetition, rhythm, or variation of visual elements to organize your picture plane? How do you use the Unity/lack of unity to enforce your concept?
Balance - How is your composition balanced? Symmetrically?, Asymmetrically, Radially (from the center), Overall
Hierarchy - The order of importance of the visual elements. (What one see’s first, second, last, etc. and why that happens)
Scale/Proportion - How large or small your visual elements are in relation to each other. Are they realistic or unrealistic?
Dominance/Emphasis - Are there certain visual elements that are more visually important? How did you put emphasis on them? How does this enforce your concept?
Similarity/Contrast - Which elements of art did you use? Within the scale of each element, is there similarity or contrast?
Composition (Organization) - How did you organize the visual elements on your picture plane? How does that enforce your concept? How does your composition move the viewer’s eye?
-Can you think of other artists who have created art that has a similar concept? What are similarities and differences between your art and that artist's work?
-Is there an artistic movement (place in history/art history) that your work could fit into or refers to?
Picasso, “Blue Guitarist
Line- 
The implied lines of the figure and the guitar are all at varied angles. The disconnected geometric/architectural lines of the background and the variation of the angles of the implied lines add to the discomfort of the piece. The implied lines from the neck of the guitar lead the viewer’s eye into the piece.
Value- The values used are similar, they all fall on the darker end of the value scale.
Color- Monochromatic: Blues & Neutral tones. This adds to the sad mood of the piece.
Form- 
The major positive form is the man holding his guitar. He is centralized in the composition. The figure is contorted in a manner that looks uncomfortable. (See COMPOSITION)
Shape- 
Organic shapes are centralized (guitar, figure) and Geometric shapes create the background. Some of the shapes seem to disappear into the background because of the similarity of value.
Space- (Flat vs Deep) - Space is realistic, a shallow space you can step in to, but you couldn’t go far in. There is a window that would be able to provide a more open space in the background IF it were open, but because the window is closed it makes the composition seem more claustrophobic.
Texture- Smooth texture to create a realistic illusion of the figure & his guitar. The most texture occurs in the way the face is painted. This brings attention to the expression of the face.
-Use of Principles of Design:
Unity (Proximity, Similarity, Repetition, Rhythm, Variation) - The image is unified by its monochromatic color scheme. There is only one figure, holding one object. Together, these two forms become one central form.
Balance (Symmetry, Asymmetry, Radial, Overall) - The composition is centered but asymmetrical. If one was to draw a vertical line of symmetry, the figure and guitar would be off center. This asymmetry adds to the tension and discomfort, which relates to the concept of the painting.
Hierarchy - The first thing one sees is the guitar because it is the only part of the painting that is is not blue. After the guitar, the viewer notices the figure, and the figure’s facial features, hands and feet, because they have the most detail. Lastly the viewer notices the background, which the figure seems to sink into.
Scale/Proportion - The size of the figure is significant, because he just barely fits into the edges of the painting. If the figure were sitting upright, his features would be cropped out of the picture plane. This makes the figure seem both too large for the world he lives in, and to small to be comfortable. The proportion creates a sense of claustrophobia and discomfort.
Dominance/Emphasis - The emphasis of the painting is the blue color and the crooked posture of the figure. The color and posture of the figure relate to the mood of the painting.
Similarity/Contrast - The color scheme of the painting is all in the same part of the color spectrum: it is monochromatic. The colors and values are all very similar: they are all cool, dark colors. This puts an emphasis on the desired mood of the piece.
Composition (Organization) - The figure is mostly centralized in the composition. The figure is contorted in a manner that looks uncomfortable. If the figure were to sit up straight, the top of his head would be cropped out of the picture plane. The edges of the picture are confining the figure to his uncomfortable position.
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Chuck Close