A line is the path left by a moving point. For example, a pencil or a brush dipped in paint.

A line can take many forms. It can be horizontal, diagonal or curved. It can also change over its length, starting off curved and ending up horizontal, for example.

A line can be used to show many different qualities, such as:

Contours – showing the shape and form of something
feelings or expressions – a short, hard line gives a different feeling to a more flowing one
movements

This refers to the lightness or darkness of something. This could be a shade or how dark or light a colour appears.

Tones are created by the way light falls on a 3D object. The parts of the object on which the light is strongest are called highlights and the darker areas are called shadows. There will a range of tones in between the highlights and shadows.

Red, yellow and blue are primary colours, which means they can’t be mixed using any other colours. In theory, all other colours can be mixed from these three colours.

Two primary colours mixed together make a secondary colour. Tertiary colours are created by mixing a primary colour and the secondary colour next to it on the colour wheel.

To analyse art means more than just describing it. Students must move beyond the obvious and add perceptive, personal insight.

Students should demonstrate higher order thinking – the ability to analyse, evaluate and synthesise information and ideas. For example, if colour has been used to create strong contrasts in certain areas of an artwork, students might follow this observation with a thoughtful assumption about why this is the case – perhaps a deliberate attempt by the artist to draw attention to a focal point, helping to convey ideas relevant to their theme.

Proportion describes the relationship between the dimensions of different elements and an overall composition. Scale refers to an artwork’s size and how parts of a composition relate to each other.

When you reflect on something, you think deeply about it. In terms of art, written and verbal reflections encourage pupils to explore their own ideas about their artwork. It enables them to express their own opinion rather than summarise the opinions of others.