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Explore primary colours, secondary colours, and harmonious colours. Choices of colour and the relationships between colours have a huge influence on how a piece or art or design looks and feels and the emotions it provokes.

Tone means how light or dark something is. The tones artists and designers use and the contrast between them can create very different moods and visual effects.

Lines are used by artists and designers to describe objects, add detail or create expression. Lines define an artwork and reveal the artist’s techniques.

Shapes are two-dimensional. Positive shapes represent solid objects and negative shapes show the surrounding space. Geometric shapes are perfect and regular. Organic shapes are irregular and natural.

Form refers to three dimensional objects. While shapes have two dimensions (height and width), forms have three dimensions (height, width and depth).

Three-dimensional work creates real space. Two-dimensional works can create implied space using artistic technique. Objects take up positive space, while negative space is the empty space around them.

Artists and designers can use actual texture in their work or they can suggest how something feels using techniques that imply texture.

A pattern is a design in which lines, shapes, forms or colours are repeated. The part that is repeated is called a motif. Patterns can be regular or irregular.

The arrangement of elements in a composition can create balance or imbalance. Three key ways to create balance are through symmetry, asymmetry and radial symmetry.

Emphasis is what makes part of a composition stand out. Artists and designers can emphasise something in various ways which include using its position, using converging lines, or by making it unusual.

Most art and design work does not feature actual movement but artists can suggest movement and passing time through the techniques they use.

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.

Rhythm refers to how elements are repeated or how they change and develop. Rhythm can be described as either regular, flowing or progressive.

Unity refers to how different elements of an artwork or design work come together and create a sense of wholeness. It can be achieved through proximity, simplicity, repetition and continuation.

Variety refers to how artists and designers add complexity to their work using visual elements. Contrast, difference and change, and elaboration all add visual interest to an artist’s work.

Artists and designers look for inspiration to use as a starting point for their creative projects. Many artists and designers find inspiration in the work of others.

Artists and designers find stimuli in the world around them or research a particular topic to find stimuli. They use this material to help them generate a personal creative response in their work.

Artists use analytical drawing techniques to explore and record their subject matter. Designers also often use analytical drawing to investigate the visual qualities of their sources of inspiration.

Developing ideas is part of the creative process for artists and designers. By exploring and refining ideas effective decisions can be made about the final piece of artwork or design solution.

Designers use a brief to give them guidance and focus. A brief helps define the design problem and gives details on important considerations and constraints.

Artists and designers use a variety of materials and techniques for different purposes and to create different effects.

Recording your ideas, observations and insights will help your creative process. You can do this visually, through writing or by using other media.

Annotation means writing key information alongside your work. It can help to record your thoughts, keep your development on track and let others know what you have done and why.

Artists and designers often record ideas they have for artworks and designs. They will note down observations as they go so they can analyse and evaluate the effectiveness of the work produced

Artists and designers often exhibit their work, meaning it has to be presented in a way that will allow the viewer to see the original idea or intention. Artists and designers who are working to a specific brief will have to present work to clients in a clear manner in order to show they have met the brief.

Artists can experiment with a variety of techniques, materials and media when drawing in order to develop and communicate ideas.

Artists can experiment with paints, techniques and painting styles to give character to the subject of a painting and evoke different emotions from the viewer.

Printing is the process of making images that can be transferred onto other surfaces. It can be used to make one or more identical images or to create repeating patterns on papers and textiles.

Photography is the art of capturing and manipulating images. Photographers can use film and digital cameras as well as camera-less photography to create images.

The National 5 exam involves answering questions on artists and designers previously studied and also unseen works. Your answers need to show an understanding of how artists and designers are influenced and the elements and techniques they use.