Art Vocabulary Worksheets

Press Print worksheet for an elements of art vocabulary worksheet: twelve terms, from line to texture, to match to meanings.

A sample is on the sheet. What you type replaces it.

What you type stays in your browser. Nothing is sent to us.

NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Art vocabularylineshapeformspacecolorvaluetexturecontourplanecurvetwo-dimensionalthree-dimensionala smooth bend with no straightpart and no cornera solid figure, such as a cube or aspherethe feel of a surface, real or onlypicturedany flat surfacethe outline that marks the edge ofa figurehaving height, width and depthhaving height and width but nodeptha mark longer than it is wide, leftby a moving pointthe property of things seen asred, green, blue and so ona flat area set off by an edge,such as a circlea color's place on the scale fromlight to darkthe room around, between andinside the things in a work
NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comDraw a line from each one on the left to its partner on the right.Art vocabularyAnswer keylineshapeformspacecolorvaluetexturecontourplanecurvetwo-dimensionalthree-dimensionala smooth bend with no straightpart and no cornera solid figure, such as a cube or aspherethe feel of a surface, real or onlypicturedany flat surfacethe outline that marks the edge ofa figurehaving height, width and depthhaving height and width but nodeptha mark longer than it is wide, leftby a moving pointthe property of things seen asred, green, blue and so ona flat area set off by an edge,such as a circlea color's place on the scale fromlight to darkthe room around, between andinside the things in a work
More options

Next step Next: find the elements of art in a word search

All 48 terms

Elements of art 12

  • color The property of things seen as red, green, blue and so on. Red, yellow and blue are colors.
  • contour The outline that marks the edge of a figure. A contour drawing has no shading.
  • curve A smooth bend with no straight part and no corner. The letter S is drawn with two curves.
  • form A solid figure, such as a cube or a sphere. A circle is a shape; a ball is a form.
  • line A mark longer than it is wide, left by a moving point. A line can be straight, wavy, thick or thin.
  • plane Any flat surface. Each face of a box is a plane.
  • shape A flat area set off by an edge, such as a circle. A shape has height and width but no depth.
  • space The room around, between and inside the things in a work. Overlapping two shapes makes one look farther back.
  • texture The feel of a surface, real or only pictured. Sand glued to paper gives a rough texture.
  • three-dimensional Having height, width and depth. A clay pot is three-dimensional.
  • two-dimensional Having height and width but no depth. A drawing on paper is two-dimensional.
  • value A color's place on the scale from light to dark. A value scale runs from white through grays to black.
Show all 48 terms (36 more)

Principles of design 12

  • asymmetry A layout whose two halves do not mirror each other. A tree placed to one side of a picture gives asymmetry.
  • balance Visual weight shared out so that no side feels heavier. A large dark shape on one side can be balanced by several small ones on the other.
  • contrast A strong difference, such as light beside dark. Black letters on white paper have high contrast.
  • emphasis Extra importance given to one part of a work. One red flower in a gray picture has emphasis.
  • golden ratio The ratio of about 1.618 to 1, written phi. A rectangle with sides in this ratio is called a golden rectangle.
  • gradation A gradual change from one tone or color to the next. A sunset sky shows gradation from orange to dark blue.
  • movement The route along which a design leads the eye. A winding road can lead the eye from the front of a picture to the back.
  • pattern A design made by repeating a shape, line or color. Stripes and checks are patterns.
  • proportion The size of one part measured against another. A figure drawn with a head too big for its body is out of proportion.
  • rule of thirds A guide: place the subject a third of the way in. The picture is split by two lines across and two lines down.
  • unity The way every part of a design seems to belong with the rest. Using a few colors throughout a painting helps unity.
  • white space The blank margins and gaps of a poster or page. A page crowded to its edges has little white space.

Color words 12

  • analogous colors Colors that are next-door neighbors on the color wheel. Yellow, yellow-green and green are analogous colors.
  • chroma How pure a color is, with no gray mixed in. A bright red has more chroma than a brick red.
  • complementary color The color found straight across the wheel from another. Orange is the complementary color of blue.
  • cool color Any hue from blue-green through blue-violet. Blue is a cool color.
  • gamut The whole range of colors a set of primaries can mix. No set of three paints can mix every color the eye sees.
  • hue A color's name on the wheel, apart from light or dark. Pink and maroon share the hue red.
  • pigment The dry coloring matter that a paint is made with. Mixed with a binder, a pigment becomes paint.
  • primary color A base color that others are mixed from, such as red. In the painter's tradition these are red, yellow and blue.
  • secondary color A color mixed from two primary colors. Blue and yellow paint make green.
  • shade A darker version of a color, made by adding black. Navy is a shade of blue.
  • tint A lighter version of a color, made by adding white. Pink is a tint of red.
  • warm color Any hue from red through yellow. Orange is a warm color.

Tools and materials 12

  • brayer A hand roller for spreading ink in printmaking. The brayer rolls ink onto the printing block.
  • canvas Heavy woven cloth, pulled tight over a frame, for painting. Many oil paintings are made on canvas.
  • fixative A spray that keeps chalk or pencil from smudging. A pastel drawing is often sprayed with fixative.
  • gouache An opaque kind of watercolor paint. A layer of gouache hides the layer under it.
  • graphite The dark, slippery mineral in the core of a pencil. Graphite is a form of carbon.
  • kneaded eraser A soft eraser that can be pressed into any shape. Pressed to a point, it lifts a small highlight.
  • paintbrush A handle tipped with bristles for putting on paint. A flat paintbrush makes a wide stroke.
  • palette knife A blunt, bendy blade for mixing or spreading paint. Thick paint can be spread with a palette knife.
  • sketchbook A bound pad of plain paper that an artist draws in. An artist may carry a sketchbook outdoors.
  • smock A loose overshirt that protects an artist's clothing. An old shirt can serve as a smock.
  • stencil A card with shapes cut out, used to repeat a design. Letters on a sign can be painted through a stencil.
  • tempera A paint that by tradition has egg yolk as its binder. A picture painted this way is also called a tempera.

How this list was compiled: Term list chosen for this site on 2026-10-02. Each meaning is written in our own words and was checked that day against the entry for the term in Wiktionary, the free dictionary (https://en.wiktionary.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license, and, for primary color, analogous colors, warm color, cool color and gamut, against the article Color theory in English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license. The seven elements of art were compared with the article Elements of art. The example after each meaning is our own. Licence: own work

How it works

These art vocabulary worksheets print twelve terms down the left and their meanings, mixed up, down the right. Four sets cover the elements of art, the principles of design, color words, and tools and materials.

Read the full guide

Four sets

Set opens on Elements of art: line, shape, form, space, color, value and texture, with contour, plane and curve. Principles of design runs from balance to white space. Tools and materials goes from canvas to brayer.

A color theory vocabulary worksheet

Set to Color words, the sheet prints hue, tint, shade, primary, secondary and complementary color, warm and cool color, pigment, chroma and gamut. Under the tool every term has an example: Pink is a tint of red.

  • Type your own term = meaning lines in the box to print the words of one project in place of ours.

Questions and answers

What are the seven elements of art?

Line, shape, form, space, color, value and texture. All seven are in the first set, each with a one-line meaning: value, for example, is how light or dark a color or a gray is.

What is the difference between a tint and a shade?

A tint is a lighter version of a color, made by adding white, and a shade is a darker version, made by adding black. Pink is a tint of red; navy is a shade of blue.

Do these work as ESL art vocabulary worksheets?

Each meaning is one short line in plain words, and Pairs cuts a sheet to 4, 5, 6, 8 or 10 terms. The sheets are not graded for any level of English.

Does the sheet come with an answer key?

Yes. The key prints as the last page: the same sheet with a line drawn from each term to its meaning. Uncheck Add an answer key as the last page, under More options, to leave it out.

More tools

Show 6 more

Browse Handwriting