Elements of Art Word Search With Principles of Design and Clues

Print an elements of art word search and its answer key, a list for every element, as words or definitions.

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Elements of Art Word Search

Find every word hidden in the grid. Words go across and down.

0 of 16 words found

WEMPHASISLHBMMB

ERGBERHACPSMEVG

EALIBPAYORSDUTI

MCOLORPTNHOVOOV

AWMPROEMTYCDSIT

WIOHUPRJRTOTNCI

DJXASOOWAHFMRLN

PIKDHRNTSMHMYBT

MCHMATHLTOLUFGA

FACRDIHKMVONNRT

VALUEOLINETIOAI

MORFRNEEEMPTUHH

IMXOLVARIETYNUO

GHARMONYSNEAWES

NHTMHTDLFTBDTBB

This grid is wider and taller than its box. Slide it to see every letter.To drag, hold the first letter for a moment, then slide.Keyboard: Tab to the grid, arrow keys to move, Enter on the first and last letter.

LineLINE
ShapeSHAPE
FormFORM
ColorCOLOR
ValueVALUE
ContrastCONTRAST
EmphasisEMPHASIS
MovementMOVEMENT
RhythmRHYTHM
UnityUNITY
VarietyVARIETY
ProportionPROPORTION
HarmonyHARMONY
HueHUE
TintTINT
ShadeSHADE

16 of 22 words from the Elements and Principles list.

Pick two words from the list. Write where you can see each one in the room around you.

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Answer key: Elements of Art Word Search

WEMPHASISLHBMMB

ERGBERHACPSMEVG

EALIBPAYORSDUTI

MCOLORPTNHOVOOV

AWMPROEMTYCDSIT

WIOHUPRJRTOTNCI

DJXASOOWAHFMRLN

PIKDHRNTSMHMYBT

MCHMATHLTOLUFGA

FACRDIHKMVONNRT

VALUEOLINETIOAI

MORFRNEEEMPTUHH

IMXOLVARIETYNUO

GHARMONYSNEAWES

NHTMHTDLFTBDTBB

LINE, SHAPE, FORM, COLOR, VALUE, CONTRAST, EMPHASIS, MOVEMENT, RHYTHM, UNITY, VARIETY, PROPORTION, HARMONY, HUE, TINT, SHADE

Next step Build a puzzle from your own art unit's words Print bingo cards from the same art words

All 147 words

Seven Elements of Art 8

Color What your eye sees when light bounces off a surface: a ripe lemon sends back yellow.
Element One of the building blocks of a work of art. Seven are most often taught.
Form A solid with three dimensions: length, width and depth. A ball and a box are examples.
Line The track a pencil point leaves as it moves: it may zigzag, curl, fade or turn bold.
Shape A flat, closed area with length and width, such as a circle or the outline of a leaf.
Space The room in a picture: the gaps around things, and how near or far they seem.
Texture The surface quality of a thing: bark looks and feels bumpy, a glazed bowl looks slick.
Value How light or dark a color or a gray is.

Show all 147 words (139 more)

Principles of Design 20

Asymmetrical Not matching side to side, yet steady: one big tree on the left, three small on the right.
Balance The way a design shares out its heavy and light parts so that neither side seems to tip.
Composition The way all the parts of an artwork are arranged.
Contrast A strong difference set side by side, such as light against dark.
Design The plan or arrangement of the parts of a work of art.
Emphasis Making one spot stand out, such as a single red kite in a gray sky.
Focal point The spot in a work of art that draws the eye first.
Harmony A pleasing agreement among the parts of a work, such as colors that go well together.
Motif A shape or symbol that is repeated to build a pattern.
Movement The route your eye is led along in an artwork, as when a winding road pulls you to a far hill.
Pattern A motif set out again and again in a planned order, like the checks on a picnic cloth.
Principle One of the ways artists arrange the elements, such as balance or rhythm.
Proportion How big one part is next to another, like a door drawn the right size for its house.
Radial Spreading out from a center point, like bicycle spokes or the petals of a daisy.
Repetition Using one shape, mark or hue many times over, so that an artwork feels busy and tied together.
Rhythm A visual beat: repeated parts spaced so the eye hops along, like fence posts beside a road.
Scale The size of one thing compared with another, or with the real thing.
Symmetry Balance in which one side of a design matches the other side.
Unity The feeling that all the parts of a work belong together and the work is complete.
Variety A mix of unlike shapes, sizes or hues that keeps a design from looking dull.

Kinds of Line 25

Contour A line that follows the outer edge of a form. The French word means outline.
Crosshatch To shade with two sets of parallel lines that cross each other.
Curved Bending smoothly, with no corners.
Dashed Made of a row of short strokes with gaps between them.
Diagonal Running on a slant, neither level nor straight up.
Direction The way a line points or leads the eye: up, down, across or on a slant.
Dotted Made of a row of small round marks with gaps between them.
Edge Where one shape or surface ends and another begins.
Gesture A quick, loose drawing that catches the action and pose of a figure.
Hatching Shading made with closely spaced parallel lines.
Horizontal Running from side to side, level with the ground.
Jagged Full of sharp, uneven points, like the edge of torn metal.
Length The measure of something from end to end.
Mark Any visible trace left on a surface by a tool, such as a dot, dash or scribble.
Outline A mark drawn around the outside edge of a shape.
Parallel Running side by side, always the same distance apart, and never meeting.
Spiral A curve that winds around a center and moves farther out as it goes.
Straight Going one way with no bend or curve.
Stroke A single mark made by one movement of a pencil, pen or brush.
Thick Wide from side to side, like a mark made with the side of a crayon.
Thin Narrow from side to side, like a mark made with a sharp pencil.
Vertical Running straight up and down.
Wavy Rising and falling in smooth curves, like the top of the sea.
Width The measure of something from side to side.
Zigzag Turning sharply left, then right, again and again.

Shape and Form 22

Angular Having sharp corners, not curves.
Circle A flat round shape. Every point on its edge is the same distance from the center.
Cone A solid with a round base that narrows to a point.
Cube A solid with six square faces, like a box or a die.
Cylinder A solid with two round ends and straight sides, like a can.
Dimension A measure in one direction. Shapes have two and forms have three.
Figure The human body as a subject, or the main shape that stands out from its ground.
Flat Having length and width but no depth, like a shape cut from paper.
Freeform Describes a flowing, uneven shape that follows no rule or pattern, like a puddle.
Geometric Describes exact shapes with math names, such as squares and circles.
Height The measure of something from bottom to top.
Irregular Uneven, with sides or curves that do not match.
Mass The sense of bulk and weight that a form gives.
Organic Describes free-flowing shapes like those found in nature, such as leaves and clouds.
Oval A flat shape like a stretched circle or an egg.
Pyramid A solid with a flat base and triangle sides that meet at a point.
Silhouette A subject shown as one solid shape of a single color, usually black.
Solid Having length, width and depth, so that it takes up room.
Sphere A solid that is round all over, like a ball.
Square A flat shape with four equal sides and four right angles.
Triangle A flat shape with three straight sides.
Volume The amount of room a form takes up.

Space and Depth 19

Atmospheric Describes perspective in which far things look paler, bluer and less sharp.
Background The part of a picture that seems farthest from the viewer.
Converge To come together at one point, as the rails of a track seem to do far away.
Depth The distance from front to back, real or shown by illusion.
Distance How far away something is, or seems to be.
Foreground The part of a picture that seems closest to the viewer.
Foreshortening Drawing a thing shorter than it is because it points toward the viewer.
Horizon The line where the sky seems to meet the land or the sea.
Illusion Something that fools the eye, such as depth on a flat page.
Linear Describes perspective built from lines that meet at a vanishing point.
Middle ground The part of a picture that lies between the closest part and the farthest part.
Negative Describes the open space between and around the subjects of a picture.
Overlap To cover part of another shape, which makes the shape in front look closer.
Perspective A way of drawing depth on a flat surface. Things farther away are drawn smaller.
Placement Where a thing sits on the page. Below the horizon, things placed higher look farther away.
Positive Describes the space taken up by the subject of a picture.
Size How big a thing is. The same object drawn smaller looks farther away.
Vanishing point The point where parallel lines, such as railroad tracks, seem to meet far away.
Viewpoint The place from which the artist looks at the scene.

Color Theory 24

Analogous Describes colors that sit side by side on the color wheel.
Blend To merge two values or colors smoothly so that no edge shows.
Bright Strong and vivid, at full intensity.
Color wheel A circle of hues arranged so that their relations show.
Complementary Describes two colors directly across the color wheel, such as red and green.
Cool Describes hues running from blue green to blue violet, which seem to move back.
Dull Weak and grayed, at low intensity.
Hue The name of a color, such as red or green.
Intensity How bright or dull a color is.
Intermediate Another name for a tertiary color, such as yellow green or blue violet.
Light What color is made of. Objects reflect it into our eyes.
Monochromatic Made with a single hue plus its tints, tones and shades.
Neutral Describes black, white and gray, which have no hue of their own.
Primary Describes red, yellow and blue, which cannot be mixed from other paints.
Saturation The strength or purity of a color. Another word for intensity.
Scheme A planned set of colors chosen to work together.
Secondary Describes green, orange and violet, each mixed from two primary colors.
Shade A color mixed with black, which makes it darker.
Spectrum The band of colors that white light spreads into, as in a rainbow.
Tertiary Describes a color mixed from a primary and a secondary, such as blue green.
Tint A color mixed with white, which makes it lighter.
Tone A color mixed with gray.
Triadic Describes three colors spaced evenly around the color wheel.
Warm Describes the hues from red through yellow, the colors of a sunset.

Value and Shading 9

Chiaroscuro An Italian word, light-dark, for strong contrast between light and shadow.
Dark Low in value, close to black.
Gradation A change by small steps, as from light to dark.
Gradient A smooth, gradual change from one value or color to another.
Grayscale The range of grays from white to black, with no color.
Highlight The brightest spot on an object, where the light strikes it.
Shading Adding darker values to a drawing so that a flat shape looks solid.
Shadow The dark area where an object blocks the light.
Stippling Shading made with many small dots. The closer the dots, the darker the area.

Texture Words 20

Bumpy Covered in small raised lumps.
Coarse Made of large, rough grains or threads.
Furry Covered with soft animal hair, or looking as if it were.
Fuzzy Covered in short, soft fibers, like a peach.
Glossy Smooth and shiny, so that it reflects light.
Grainy Having a surface of many tiny particles, like sand.
Hard Firm and solid when pressed, like a stone.
Implied Suggested to the eye but not really there, like the rough look of a drawn rock.
Matte Having a dull finish with no shine.
Prickly Covered in small sharp points, like a porcupine.
Rough Uneven to the touch, like tree bark or sandpaper.
Rubbing A copy of a texture made by laying paper over it and going over the paper with pencil.
Shiny Bright with reflected light.
Silky Soft, smooth and slightly shiny, like fine cloth.
Smooth Even to the touch, with no bumps, like glass.
Soft Giving way when pressed, like a cotton ball.
Surface The outside layer of a thing, the part you see and touch.
Tactile Describes texture you can really feel with your fingers.
Touch The sense that tells you how a surface feels.
Visual Describes texture you can only see, such as fur painted on flat paper.

How this list was compiled: 147 words for the elements of art and principles of design unit, chosen and defined for this site, in eight themed lists plus a key terms list, an easy list and a hard list. Which terms count as elements and which as principles was checked on 2026-09-19 against two J. Paul Getty Museum hand-outs, Elements of Art, https://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/building_lessons/elements_art.pdf, and Principles of Design, https://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/building_lessons/principles_design.pdf. The Getty sheet lists six elements; the count of seven, with value as its own element, follows https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elements_of_art, read the same day. Color theory and shading terms were checked in English Wikipedia and every spelling in the American Heritage Dictionary, https://www.ahdictionary.com/. The meanings and the examples in them are our own. Licence: own work

How it works

Six lists give the seven elements their own vocabulary in this elements of art word search, Shape and Form sharing one. All 147 words have a one-line definition, and the first puzzle hides 16, such as Contrast, Rhythm and Hue.

Read the full guide

A list for every element

Start from a list gives each element its own words: Kinds of Line (25 words, such as Zigzag and Crosshatch), Shape and Form, Space and Depth, Color Theory, Value and Shading, and Texture Words. Principles of Design adds 20 more, such as Balance and Focal point. Teach one element a week and print its list as the exit sheet.

The seven elements on a small grid

Seven Elements of Art holds 8 words: the seven elements and the word Element. For a first-day sheet, take words off the list with their crosses until 8 are left.

Tick Show clues, not words, for a vocabulary check: "Shading made with closely spaced parallel lines" hides Hatching.
Under the list the sheet prints a task on two ruled lines: pick two words and write where you see each in the room.
For grades 2 and 3, pick Short Art Words (43 words such as Hue and Cone) and Large print.

Questions and answers

Are there six or seven elements of art?

Most class lists count seven: line, shape, form, space, color, value and texture. The J. Paul Getty Museum's teacher hand-out names six and treats value as one of three traits of color, beside hue and intensity. This puzzle lists seven.

Which principles of design are on the list?

The Getty hand-out Principles of Design names nine: balance, emphasis, movement, pattern, repetition, proportion, rhythm, variety and unity. All nine are here, beside 11 more words such as Contrast, Harmony and Focal point. The hand-outs settle which terms count; every definition is our own wording.

What is the difference between a tint, a shade and a tone?

A tint is a color mixed with white, which makes it lighter; a shade is mixed with black, which makes it darker; a tone is mixed with gray. Pink is a tint of red. All three words are in Color Theory.

All 147 words

Seven Elements of Art 8

Principles of Design 20

Kinds of Line 25

Shape and Form 22

Space and Depth 19

Color Theory 24

Value and Shading 9

Texture Words 20

How it works

A list for every element

The seven elements on a small grid

Questions and answers

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