- Definition
Emphasis in art is when an artist makes one part of their artwork stand out more than the rest, like making one shape darker in a light picture, to draw your eye to it. They can do this using things like color, size, or by placing it in a special spot.
A bright yellow sun in a drawing of a blue sky has emphasis because its color stands out.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: Emphasis is like putting a bright red cherry on top of a plain cupcake to make it the most important part.
Ask your child: What part of this picture does your eye go to first?
Common mix-up: Kids may think every part of a picture is equally important. Emphasis is the artist's way of guiding your eye to a special spot first.
Examples
- Drawing one very large apple in a bowl of small apples.
- Placing a single red toy car in the very center of a drawing.
emphasis is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
