Grade by Grade
B. Drama / D. Visual Arts · Drama and Visual Arts

Visual Arts: Unity, Harmony and the Rule of Thirds

D1.2 D2.2About 50 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can explain unity and harmony, this year's principle of design.
  • I can create unity using similarity, continuity, alignment and proximity.
  • I can use the rule of thirds to plan a composition.
  • I can combine several principles of design in a narrative art work or an art work on a theme.
  • I can explain how the principles of design are used in my own and others' art works.

Words to know

unity
The feeling that all the parts of an art work belong together and make one whole.
harmony
A pleasing feeling created when parts of an art work share something, such as colours, shapes or lines.
similarity
Repeating colours, shapes, values, textures or lines so the parts of an art work look related.
continuity
Treating different parts of an art work in a similar way, for example using the same kind of brushstroke everywhere.
alignment
Arranging shapes so they line up along a real or implied line (an axis).
proximity
Placing related items close together so they read as a group.
rule of thirds
A composition guide: divide the picture into a 3-by-3 grid and place important things along the lines or where they cross.
mandala
A circular design arranged around a centre, with radial balance; used in many cultures, including in Hindu and Buddhist traditions.

Remember from Grade 6

Last year's principle of design was balance: symmetrical, asymmetrical and radial balance, and visual weight. You planned art works on a theme and explained how you balanced them.

In Grade 7, the principle of design is unity and harmony. You will also learn the rule of thirds and use several principles together in one composition.

Does it belong?

Imagine a calm watercolour of a misty lake, painted in soft blues and greens. Now someone glues a bright, shiny cartoon sticker in the corner. Something feels wrong. The sticker doesn't belong.

That feeling of everything belonging together is unity. When the parts also look good together because they share something, we call it harmony. A band whose instruments are all playing the same song has harmony; one instrument playing a different song breaks it.

A misty lake at dawn with a small rocky island of pine trees reflected in still water.
Soft, similar colours give this scene unity. The island sits about one third in from the right, a strong spot by the rule of thirds. AI-generated image

Four ways to create unity

  1. Similarity: repeat colours, shapes, values, textures or lines. A painting where the clouds, hills and trees are all made of rounded shapes feels unified.
  2. Continuity: treat different parts the same way: the same brushstroke, the same outline thickness, the same style everywhere.
  3. Alignment: line shapes up along a real or implied axis (an invisible line your eye follows), like birds flying along a diagonal.
  4. Proximity: place related things close together, so they read as a group. A family gathered around a table feels connected.

Radial balance can create strong unity too: in a mandala, repeated shapes circle a centre, so every part relates to the middle.

Unity needs a little variety

Too much sameness is boring. Artists balance unity with a bit of variety: different sizes of the same shape, one accent colour, a change in texture. The goal: everything belongs, but your eye still has something to explore.

radial: similarityproximityalignment
Three examples of unity. Radial similarity: a mandala-like design with eight repeated petals around a centre circle and a ring of sixteen repeated dots. Proximity: six circles placed in two groups of three, so they read as two groups. Alignment: five squares lined up along a dashed diagonal implied axis.

Unity in art around the world

  • Tibetan Buddhist sand mandalas: monks create detailed circular designs from coloured sand over many days, with patterns repeated around the centre. When it is finished, the mandala is swept away, a reminder that nothing lasts forever.
  • Islamic geometric patterns: religious art in Islam usually avoids pictures of people and animals, so artists developed amazing geometric patterns, plant-like designs and calligraphy (beautiful writing). In buildings like the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, tile patterns repeat and interlock across whole walls, creating powerful unity.

The rule of thirds

Photographers and painters often use the rule of thirds:

  1. Imagine two lines across and two lines down, dividing the picture into nine equal parts.
  2. Place the horizon on the top or bottom line, not in the middle.
  3. Place important things on the lines or where they cross.

This usually creates a more interesting, balanced composition than putting everything dead centre. Many phone cameras can show a thirds grid on the screen.

horizon onlower thirdtree on athird linesun wherelines cross
A landscape divided by dashed lines into a 3-by-3 grid. The horizon sits on the lower third line, with land below it. A tree stands on the right vertical third line, and a sun sits where the left vertical line crosses the upper horizontal line.
Worked example

Example: Planning a narrative art work about a winter carnival

Theme: a community winter carnival. Let's combine the rule of thirds with unity and other principles.

  1. Story (narrative): a family arrives at the carnival at dusk. Kids are tobogganing; people skate on the outdoor rink; a snow sculpture stands in the middle.
  2. Rule of thirds: horizon on the upper third line (lots of snowy ground for the action). The snow sculpture sits on the left third line; the family is at the lower-right crossing point.
  3. Unity (similarity): the hats, scarves and lanterns all use the same three colours: red-orange, yellow-orange and blue-violet.
  4. Unity (continuity): everything is drawn with the same thick dark outline and flat colour, like a poster.
  5. Unity (proximity): each family group stands close together, so the viewer reads them as families.
  6. Variety: different sizes of people and a single bright yellow sun low in the sky for an accent.
  7. Other principles: emphasis on the family (biggest figures, brightest scarves); movement with diagonal toboggan hills; balance between the large sculpture and the busy rink.

Using the rule of thirds and several principles together makes a composition that tells a story, feels unified, and still has variety.

Worked example

Example: Explaining unity in an art work

Imagine a quilt-like painting of a neighbourhood: every house is a simple rectangle with a triangle roof, painted in shades of green, blue and teal, with one red-orange front door in the bottom-right third.

  1. Similarity: repeated house shapes and analogous colours.
  2. Continuity: every house is painted with the same flat colour and thin white outlines.
  3. Alignment: the houses line up in rows that follow the curving road.
  4. Variety and emphasis: the single red-orange door, a complementary accent placed on a rule-of-thirds point, draws the eye.
  5. Explain: "The artist created unity through repeated shapes, analogous colours and the same painting style everywhere, and added one complementary accent so the picture isn't boring."

Naming the specific ways unity is created (similarity, continuity, alignment, proximity) makes your explanation clear and convincing.

Just for fun

Rule-of-thirds tip: if you put the horizon exactly in the middle, your picture can look like it can't decide whether it's about the sky or the land. Pick one and give it two thirds!

Learning from cultural designs respectfully

  • Mandalas and Islamic patterns have deep meaning for the people and faiths that create them. Learn about them, then design your own radial or geometric pattern rather than copying a sacred design.
  • Use correct names: Tibetan Buddhist sand mandala, Islamic geometric pattern.
  • Present these traditions as living: artists and communities create them today.
Hands-on activity

Unity studio

You need: paper, a pencil, a ruler, scissors (with a grown-up, or tear the paper instead), a compass or a plate to trace, coloured pencils or markers, and (optional) a phone or tablet camera with a grid setting, with a grown-up's permission.

  1. Radial design: trace a circle. Divide it into 8 equal parts (fold the paper in half three times). Design your own radial pattern: repeat the same shapes in each section and use only three colours. That's similarity.
  2. Proximity and alignment: cut 10 small paper squares. Arrange them on a page to show (a) two clear groups (proximity), then (b) a line along an invisible diagonal (alignment).
  3. Rule of thirds photos: take two photos of the same object: one with it dead centre and one placed on a thirds crossing point. Which is more interesting? (No camera? Draw two thumbnail sketches instead.)
  4. Final narrative piece: choose a theme (a winter carnival, a family celebration, a day at the lake). Plan with a thirds grid, then create a drawing or painting that uses at least two ways of creating unity and a touch of variety.
  5. Explain: write which principles you used and where.

Your turn

1

What is unity in an art work?

2

Name the four ways to create unity from the lesson.

3

What is the rule of thirds?

4

Where should the horizon go, using the rule of thirds?

5

What is proximity?

6

Why do artists add a little variety to a unified work?

7

What happens to a Tibetan Buddhist sand mandala when it is finished, and what does it remind people?

More practice: warm-up

1

What is this year's principle of design?

2

How many equal parts does the rule of thirds grid make?

3

Repeating the same three colours all over a painting is an example of ___.

4

What is a mandala?

5

Name a building famous for its Islamic geometric tile patterns.

More practice: on your own

1

Explain the difference between similarity and continuity.

2

A photo puts a canoe exactly in the centre and the horizon exactly in the middle. Suggest two changes using the rule of thirds.

3

A collage uses cut-out magazine pictures in every style and colour, and feels messy. Suggest two ways to create unity.

4

Why might Islamic religious art use geometric patterns so often?

5

How does alignment create unity?

Challenge

1

Plan a narrative art work on the theme "Welcome to Canada" that uses the rule of thirds, at least two ways of creating unity, and one accent of variety. Describe it.

2

Can an art work have too much unity? Explain with an example.

3

Explain how a mandala uses two principles of design together.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Unity means ___.

2.

Placing related items close together is called ___.

3.

Using the rule of thirds, the horizon is usually placed ___.

4.

Using the same thick outline and brushstroke everywhere is ___.

5.

Shapes lined up along an invisible diagonal show ___.

6.

Why do artists add a little variety to a unified work?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: The Grade 7 principle of design is unity and harmony, including similarity (repetition of colours, shapes, values, textures or lines), continuity, alignment, proximity and radial balance (e.g., mandala). Students demonstrate an understanding of composition using multiple principles of design and the "rule of thirds" to create narrative art works or art works on a theme (D1.2) and explain how elements and principles create meaning (D2.2).

How to help:

  • Turn on the grid on a phone camera and take "thirds" photos together.
  • Look at a room, a garden or a store display: "What makes it feel unified? What breaks the unity?"
  • Look up images of the Alhambra's tilework on a museum or travel site and find the repeating shapes.

Common difficulties:

  • Everything dead centre. Sketch a thirds grid first.
  • Unity without variety. Ask, "Where does your eye go? Add one surprise."
  • Copying sacred designs. Encourage original radial patterns inspired by the idea of a mandala.

Safety: supervise scissors, or let your child tear the paper squares instead.