When we use the term "art elements," we really just mean the artistic ingredients painters use to create pictures. You already know and use words like color, light, lines, and texture, but we'll talk about what they mean in painting. We'll describe each of them separately, to help you become familiar with them. But remember that in painting, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. It's how a painter puts art elements together that makes a great work of art.