Shape and Mass

Formal elements - Shape, mass and form

Shape

A shape is a area in a composition that is defined by an outline. Organic shapes are shapes that have a natural look that are flowing and curving in appearance, because of this they are often called curvilinear shapes. Geometric shapes are 'man-made' shapes that have clear, sharp edges, this can show structure. Negative shapes is either the empty space or the space filled with other image/shapes whereas positive shapes is the shape/image that the view focuses on.

Mass

A form has an implied mass, it's a shape that appears to be 3-D. As the shape is 3-D this means it can be measured by height, width and depth. The depth would show the mass of a form, a form would also be contour lines. Actual mass has a measurable weight however implied mass is the illusion of weight, this could be in a painting or photograph. You can turn shapes into forms by adding depth. 

  A square becomes a cube, however with a circle you can't add another side you have to shade it for it to become a sphere.