Before laying down a profusion of lines, decide what kind of emotional experience you would like viewers to have. When integrated with other visual elements, lines can evoke particular emotions or states, so use them thoughtfully and deliberately.
If you would like to elicit excitement, emphasize vertical lines which - like the columns in the top third of the blue image - indicate strength and power, or oblique lines, which suggest motion.
If you would like to produce a more calming experience, emphasize horizontal lines -- like the horizontal bands that provide some relief in the blue image. Curved lines also offer a calming sensuality, perhaps because their evocation of nature (as illustrated by the fern-like strokes emanating from the lower left corner) sets us at ease.
Create your lines by either explicitly delineating them, as when a child depicts objects by outlining their silhouette, or by implying them, as when a blue sky meets the green of a hill creating a "horizon."
There is a great pool of research to draw from on the emotional impacts of color. Interior design in particular explores the effect of visual elements on people's moods, well-being, and even health.
Remember that humans once depended upon a level of motivation to explore for the discovery of food, water and refuge, so we are drawn by natural features like winding trails that make us wonder...what's around the corner? Use this evolutionary programming to invite viewers into your work.
To incorporate the calming quality of natural elements, use green, which evokes the security of nature and health - or blue, which induces calm, peace and tranquility.
Use yellow, orange or red for a slight startle, but be sure to use them sparingly, as their overuse can induce anxiety.
To elicit curiosity and intrigue in a two-dimensional medium, create curved lines, shapes and forms that radiate from a perspective point. Remember that while we cannot plunge into a painting, a part of our psyche might want to.
Be mindful, however, of subtle variations in emotional impact as you move slowly round the color wheel, for various blends can incite very distinct experiences.
If you want to have an emotional impact, your composition of visual elements has to absorb your viewer enough for them to experience your work. Too much information can lead to a sense of chaos that is alarming rather than inviting. You want to prevent boredom as well as overstimulating confusion, so strive for a balance of unity and variety.
Be very attentive to the most essential details. Before beginning, identify a variety of elements you want to communicate to viewers - for example, the graceful rhythm of the trees and the way their contrast with the negative space creates a sense of peace and perhaps even a stark solitude.
Distill essential elements by removing extraneous details, and use repetition to help the viewer organize visual information. Note that the lack of color in this photo, as well as its effective focus on a handful of trees, removes distracting material, leaving the viewer with a simple yet moving image.
Our emotional responses to specific visual stimulus are rooted in our evolutionary history. To further tap into the affects of various visual elements, explore the fundamentals of biophilic design, which addresses the need for prospect, refuge, and exploration.
To create a sense of refuge, consider dimmer lighting and opaque walls of cozier dimensions. If you are working in a two-dimensional medium, you can suggest refuge by experimenting with dark cavernous spaces.
For a sense of prospect, incorporate natural lighting through windows in a room of more spacious dimensions. You can play with this ambiance in other mediums through the use of light emanating and filtered from above into more expansive spaces.
To elicit curiosity and excitement in three-dimensional design, you can use a winding path that allows for continually new visual frames to unfold. Because human survival once depended upon the motivation to explore natural landscapes for food, shelter and water, this experience is deeply satisfying for visitors at museums, parks, and even people in their own home.
To evoke this intrigue in two dimensions, create curved lines, shapes and forms that radiate from a perspective point. This creates an invitation to the viewer to explore - just as we would on a winding trail; because, while we cannot plunge into such paintings, a part of our psyche wants to.