Shapes are most often created by enclosing a space within an edge contour. However, we can also create shapes based on visual properties such as color, value, or by surrounding an area with other shapes. Implied shapes are perceived because the viewer groups together those areas that are enclosed or that share similar formal properties. Implied shapes can also be perceived on the basis of conceptual qualities such as function or completeness. This allows a viewer to perceive a leg as a separate shape from a torso even if they are connected, with no line separating them.
