Painting Vocab Flashcards
Drawing
An art technique using pencil, pen, brush, charcoal, crayon, pastel or stylus.
Gesture Drawing
Quick sketch used to capture the movement or position of a figure.
Contour Line
A line that defines the edges and surface ridges of an object. The outline of the object.
Sketch
Quick, rough drawing without much detail that can be used as a plan for later work.
Composition
The placement of line , shape, color and value in a work of art; basically the total design.
Figurative Drawing
Drawings that use the human figure as the focal point
Picture Plane
The flat surface of a two-dimensional art work
Cross Hatching
Superimposed layers of parallel lines (hatching) at an angle to one another; used to create shadow and modeling.
Stippling
Painting, drawing, etc. by means of flecks or dots.
Chiaroscuro
Method of arranging light and shadow in two-dimensional art to create the illusion of three-dimensional form. (from the Italian)
Foreshortening
Perspective on the human body. The study of how proportions change as the body moves from a standing position.
Blending
Technique of shading through smooth, gradual application of value.
Pastels
Pigments held together with gum and molded into sticks.
Perspective
Refers to two major systems for showing depth and distance in a work of art (linear perspective – using lines and points to create an illusion of depth and atmospheric perspective – using value and blur to show depth).
High Key
exclusive use of light or pale values in a work
Low Key
exclusive use of darkest values in a work
Charcoal
Vine charcoal is created by burning sticks of wood (usually willow or linden/Tilia) into soft, medium, and hard consistencies.
Compressed charcoal charcoal powder mixed with gum binder compressed into round or square sticks. The amount of binder determines the hardness of the stick. Compressed charcoal is used in charcoal pencils.
Powdered charcoal is often used to “tone” or cover large sections of a drawing surface. Drawing over the toned areas will darken it further, but the artist can also lighten (or completely erase) within the toned area to create lighter tones.
Grid
a scale of squares that are used to enlarge an image
Pencil
drawing tool, piece of wood that contains a piece of graphite which leaves marks
B Pencil
“B” means black; the “B” refers to the type of lead, B meaning soft, the bigger the number attached the softer the graphite and the darker it writes (ex. 6B is softer and writes darker that 2B)
H Pencil
“H” means hard; the “H” refers to the type of lead, H meaning hard, the bigger the number attached the harder the graphite and the lighter it writes (ex. 6H is harder and writes lighter that 2H)
Colored Pencil
Drawing media, color in pencil form; blendable; the lead is powder held together with binder normally wax. The higher the wax content, the less the color will blend.
Fixative
A thin varnish of watery consistency, used to keep drawings from smudging. Normally a spray
Vanishing Point
a point in a perspective drawing to which parallel lines not parallel to the image appear to converge. The number and placement of the vanishing points determines which perspective technique is being used.
Shade
A darker version of a color; adding black or the compliment of the color
Tint
A lighter version of a color; adding white to create
Primary Colors
Red, Blue, Yellow; The three colors almost every color of the rainbow comes from with the exception of white.
Secondary Colors
When you add two primary colors together equally.
Red + Yellow = Orange
Yellow + Blue = Green
Blue + Red = Violet (Purple)
Tertiary Colors
When you add a primary and a secondary color together; ie - Red + Orange = Red-Orange, Blue + Green = Blue-Green… etc.
Complimentary Colors
Colors that sit directly across each other from the color wheel. They make each other appear brighter and bolder. Red and Green, Blue and Orange, Yellow and Violet (Christmas, Gators, Lakers)
Analogous Colors
Colors that sit directly next to each other on the color wheel; ie Red, Red-Violet, Violet
Warm Colors
Colors that appear warmer, brighter, and bolder. They normally appear closer to you. The colors are red, yellow, and orange. If there is more red in the violet (red-violet), it tends to be categorized in the warmer color area.
Cool Colors
Colors that appear farther, duller, and cooler. They tend to give you a a sense of calm. The colors are blue, green, and violet unless it’s red-violet.
