serigraph a print made from the silk screen process.
sfumato the soft blending of outlines in a painting, especially in the works of Leonardo da Vinci.
sgraffito creating a design by cutting lines into pottery, plaster, or stucco to reveal a layer of different color beneath.
shading the subtle blending of one color into another.
silhouette a portrait profile executed in a single color.
silk screen a method of color stenciling in which a squeegee is used to force color through a fine screen on which the designless areas are blocked out.
sketch a quick, rough drawing.
smooch a deliberate smudge made with the fingers on a drawing to produce shading.
sotto in su severe foreshortening of figures in a ceiling painting, an effect that makes them appear suspended in air. Italian for "from below upwards."
squaring a technique in which a drawing is transferred from one surface to another on a different scale by ruling the drawing and transfer surface into small squares.
stenciling a method of making copies of a design by cutting out a template and painting or spraying over its openings.
still life any drawing or painting of inanimate objects, such as a bowl of fruit.
stipple to apply color in dots.
study a rough, preliminary drawing (but more detailed than a sketch), painting, or sculpture.
surrealism an art style characterized by subjects of a dreamy, fantastic, or irrational nature.
tempera pigment dispersed in an emulsion of egg yolk and water. Also, the method of painting with these colors.
tenebrism painting in dark, shadowy hues.
tertiary colors any hues made from the mixing of secondary colors.
tessellated in the form of a checkered mosaic.
thumbnail sketch a tiny, rough sketch.
tondo a circular painting.
tone the prevailing color in a painting.
topographic landscape an accurate rendering of a landscape.
tormented color in an oil painting, a color that has been overworked and rendered drab or ineffective.
traction fissure in an old painting, a wide crack that reveals the ground layer beneath.
trompe l'oeil a style of painting in which the subject is rendered as realistically as possible; the highest form of realism, as in a photograph.
underpainting on a canvas or panel, a preliminary layer of color over which the overpainting is made.
vanishing point in parallel lines showing perspective, the point of convergence at the horizon line.
veduta a painting or drawing showing all or a large part of a town or city.
vignette a photograph or painting in which the subject gradually fades away and disappears toward the borders.
warm colors red, yellow, and any hues between them.
wash in a watercolor, a broad brushstroke or an area painted with broad brushstrokes.
wash brush a large camel hair brush used to paint washes with watercolors.
watercolors pigments dispersed in water instead of oils, characterized by a transparent quality.
wedging kneading clay to make it more pliable.
woodcut a technique of printing from relief carved on a block of wood. Also, the print made by this method.
worm's-eye view in a painting, a scene or subject depicted from a ground-level perspective.
ART TOOLS AND MATERIALS
acetone a flammable fluid used as a paint solvent.
acrylic brush any brush made with nylon bristles as opposed to hair.
acrylic colors fast-drying, easily removed plastic paints.
airbrush a small, spray-painting apparatus held like a pen and operated by compressed air or carbonic gas; it is used to delicately smooth out tones and create subtle shading effects in commercial art or in retouching of photographs.
alabaster a white, translucent variety of gypsum that is soft and easily carved.
angular liner a paint brush with a slanted end, used for lining. Also known as a fresco liner.
architect's rendering brush a large brush used by watercolor painters.
armature the skeletonlike frame upon which plaster, clay, or other substances is applied to construct a sculpture.
badger blender a round brush with a square end, made of badger hair, and used to create soft effects.
bamboo pen a Japanese pen made from bamboo and used for drawing and calligraphy.
banding wheel a turntable or wheel on which pottery is turned in order to easily apply decorative stripes or bands.
bisque ceramic ware that has been fired once but is unglazed, as in bisque figurines. Also known as biscuit.
blender brush a badger-haired brush that flares out instead of coming to a point; it is used for blending colors.
bright a flat, thin, square-ended brush used in creating effects similar to that provided by a painting knife.
bristle brush the standard oil painting brush, made from hog bristles.
bulletin cutter a large, flag-tipped brush used by sign painters to outline large letters.
burnisher any tool used to smooth, polish, or remove imperfections, especially in etching or gilding.
camel hair brush a brush made not from camel hair but from squirrel hair, commonly used with water- colors.
camera lucida an optical device comprising a stand, an adjustable arm, and a prism; it projects an image of an object or scene into a plane surface for tracing.
canvas the heavy fabric or linen on which oil paintings are painted after it is primed.
charcoal a black marker made of charred wood and used for drawing and creating special effects by smudging.
charcoal paper a paper with a grain that holds charcoal well.
chassis the framework that holds an artist's canvas.
chisel brush a straight-edged brush with a beveled tip, like a chisel, used for sign writing.
compass an adjustable instrument with two hinged legs, used for describing perfect circles or arcs.
crayon any drawing material in stick form.
dagger striper a brush having long hairs that taper to a sharp point, used for striping.
earth colors paint pigments derived from colored clays and rocks. Also known as mineral pigments.
easel a freestanding framework or support that holds an artist's canvas during painting.
ellipse guide a template that aids in the drawing of ovals or ellipses.
enamel a vitreous protective and/or decorative coating baked on metal, glass, or ceramics.
fan brush a flat, fan-shaped brush used for blending and creating wispy effects.
filbert brush an oval-ended bristle brush used in oil painting.
fitch brush a brush made from the hair of a polecat. Also, a chisel brush made of bristle and used in sign painting.
fixative a fluid sprayed over pastels and drawings to help prevent smudging.
flag the free end of a brush; opposite of the base.