This document provides a glossary of basic art vocabulary terms. It defines terms like abstract art, acrylic paint, analog colors, architecture, and more. The glossary is arranged alphabetically and provides concise definitions for over 100 common art terms.

1. Glossary Basic Art Vocabulary
A Aqueduct Network of channels used to carry water
Abstract Art Art in which the subject is to a city
recognizable but portrayed in an unrealistic Arabesques Decorations composed of intertwined
or stylized manner flowing patterns of flowers, leaves,
Abstract Expressionism An art movement that branches, and scrollwork
rejected recognizable subject matter and Architectural rendering A detailed, realistic,
emphasized feelings and emotions. two-dimensional representation of a
Abstract The subject of the artwork is simplified three-dimensional structure.
or stylized. Architecture The art of planning and creating
Achromatic White, black, and different values of buildings.
gray Art Visual statement that represents the world,
Acrylic A quick-drying, water-based synthetic communicates an idea or feeling, or presents
paint. an interesting design.
Additive A sculpting method produced by Art critic A person who practices art criticism.
adding to or combining materials. Art criticism An organized approach for studying,
Advertising design An area of graphic art understanding, and judging artworks. It
whose goal is to help inform, sell, or involves four steps: description, analysis,
promote products or services. interpretation, and judgment.
Adobe Sun-dried clay used as building material Art Historian Person who judges artists and their
Aerial Perspective A method of using hue, value, works by deciding how much they have
and intensity to show distant objects influenced art history.
Aesthetic views An idea or school of thought on Art history The study of art from past to present.
what is most important in works of art. Art media Tools and materials used to create works
Aesthetics The branch of philosophy concerned of art.
with the nature and value of art. Art movement A trend formed when a group of
Animator An artists who creates moving cartoons artists band together.
Analogous Colors that are side by side on the color Artifacts Simple handmade tools or objects
wheel Artisan Artist who specialize in crafts
Amphitheater A circular or oval building with Artistic value Why and how an artwork is
seats rising around an open space. important.
Amphora A vase with two handles and a narrow Artists People who use imagination, creativity and
neck skill to communicate ideas in visual form.
Analogous colors Colors that are side by side on Ashcan School The popular name given to artists
the color wheel and share a hue. who made realistic paintings of
Analyzing In art criticism, noting how the art contemporary American city life.
principles are used to organize the elements Assemblage A sculpting method in which
of art. In art history, noting an artwork's different kinds of materials are gathered and
style. joined together. 3-D collage
Application Software that tells a computer to Asymmetrical Balance Type of balance in which a
perform specific tasks. variety of different objects that have
Applied art Art made to be functional as well as approximately equal visual weight are
visually pleasing. placed on either side of the central axis.
Architect An artist who plans and creates Atmospheric Perspective Decreasing the intensity
buildings. of hues for objects that appear farther back
in a composition. This technique is used to
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2. create the illusion of space and suggest the
effects of light, air, and distance Caption Words or phrases that describe the story or
Avocational Art produced that is not related to a action occurring in an illustration. Captions
job or career can be located throughout a panel and
sometimes above and below it.
B Caricature A drawing that exaggerates one or
more facial or bodily features.
Background Area of a picture that appears farthest Carving A sculpting method in which material
from the viewer. is cut or chipped away.
Balance The principle of art concerned with Cast Shadow Shadow thrown by the object onto a
arranging art elements in a work to create a surface; it is sharper and darker nearer the
sense of stability. object.
Banding Wheel A portable turntable used to rotate Casting A sculpting method in which melted
pottery while it is being worked on. material is poured into a mold.
Baroque An art style that emphasized movement, Castles Fort-like dwellings with high, thick walls
contrast, and variety and towers
Bat A slab of some material, usually round, upon Cathedrals Large churches; normally the principle
which pottery is formed church of a bishop.
Binder A liquid to which the dry pigment is Center of vision In one-point perspective, the
added. vanishing point. In two point perspective,
Bisque Fire First firing in which the water the place opposite the eye of the observer.
molecules are burned off and the clay is left Ceramics The process of creating objects from
hard, but porous. clay and hardening them by fire.
Bisque Ware Pottery or ware that has been fired Chalk A soft rock composed of fossilized shells.
once. Like charcoal, it can be ground or
Bleed Drawing in which the shapes reach the edges compressed into a crayon.
of the working area Charcoal A black or very dark-colored, brittle
Blending Smoothly drawing dark values little by substance made of carbon
little by pressing harder on the drawing Charcoal pencils Compressed charcoal in pencil
medium. form
Blind contour drawing An exercise in which you Clay Alumina, silica, water, impurities
concentrate on the contours of the object you Cloister Covered walkway around an open court
are drawing and avoid looking at your paper. Cinematographer The person in charge of
Bone Dry Coniditon of unfired pottery that looks running the camera or cameras.
and feels completely dry Collage An artwork made up of cut or tom
Brayer A roller with a handle. materials pasted to a surface.
Bristol Paint brush that has stiff hair. Paper that has Color The element of Mt that is derived from
tooth reflected light.
Buttress A brace or support placed on the outside of Color wheel An arrangement of hues in a circular
a building format.
Colored Chalk Dry, powdery sticks of pigments.
C Colored Pencils Waxy pencils with strong, durable
colors
Calligraphy A method of fine handwriting, Columns Vertical posts that rise to support
sometimes done with a brush another structure.
Callipers used to measure when throwing pots with Comic Strips Multipaneled illustrations set up in a
lids or making repeated shapes series that tell a story. Most stories are
Camera A dark box with a hole controlling how humorous, but they can range from drama to
much light enters. action.
Compass Tool that is used to draw circles
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3. Complementary colors Colors opposite each other Cursor Point of bright light on a computer screen
on the color wheel. that marks your position or location
Composition How the art principles are used to
organize the art elements.
Compressed charcoal A form of charcoal made by
D
binding together tiny particles of ground Dabbing soft dabs of built-up color
charcoal. Daguerreotype An image made on copper plates
Computer graphics Drawings created by a coated with highly polished silver.
computer Damp Room/Closet/Box Fairly airtight, and
Concrete A hard, strong building material made maintaining slightly higher then normal
from a mixture of powdered minerals, humidity place greenware is stored while
gravel, and water. working on a piece.
Conte Crayon The best-known type of drawing Description In art criticism, making a careful list of
crayon. It is hard and grease free. all the things you see in the work. In art
Content The message, feeling, or idea an artwork history, asking when, where, and by whom
communicates. the work was done.
Contour drawing A drawing in which an object is Design qualities The way the elements and
drawn as though your drawing tool is principles of art are used in a work of art.
moving along all the edges and the ridges of Design relationship The way the elements and
the form. principles of art are combined.
Cool Colors Blues, greens, purples; recede; Desktop publishing The use of a computer and
soothing and calm; winter and early special software to combine text and
mornings graphics on a page.
Core Shadow Where the form turns away from the Digital art Art made in part or whole using
light computer hardware and software.
Cradle Board Harness worn on the shoulders and Digital camera A camera that contains a tiny
used to carry a small child. scanner, which converts visual information
Craftspersons Artists who make useful and into computer-coded form.
aesthetically pleasing goods. Digitizing A method in which basic units of display
Crafts Different areas of applied art in which called pixels are converted to dots.
craftspeople work. Director The person in charge of shooting the
Credit line A listing of important facts about an film and guiding the actors.
artwork. Double Loading Painting technique where two
Cropping Selecting a small area of a picture and colors appear side by side, achieved by
eliminating the rest loading two colors.
Cross contour Line that runs across the form of Dry Brush Painting technique that creates course,
around it to show its volume or to give it irregular strokes
depth. This kind of line creates the illusion Dry Media Media used in drawing that are free of
of a third dimension, depth, in addition to liquid or moisture and remain that way
width and height. when they are used. Dry media include
Crosshatching The technique of using sets of pencils, charcoals, chalk, and crayon.
crisscrossing, parallel, and overlapping lines Dwellings Home
to create areas of differing degrees of
darkness..
Cross-section Cutaway view.
Cubism An art style in which a single object is
E
shown simultaneously from multiple points Earthenware low-fire clay, porous and soft after
of view. firing unless glazed.
Culture The ideas, beliefs, and living customs of a Edition A series of prints that are all exactly alike.
people Editorial cartoons Cartoons that humorously
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4. express opinions on politics or social issues. Flip book A bound pad of paper containing a series
Element of art The basic components, or building of drawings that when flipped, appear to
blocks used to create works of art: line, have movement.
shape, form, value, texture, space, and color. Floor plan A diagram, drawn to scale, of a room
uses to create art. or building as seen from above.
Elevation A drawing of an outside view of a Foreground Area of a picture that appears closest
building. to the viewer.
Emphasis The principle of art concerned with Foreshortening Shortening an object in a drawing
making an element or object in an artwork to make it look as if it extends backward
stand out. into the space. This method reproduces
Encaustic A painting medium in which pigment is proportions a viewer sees
mixed into melted wax. Form An element of art that refers to an object
Engraving Work of art which is made by cutting with three dimensions. Like a shape, a form
into a surface, inking the surface, and has length and width, but it also has depth.
pressing paper against it to make a print. Formal Drawing Drawings that concentrate on
Exaggeration Enlargement of figures or objects or design qualities
their parts in a work of art to communicate Formalism Theory of art that concentrates on
an idea or feeling design visual qualities
Expressive qualities The way the drawing Formalist Specialist in the aesthetics who considers
effectively communicates an idea, feeling, or only the design qualities- the elements and
mood to the viewer. principles of art-to analyze and judge
Extruder Tool that forces clay through a die to drawings
produces various shapes Form Shadow Shadows on the side of forms away
from the light source (middle values)
F Found objects Natural or man-made objects found
by chance and used in a work of art
Facade The front of a building.
Fan brush Flat profile spread as a fan. Ideal for Freestanding sculpture Sculpture surrounded on
blending and smoothing transitions between all sides by space.
colors or creating texture like hair, grass or Freehand drawings Drawings done without
trees. measuring tools
Fauvism An art movement and painting style that Fresco A painting medium in which pigment is
made use of wild intense color combinations applied to a wall spread with wet plaster.
to express emotion Frisket material used to preserve white on your
Fibers Strands of any thin, threadlike material. paper as you paint; masking fluid
Figure A positive shape. Also a human form in a
work of art
Fine-line marker Fiber tipped pen G
Fine art Art valued solely for its visual appeal or
success in communicating ideas or feelings. Gag Cartoon A single-panel cartoon depicting a
Filbert Paint Bristles are narrow and flat, but come humorous situation either with or without
to a rounded point. (cat’s tongue) Used on its caption
side, a filbert gives a thin line; used flat it Gesso White, plaster-like surface used for drawing
produces a broad brush stroke or painting/priming
Fired Hardened by applying high heat. Gesture drawing A drawing in which lines are
Flat brush bristles are arranged so the brush is drawn quickly and loosely to capture the
quite wide but not very thick; should spring form and actions of a subject in movement
or snap back into place Produces longish, Gothic International style An elegant, flowing style
straight brush strokes; straight edge to it. of painting that was practiced throughout
Flat wash used to quickly cover large areas with western Europe during the late fourteenth
solid color. and early fifteenth centuries
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5. Glassblowing The craft of shaping melted glass by Horizon A line that divides the sky from the
blowing air into it through a tube. ground or a body of water
Glaze A thin, transparent layer of paint applied over Horizontals Drawings that are wider then they are
a layer of existing dry color. long
Glazed Ceramics coated with a mixture of powdered Hue A color's name.
chemicals that melt during firing to form a
hard, glasslike finish I
Glaze Fire Second fire in which the quartz
Illuminations illustrations in early handmade
inversion takes place and the glazed ware is
manuscripts.
vitrified.
Illustration Drawings used to tell a story, give
Gouache Paint made from pigments ground in water
instructions, or make a product look
and mixed with gum to form opaque
attractive.
watercolor. Gouache resembles tempera
Illustrator An artist who creates the visual images
paint.
that complement written words
Gradation Principle of art that combines elements
Impasto paint applied in thick, buttery
in a work of art by using a series of gradual
layers/texture.
changes.
Imitationalism Theory of art that focuses on the
Graded Wash color transitions down the page from
literal or realistic qualities of artworks
dark to light
Impressionism A style of painting that attempts
Graphic designer An artist who translates ideas into
to capture the rapidly changing effects of
words an images to create attractive
sunlight on objects.
materials for businesses, individuals, and
India Ink Black drawing ink. It is available in tow
organizations
types: waterproof and soluble. Waterproof
Graphics table A flat piece of equipment with a
withstands washes, soluble dissolves in
type of electronic pencil called a stylus or
water.
digital pen
Informal balance Involves a balance of unlike
Greenware Pottery or other ware that has not been
objects or elements.
fired; maybe wet leather hard or bone dry.
Intaglio Printmaking technique in which the
Ground The empty spaces between the shapes or
image to be printed is cut or etched into a
forms. Negative shapes.
surface.
H Intensity The brightness or dullness of a hue.
Interior Designer Artist who plans the design and
Handbuilding To make pots or other forms by any decoration of the interior spaces in homes
method other than throwing on a wheel or an offices.
mechanical process; usually refers to Intermediate Colors made of primary and adjacent
pinching, coiling, and slab techniques. secondary color
Halftone The value of the actual object; it masses Internet A network of linked computers that
against and emerges from the core shadow exchange information with one another by
Harmony The principle of art concerned with way of telephone cables, microwave towers,
combining similar art elements to create a and satellite transmissions.
pleasing appearance. Interpreting In art criticism, assigning a meaning or
Hatching Drawing a series of thin lines all running finding a message in an artwork. In art
parallel, or in the same direction. history, noting how time and place affect an
Heroic Figure A figure that appears a little taller artist's style and subject matter.
than life-sized
Highlight Areas on a surface that reflect the most
light. In a drawing, these areas are shown by
light values to create the illusion of depth.
High relief A type of relief sculpture in which the
forms project boldly Horn a flat background.
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6. Logo A special image representing a business,
J group, or product. Symbol, trademark that
is immediately recognizable.
Judging In art criticism, making a decision about a Loom A frame or machine that holds a set of
work's success and giving reasons for that threads that run vertically.
decision. In art history, determining an Low relief A type of relief sculpture in which the
artwork's contribution to the history of art. forms project only slightly from a flat
background.
K
M
Ka Ancient Egyptian word meaning spirit.
Key poses Poses that involve the position of Madonna A work showing the mother of Christ.
characters at extreme points of movement, Manikin Wooden tool used to help practice figure
usually marked by a change of direction. drawing and anatomy
Kneaded eraser Pliable eraser used for lifting in Mannerisim A dramatic, emotionally charged style
detailed areas, cleaned by tearing apart and of art created during the sixteenth century.
putting back together. Maquette A three-dimensional scaled-down
Kiln A special ceramics furnace. study of a larger planned sculpture.
Mat Knife Box knife or utility knife, also used for
L cutting mats.
Matting Surrounding an artwork with a cardboard
border. Drawings for an exhibition or an
Landscape A drawing or painting of mountains, artist’s portfolio are often matted, as are
trees, or other natural scenery. framed drawings
Layout designers Graphic artists who arrange Mechanical drawing Drawing done with the help
text and illustrations and prepare the of measuring tools
material for printing. Media Materials used by an artist to create a work
Leather-hard Clay that is still damp but is too dry to of art
shape. Media Materials used by an artist to create a work
Line A continuous mark made on some surface by a of art
moving point. Medium Any material used to create art
Line Art A line drawing composed of solid blacks Minarets Structures from which the faithful are
and whites called to prayer each day.
Linear Perspective Technique for creating the Mixed media Artwork in which several media are
illusion of depth for the three-dimensional combined to obtain desired effects
objects on a two dimensional surface known Mobile A sculptural technique in which painted
as a picture plane sheet-metal shapes suspend freely from
Linocut print A design cut into a block of linoleum. wires, permitting movement.
The surface is then layered with ink and Modeling A sculpting method in which a soft or
pressed onto a sheet of paper to transfer workable material is built up and shaped.
design. Modeling Tool used for texture and shaping in
Literal qualities The realistic or lifelike ceramics; wood or plastic
representation of subject matter in a work of Monochromatic Different values of a single hue
art. Monotypes Prints that are made by painting or
Lithograph A print made by lithography. inking an image on a plate and transferring
Lithography A printmaking technique in it to paper by pressing or hand-rubbing.
which the image to be printed is drawn on Motion picture A series of photographs of the same
limestone, zinc, or aluminum with a special subject taken a very short time apart and
greasy crayon. flashed onto a screen.
Movement The principle of art used to create the
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7. look and feel of action and to guide the mixed before use.
viewer's eye throughout a work of art. Palette Knife used to scoop and mix paints; texture
Multimedia art Art that simultaneously uses tool
several different electronic media. Such ass Pastels Chalks that, depending on the kind and
text, graphics, animation, video, and sound amount of binder, can be powdery, waxy, or
Mop Brush Holds a large quantity of fluid paint. It's oily. They can be applied to high-quality
a soft and floppy brush, ideal for large surfaces, usually special pastel papers, by
watercolor washes. hand or with rubbing techniques. Available
Murals Works of art painted an drawn directly on in both round and square sticks.
walls. Patrons of the arts Sponsors, or supporters, of an
artist or art-related events such as
N exhibitions.
Pattern A principle of art concerned with a two-
Negative (Shape) Empty space surrounding a shape dimensional decorative effect achieved
or form through the repetition of colors, lines,
Neoclassicism An art style that attempted to shapes, and! or textures.
recapture the spirit and style of art created in Pencil Drawing and writing tool that consists of a
ancient Greece and Rome slender, cylindrical sassing around a
Neutral Colors Browns and grays; formed by marking substance.
mixing two complements, closer to color Perceive To become aware through the senses of
found in nature the special nature of objects.
Nonobjective art Art having no recognizable Perception Awareness of aspects of the
subject matter. environment through the senses.
Photogenic drawing The process of coating a
O sheet of drawing paper with silver chloride.
Photogram An image made using precoated
paper that detects the presence of
Oil paint Paint with an oil base. ultraviolet light.
One Point Perspective A technique for perspective Photography The art of making images using
in which the lines formed by the sides of the light and other principles of science.
road, walk, or track seem to come together at Photojournalism Reporting a news event mainly or
a vanishing point on the horizon. It is also totally through photographic images.
known as parallel perspective. Picture plane The flat surface of a painting or
Opaque Does not let light pass through. drawing.
Opposite of transparent. Pigment Finely ground colored powders
Outline Contour The line around the outer edge of a Pinch Pot Clay pot made by pinching or working
figure or an object that shows the overall the clay with the fingers
shape of the person or object tahat you are Pixel The smallest dot or mark that a computer can
viewing from a particular spot. display on screen.
Overlapping Placing one object in an artwork in Plan Drawing showing lines of an object from
front of another, partially concealing the directly above on a flat plane without
object behind. This technique is used to perspective.
suggest depth. Pointillism An art style, also known as Neo-
P Impressionism, that was developed in the
last quarter of the nineteenth century by
Georges Seurat. Seurat applied tiny,
Package designer An artist who produces the
uniform dots of pure color to his canvases.
containers that attract the attention of
Pop Art An art movement that focused attention on
consumers.
the commercial products of contemporary
culture.
Palette Any tray or plate on which paints are
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8. front.
Portraits Visual representations of people. Renaissance A period of great cultural awakening
Positive shape Shape or form in two or three- that began in Italy during the fourteenth
dimensional art century. The word Renaissance means
Pottery Objects made using ceramic techniques. rebirth.
Potter’s Wheel A rotating wheel for making Rendering use of media to create a finished
(throwing) pottery. artwork
Presentation drawing Detailed sketches that show Rendering A process by which a vector-based
the final project in perspective. image is converted to a bitmap.
Principles of art Guidelines that govern the way Resolution The number of dots per square inch used
artists organize the elements of art. to produce an image in printing or on a
Printing plate A surface onto or into which the computer display screen.
image to be printed is cut or carved. Rhythm A principle of art concerned with the
Printmaking A process in which an inked image is repetition of an element to make a work
transferred to a surface. seem active.
Primary Colors that can not be mixed; red, yellow, Ribs A hand held tool made of hard material used
blue to shape a pot when throwing, or smoothing
Producer The person in charge of the business when handbuilding
end of making a movie. Rigger Liner brush with thin, extremely long
Proportion A principle of art concerned with the bristles; creates very fine lines. Ideal for
way in which the parts of a work relate to signing name, tree branches or cat whiskers.
each other and to the whole. Rococo An art style that used free and graceful
movement, a playful application of line and
R rich colors.
Rolling Pin Used to make slabs in ceramics
Radial Balance A type of balance in which objects Romanticism An art style that emphasized the
or figures are spaced evenly around a central expression of feelings and emotions in
point. drawings and paintings completed in a
Real Texture Kind of texture that the viewer of an spontaneous manner.
artwork can touch Roughs Sketches that indicated the general idea for
Realism An art style that rejected both ideal or finished work, including the size, position,
classical subjects and dramatic action in and relationship to images.
favor of realistically rendered scenes of Round Brush Good for touching in or for more
contemporary life. detailed work. Especially useful with
Realist Artists that rejected subject matter that slightly thinner acrylic paints.
glorified the past or romanticized the Rubbing Method of reproducing texture by placing
present. They painted everyday events the a thin sheet of paper over an actual textured
way these subjects really looked. surface and then rubbing the top of the
Reflected Light Light reflected up from the paper with a crayon, pencil, or charcoal.
supporting surface; must be darker than the
halftone
Registration Careful matching up of plates in
Ss
prints with more than one color. Sable Brush Soft hair paint brush
Regular Shadow visible between the reflected light Saturation Brightness or dullness
and the core shadow Scale The size of something as measured against a
Relief printing A printmaking method in which standard reference, such as the human body.
the image to be printed is raised from a Scanner An input device that copies a printed page
background. or image into a computer’s memory
Relief sculpture A type of sculpture in which Scraffito Scraping wet paint from canvas to reveal
forms and figures project only from the lighter values
Scratchboard Illustration board that can then be
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9. coated with ink. The image is then scratched Storyboards Illustrations describing a series of
into the surface camera shots depicting the staging and
Screen printing A printmaking technique in which a acting of the characters
stencil with a design cut into it is placed over Studies Preliminary artworks, often done as
a fabric screen. drawings.
Sculpture The art of creating three-dimensional Stump Tightly rolled paper stick used for blending
works. Style An artist's personal way of expressing
Secondary Colors made by mixing two primaries ideas in a work.
Serigraph A screen print that has been Subject The image viewers can easily identify in
handmade by an artist. an artwork.
Setup Group of objects arranged as a subject for Subtractive Produced by removing or taking
drawing away from the original material.
Shade Black added to color Surrealism An art style that tried to express the
Shading The use of light and shadow to give a world of dreams and the subconscious
feeling of depth. workings of the mind.
Shape An element of art that refers to an area Symmetrical Balance Type of balance in which
clearly set off by one or more of the other objects or figures are repeated in a mirror
six visual elements of art. like fashion on each side of the central axis
Shrinkage Contraction of the clay or glaze either Synthetic paints or brushes Manufactured with
while drying or firing plastic binders.
Simulated (visual) texture Kind of texture
suggested or implied in an artwork
Sketch A drawing done quickly in preparation for a
finished artwork
TT
Sketchbook Pad of drawing paper used by artist to Tactile Appealing to the sense of touch
record ideas and information for works of art Tapestry A weaving used as a wall hanging.
and to practice drawing Tempera A painting medium in which pigment
Slab building Hand-building process which mixed with egg yolk and water is applied
involves forming flat, even thickness pieces with tiny brushstrokes.
of clay and connecting them to form a vessel Temperature relationship between warm and cool
Slip Clay mixture of ½ water ½ clay; acts as glue. colors
Software A collection of electronic instructions that Texture The element of art that refers to how things
directs the computer to carry out a specific feel, or look as though they might feel, if
task touched.
Solvent A liquid that controls the thickness of the Three Point Perspective A technique in which
paint. objects in a drawing have three vanishing
Space An element of art that refers to the points---two on the horizon and one above
distance or area between, around, above, or below it.
below, and within objects. Also a principle Throwing the method of making pottery on a
of art that creates the illusion of three potter’s wheel by manipulating the clay
dimensions in an artwork. while the wheel is rotating.
Spattering Technique that speckles canvas with fine Thumbnail Sketch Small sketch drawn quickly to
dots of color. record ideas and information for finished
Station point The viewpoint from which you make drawings
your first measurements when creating a Tint White added to a color
drawing Tone Gray added to a color
Still Life A group of nonmoving objects that are Translucent Light is able to pass through.
subject matter for a work of art Triangle Tool which is placed along the top edge
Stippling Creating dark values by using a dot of a T square to draw vertical lines or lines
pattern. at 45 degree angles.
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10. Transparent Clear. Opposite of opaque. applied with a brush in a range of light and
Two Point Perspective A technique for perspective dark values determined by the amount of
that shows different sets of receding lines water added to the ink or paint.
converging, or meeting, at different Wash Drawing Drawing made with a brush and
vanishing points. mixtures of ink or paint thinned with water
Watercolor Paints that consist of extremely fine,
transparent pigments in a medium of water
Uu or gum and are available in tubes or
sectioned pans. They result in a transparent
Underpainting wash or combination of washes that effect that distinguishes this medium from
act as a guideline for the rest of the painting. other, more opaque paints.
Unity The arrangement of elements and principles Weaving A craft in which strands of fiber are
with media to create a feeling of interlocked to make cloth or objects.
completeness. Web designers Artists who work with text and
pictures to create Web sites.
V Wedging preparing clay by mixing and de-airing.
Cut clay diagonally and compress(slam)
Value An element of art concerned with the pieces together
lightness or darkness of a hue. Wet Media Media that come in a liquid state and
Value Gradation Gradual change from dark to light are applied with brushes, pens, and other
areas used to create the illusion of three drawing tools. Most wet media are
dimensions on a two-dimensional surface. permanent and erasing is nearly impossible
Vanishing points Imaginary points at the horizon Wet-into-wet color applied next to another that is
where parallel lines meet still wet; blended by stroking them together
Variety The principle of art concerned with where they meet.
combining art elements with slight changes Wire Cutter Wire or 30lb fishing line, used to cut
to increase visual interest. clay
Vertical Axis Imaginary line dividing a figure in Wire Loop Tool used to shape and model clay;
half vertically handle with loop or metal ribbon on one or
Vignette Drawing in which the shapes often fade both ends
gradually into the empty working area Woodcut print Print made from an inked wood
around the edges of the drawing block
Vine Charcoal Charcoal in its most natural state. It Word Balloons Outlined shapes, often oval or
is made by heating vines until only the rounded squares, that contain a character’s
charred, black sticks of carbon remain. dialogue or thought
These thing carbon sticks are soft,
lightweight, and extremely brittle.
Visual Texture Suggested or implied texture
Visual Vocabulary The elements and principles of
art.
W
Ware term used to describe pottery or ceramic
products
Warm Colors Reds, oranges, and yellows; pop
forward, excitement and energy, afternoons
summers
Wash term used to describe the medium made by
thinning ink or paint with water. It is
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