A
Acrylic ink
An extremely fluid acrylic paint made from super-fine pigments suspended in an acrylic emulsion. Click here for more information.
Acrylic paint
A fast-drying, water-based paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion.
Airbrushing
A painting technique that uses an airbrush (a device for spraying paint by means of compressed air) to achieve an even and consistent surface. Click here for more information.
Alkyd
A synthetic resin that can be added to oil paint to speed up the drying time, usually a soy-based oil that has been polymerised by heat.
Alla prima
A technique whereby wet paint is applied to previous layers of still-wet paint, usually in a single sitting.
Aquatint
A print resembling a watercolour, produced from a copper plate etched with nitric acid.
Archival
Materials used for art creation or preservation that are physically durable and long-lasting, such as acid-free paper and stable inks.
Armature
A rigid framework, often wood or steel, used to support a sculpture or other large work while it is being made.
Assemblage
The technique of creating a sculpture by joining together individual pieces or segments, such as “found” objects that originally served another purpose.
Atelier
A private workshop or studio of a professional artist where a principal master and several assistants, students, and apprentices work together to produce art to be released under the master’s name or direct supervision.
B
Background
The area of a painting or drawing that appears to be furthest from the viewer.
Backing
A material, such as foam core or paper board, that is attached to the rear of an artwork to provide support and protection from physical damage, dust, and environmental factors such as changes in humidity.
Balance
The arrangement of elements in an artwork that creates a sense of visual equilibrium.
Bas-relief
A type of sculpture in which the decorative motif projects slightly from the background plane, common in exterior architectural design.
Batik
An artistic technique of wax-resist dyeing on cloth to create decorative designs. While the technique originated in Indonesia, it is also practised in India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Africa.
Ben-Day Dots
A commercial printing technique using small dots of colour, named after 19th-century illustrator and printer Benjamin Henry Day. Ben-Day dots were used in colour comic books in the 1950s and ’60s to create effects of shading and secondary colours inexpensively.
Binder
In paint, the binder is the material that holds the pigment particles together as a cohesive film and acts as a glue to hold (or bind) the paint to a surface. Examples of binders are linseed oil (for oil paint), egg yolk (for tempera), milk protein (for casein), and acrylic resin (for acrylics).
Bisqueware
In ceramics, bisqueware is pottery that has been fired once in a kiln at a bisque temperature. This first firing, or “bisque firing,” transforms the unfired clay into a permanent, hardened state by removing chemically bound water, making the piece porous and ready for glazing.
Bookplate
A printed or decorative label pasted into a book, often on the front endpaper, to indicate ownership.
Bronze
An alloy of copper, tin, and sometimes small amounts of other elements such as zinc or phosphorus, used most notably for cast sculpture. Bronze alloys vary in colour from a silvery hue to a rich, coppery red. Standard bronze is composed of 90% copper, 7% tin, and 3% zinc.
Burnishing
In pottery, a technique used to create a smooth and shiny surface on clay vessels by rubbing the surface with a hard object, often a stone or bone. In drawing, a technique that involves rubbing a smooth tool over a surface to create a polished and shiny effect.
Bust
A figural sculpture representing only the head, neck, and possibly shoulders.
C
Calligraphy
In printing and drawing, a free and rhythmic line used to accentuate design. It is seen in Japanese woodblock prints and Chinese scrolls. Also, a fine, stylised handwriting using quills, brushes, or pens with ink.
Canvas
A closely woven cloth of hemp, cotton, or linen stretched over a frame and used as a surface for painting.
Cartoon
A preliminary drawing for any large work, such as a mural or tapestry.
Carving
A work of art created by manually removing or scraping portions from a base material like wood, clay, or stone.
Casein
A milk phosphoprotein, casein is a strong adhesive commonly employed as a glue or a binding ingredient in paint. Casein paint is used as an alternative to tempera.
Ceramics
The creative and decorative process of transforming inorganic, non-metallic materials, primarily clay, into functional or sculptural objects through shaping, firing in a kiln, and often applying glazes or paints.
Chalk
A soft, powdery drawing material derived from calcium carbonate (sourced from certain rocks, sea shells, and eggshells) and pigments.
Charcoal
A drawing medium traditionally made from burned wood, which produces a rougher and darker line than graphite.
Chiaroscuro
From the Italian chiaro (light) and scuro (dark), a term that refers to an artist’s use of light and dark and the visual effects thus produced in a painting, engraving, or drawing. Chiaroscuro can serve to create atmosphere, describe volume, and imitate natural light effects.
Coiling
A method of forming pottery or sculpture from rolls of clay that are smoothed together to form the sides of a jar or pot.
Collage
The technique of composing an artwork by adhering a wide range of materials including paper, fabric, newspaper clippings, and sometimes repurposed objects to a surface.
Contrapposto
A method of portraying the human figure, especially in sculpture, achieved by placing the weight on one foot and turning the shoulder so the figure appears relaxed and mobile. The result is a graceful s-curve.
Conté crayon
Also known as hard pastel, conté was originally made of refined graphite and clay but contemporary conté is fabricated from chalk.
Cross-hatch
A drawing or etching technique where the linework is run in different or opposing directions to imply volume, form, or shadow.
D
Damar
A resin from conifer trees used in making oil mediums and varnishes.
Deckle edge
The ragged edge found on handmade papers.
Décollage
Art created by cutting, tearing away, or otherwise removing pieces of an original image (the opposite of collage).
Decoupage
The art of decorating an object by cutting out paper designs or images and glueing them onto a surface, then applying multiple coats of varnish or lacquer to seal and blend the cutouts.
Depth
In painting and drawing, the apparent distance from the foreground to the background.
Digital art
Art that is made or presented using digital technology.
Diptych
A work of art consisting of two panels that are congruent in imagery or theme and intended to be displayed together.
Drawing
A technique of depicting images by making lines, most commonly using ink, pencil, crayon, charcoal, and chalk.
Drier
A material that accelerates or initiates the drying of an oil paint by promoting oxidation.
Drybrush
An art technique that applies a minimal amount of paint to a brush and then drags it across a textured surface, creating broken, scratchy strokes that highlight the ridges of the surface.
Drying oil
An oil, usually made from linseed, walnut, poppy, or safflower, that hardens into a durable film when exposed to air through a chemical process called oxidation.
E
Earthenware
Ceramics that have been fired at a comparatively low temperature and have not vitrified. They are often glazed to make them impervious to liquids, but are less durable than stoneware or porcelain.
Emulsion
A stable mixture of oily and watery substances that would not normally mix, achieved by adding an emulsifier like egg yolk or a polymer.
Enamel
A material made by fusing powdered glass (vitreous enamel) to a substrate, usually metal, at high heat. This process creates a durable, glossy, and colourful surface. It is often used in jewellery, decorative arts, and other crafts.
Encaustic
An ancient painting technique that involves heating beeswax mixed with resin and pigments, applying it in a molten state to a surface like wood, and then fusing each layer with heat to create a durable and lustrous artwork.
F
Firing
The process of heating pottery or sculpture in a kiln or open fire to bring the clay to maturity. The temperature needed to mature the clay varies with the type of body used. Also, heating glazed ware to the necessary point to cause the glaze to mature.
Fixative
A clear liquid, often a spray, used to “fix” and protect dry media like pastels, charcoal, and graphite from smudging, fading, or rubbing off by adhering the pigments to the paper surface.
Foreshortening
A method of portraying forms on a two-dimensional surface so that they appear to project or recede from the picture plane.
Forging
The process of heating metal until it is soft enough to be shaped with a hammer and an anvil.
Fresco
A mural painting technique that involves applying water-based paint directly onto wet plaster. As it dries, the paint absorbs into the plaster and becomes permanent. Developed in Italy from about the 13th century, fresco painting was perfected during the Renaissance by artists such as Giotto and Michelangelo.
Frottage
A technique that involves rubbing graphite, chalk, crayon, or another medium onto a sheet of paper that has been placed on top of a textured object or surface. The process causes the raised portions of the surface to be translated to the sheet.
G
Gesso
A primer which dries with a coarser texture (or ‘tooth’) than a regular acrylic primer. Acrylic gesso can be sanded down if desired. It is made from a mixture of chalk and pigment (usually titanium white), bound in a 100% acrylic emulsion binder. It can be used as a ground for both acrylic and oil painting.
Glaze
A very thin, transparent coloured paint applied over a previously painted surface to alter the appearance and colour of the surface. In ceramics, washes are applied to the clay body which, when fired to temperature, vitrify to form a thin, coloured, glass layer.
Gouache
A watercolour that is mixed with white pigment and the binding agent gum arabic, rendering it opaque. Gouache has been used in numerous painting traditions from antiquity, including manuscript illumination.
Greenware
In ceramics, any clay object that has been shaped but has not yet been fired. Once greenware is fired in a kiln for the first time, it becomes durable, no longer water-soluble, and is then called “bisqueware.”
Grisaille
A painting technique in which an artist uses a palette of grey to create a monochromatic image. By this method, paint is carefully layered to produce highlights and shadows, resulting in an image that may appear like a colourless statue. Grisaille can also function as an underpainting or foundation over which coloured paint is later applied, or as a model for an engraving.
Ground
The layer used to prepare a support for painting. Its colour and tone can affect the chromatic and tonal values of the paint layers applied over it. When the support is a panel, the ground is made of gesso; when the support is canvas, it is made of underlying paint layers.
Gum arabic
A natural plant-based binder used in various painting mediums, particularly watercolour and gouache. It’s made from the hardened sap of acacia trees.
H
Hatching
A process in which shading and tonal effects are created by drawing a series of closely spaced parallel lines.
I
Illumination
Hand-drawn decoration or illustration in a manuscript, especially prevalent in medieval art.
India ink
A waterproof ink made from lampblack.
Inlay
In woodworking, a technique in which small pieces of wood, often with varying grains and colours, are glued together to make a pattern.
Impasto
Paint applied so thickly that it stands out in relief and retains the marks of the brush or palette knife.
K
Kiln
A furnace or oven built of heat-resistant materials for firing pottery, glass, and sculpture.
Kinetic art
Art that moves or has an element of motion. Artists creating kinetic art may use motors to produce motion or structure the work so that it is responsive to the natural movement of air currents.
L
Lacquer
A liquid topcoat, synthetic or organic, which is usually brushed or wiped onto a work that dries to form a hard protective coating for wood, metal, and other materials.
Landscape
A generalisation for any artist’s depiction of natural scenery. Figures and other objects should be of secondary importance to the composition and incidental to the content. Also, a term used to indicate a horizontal orientation.
Linear perspective
Creating the illusion of depth on a picture plane with the use of lines and a vanishing point.
Lost Wax
A method of creating a wax mould of a sculpture and then heating the mould to melt out the wax and replacing it with a molten metal or resin.
M
Maquette
A scale model of an unfinished sculpture, architectural project, or theatre set, a maquette functions as a sketch for a three-dimensional work in progress.
Masking
A coating that protects specific areas of a surface from paint, etching, or other processes. It acts as a barrier, preventing unwanted materials from adhering to the masked regions. After the desired work is complete, the masking coat can be removed, revealing the protected area.
Mat
A stiff cardboard with a window cut out of the centre used in the framing of artwork.
Matte
A flat, non-glossy surface finish.
Medium
The materials used in an artwork including paint, chalk, ink, graphite, and others. Also an additive that is mixed with paint in order to extend the colour or alter some of its properties, such as consistency, texture, transparency, and drying time.
Mixed media
A work of art constructed of various kinds of materials which are not conventionally paired together.
Mobile
A hanging, movable sculpture that usually has moving parts.
Montage
A picture composed of other existing illustrations, pictures, photographs, newspaper clippings, etc., that are arranged to create a new or original image.
Mosaic
A pattern or image made of small, regular or irregular pieces of coloured stone, glass, or ceramic, and held in place by plaster or mortar.
Museum board
Multi-ply board made of cotton rags or buffered cellulose to ensure chemical stability and neutrality.
Mural
Any large-scale wall decoration created in paint, fresco, mosaic, or other medium.
N
Negative space
The empty areas surrounding the subjects or elements of an image or composition.
O
Oil paint
A slow-drying paint where the pigment is held in a drying oil binder.
P
Painterly
A characteristic or quality of a painting where the brushwork is intentionally visible. Colour, brushwork, and texture render form in painterly works. Artists whose oeuvre would be considered painterly include Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Tom Thomson.
Pastel
A coloured drawing medium made from pure coloured pigment mixed with a binder to form a stick.
Patina
The naturally aged surface appearance of an object, such as the green discolouration on copper, or a deliberately applied artificial coating that simulates this aged look.
Perspective
The technique used to represent three-dimensional objects and space on a two-dimensional surface creating a realistic impression of depth and distance. Key types of perspective include linear perspective, which uses vanishing points where parallel lines appear to converge, and atmospheric perspective, which uses colour and clarity to show objects receding into the distance.
Pigment
A colouring substance made from plants, earth, or minerals and may include other synthetic elements. When mixed with binders, it becomes paint, ink, or crayon.
Porcelain
A ceramic ware fired to the highest temperature ranges, often used for dinnerware, vases, and smaller sculptures.
Prime/Priming
The undercoat an artist may use to establish a foundation for a painted work which may include gesso, washes of paint, or a solid-coloured paint base.
R
Rag board
A mat or backing board made from cotton fibres, originally from recycled cotton rags, which is used for framing and mounting artwork. This material is prized for its archival quality, durability, and longevity, making it ideal for museum-quality and long-term conservation of fine art and photographs.
Rendering
The process of formulating, adding colour, shading, and adding texture to an image.
Resin
A transparent solid or semi-solid substance sometimes used as a medium by sculptors.
S
Sculpture
A three-dimensional artwork usually made from wood, metal, or stone. A sculpture is created using reductive or additive techniques.
Sfumato
An Italian term meaning “smoky” or “blurred” used to describe a painting technique which creates soft, hazy transitions between colours and tones without harsh outlines or borders.
Sgraffito
An art and decoration technique of scratching or carving through a top layer of material to reveal a contrasting colour underneath, using contrasting layers of plaster, paint, glaze, or slip on a surface.
Sizing
A method of sealing the surface of a support, such as a canvas, which forms a barrier layer between the support and the ground or paint layers. When a layer of sizing is applied, it decreases the absorbency of the support.
Sketch
A quick, preliminary, and often unrefined drawing or painting that serves as a preliminary idea or a basis for a more detailed, finished work.
Slip
A liquid clay slurry used for various purposes, including joining pieces of clay together, decorating pottery, and slip casting.
Solvent
A material, usually a liquid, which dilutes or thins a paint.
Still Life
A work of art that shows inanimate objects from the natural or man-made world, such as fruit, flowers, game, and/or vessels like baskets or bowls.
Stippling
A pattern of closely spaced dots or small marks used to create a sense of three-dimensionally on a flat surface, especially in drawing and printmaking.
Study
A focused work of art created to learn and practice a specific element, technique, or subject, such as colour, anatomy, or composition, often in preparation for a larger, more complex final work.
Support
The surface on which a work of art is made, such as canvas, paper, cardboard, or wood.
T
Tempera (Egg Tempera)
A fast-drying and permanent painting material produced by combining pigments and egg yolk or other binders, allowing for a watercolour-like, semi-opaque finish.
Trompe l’oeil
A French term meaning “fool the eye,” trompe l’oeil refers to a style of painting that uses extreme realism to create an illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface, making them appear convincingly real.
U
Underpainting
An initial layer of paint applied to a ground which serves as a base for subsequent layers of paint. Underpaintings are often monochromatic and help to define colour values for later painting.
V
Vanishing point
In linear perspective, the point on the horizon line where parallel lines appear to converge.
W
Wash
Refers to a thin, transparent layer of diluted paint, ink, or colour applied to a surface which creates broad areas of smooth, even colour. It is often used in watercolours and ink paintings to build up colour, create subtle gradients, or add atmospheric effects.
Watercolour
A medium in which pigments are held in a water-soluble solution. Also refers to paintings completed with these substances.