Oil painting and Colors

brunaille

a painting executed entirely or primarily in shades of brown

direct painting

method of painting used to make paintings in a single application; opaque painting technique used by Impressionists in their early work, the Fauves, and Abstract Expressionists

Alla prima

method of direct painting in a single paint layer usually on white ground

fat

oil content in paints; the lower the oil content, the faster the paint dries

fat over lean

method of painting in which each suceeding layer of paint has more fat than the preceding layer (indirect painting)

gesso

a plaster-like material spread upon a surface to prepare it for painting

binder

the ingredient of a paint which adheres the pigment to itself and to the ground

glaze

transparent painting over a light under-painting

gloss

a shiny surface

grisaille ("griz-zai")

a monochromatic oil painting which is often used in under-paintings or as a black & white painting technique

ground

a thin layer of paint, applied to a support to make it ready for painting; can be white but can be colored

impasto

the texture created in a paint surface by the movement of the brush; usually implies thick, heavy brushwork, but the term also refers to the crisp delicate textures found in smoother paint surfaces

indirect painting

method of painting that involves building up multiple layers of paint. Titian, Rembrandt, and Rubens are among the great painter who constructed oil paintings with the simple technique of applying three distinct layers

matte

a dull surface

medium

type of material in which a piece of art is expressed (oil, watercolor, pen and ink, etc). Also refers to the binder for pigments

linseed oil

the primary binding agent in oil painting and printing inks made by pressing the seeds of the flax plant

motif

the theme or source

pigment

refers to color or hue

palette

a rectangular or oval-shaped flat surface used for mixing colors; also refers to the selection of colors used by an artist

prime

to make ready; the preparatory coating

saturation

the greatest impossible intensity of the color

scumbling

dragging a nearly dry brush in a "broken manner"over a previously painted dry surface

study

a comprehensive drawing or painting; also refers to a detail that can be incorporated into a finished painting

sfumato ("sfoo-mah-toe")

from the Italian word for "smoke"; a technique of painting in thin glazes to achieve a hazy, cloudy, atmosphere, often to represent objects or landscape meant to be perceived as distant from the picture plane

stretcher

the wooden frame on which canvas or paper is stretches

tacky

sticky; partly dried

turpenoid

a lower-odor turpentine-substitute used to thin oil paint

wash

the application of color in a thin, fluid manner; also refers to a diluted pigment

underpainting

a monochromatic sketch put down on the canvas first as an infrastructure which will be completely covered up by the painting

varnish

a final layer that can be applied over a finished painting; protects a painting from environment dirt and dust and is removable for cleaning and conservation purposes

symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial

three types of balance in composition

closed composition

a composition in which every item fits in the frame

open composition

a composition that has elements that can run off edge; began in Western art during then Impressionist movement due to the rise of the camera and influence of Japanese Art

rule of thirds

composition in which focal points are placed at the 1/3 and 2/3 mark

"Golden Mean" composition

composition in which focal points are placed at the 3/8 and 5/8

...oil paint dries through oxidation

while acrylic paint dries through evaporation, oil paint dries through...

pigment, binder, and filler

three main components of paint

veridian, cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, ivory black, white, raw umber, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, alizerean crimson, cadmium red medium, cadmium orange, cadmium yllow

the colors of Vermeer's palette, beginning at the bottom left and going clockwise:

student-grade paint

a grade of paint that includes less pigment

artist-grade paint

a grade of paint that includes more pigment

a "hue"

an imitation of an oil paint

Color

visible light that is reflected.

Hue

describes a color in its raw form on the color wheel.

Primary Colors

Red, yellow, and blue. These colors can make other colors when they are mixed together in different combinations.

Secondary Colors

Orange, green, and purple. These are made by mixing two primary colors together.

Tertiary colors

Third level colors, which are made by mixing a primary and secondary color together.

Chroma

Another name for color or pigment.

Value

The lightness or darkness of a color.

Tint

A lighter shade of a color. A tint can be made by adding white to a hue.

Shade

A darker shade of a color. A shade can be made by adding black to a hue.

Tone

A color that is mixed with another hue to change it's value or intensity.

Intensity or saturation

The brightness or dullness of a color.

Color wheel

The organized method of arranging colors as they appear on a spectrum.

Spectrum

The order of colors as they appear in the rainboy, aka ROY G. BIV

Neutrals

White, gray, and black.

Color agent

The actual pigmentation of a color.

Color effect

The way a color is perceived based on its environment or adjacent colors.

Triadic Scheme

any 3 colors that create an equilateral triangle on the color wheel

Complementary Colors

Two colors that are directly across from each-other on the color wheel. When complementary colors are placed next to each other, vibrancy and a high contrast is created.

Analogous Colors

Approximately any three colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. Example

Split-Complementary

This scheme involves the use of one hue, and the two colors adjacent to its complement. By using this scheme, you can a sense of contrast without the intensity of the basic complementary color scheme.

Monochromatic

This color scheme primarily uses tints, shades, and tones of only one hue.

Simultaneous contrast

the tendency of a color to induce its opposite in hue, value, and intensity upon an adjacent color and be mutually affected in return.