U3 Art

Silverpoint

An old drawing tool made of a silver wire that leaves soft, gray lines on prepared paper. (Example: Renaissance sketches done before pencils were invented)

Liquid media

Fluid art materials applied with a brush or pen. (Example: Ink, watercolor, and acrylic paint)

Dry media

Non-liquid art materials used for drawing. (Example: Charcoal, chalk pastel, and graphite pencils)

Mixed media

An artwork made using a combination of different materials. (Example: A canvas that has watercolor paint, newspaper clippings, and ink all on it)

Tempera

A fast-drying paint made by mixing pigment with egg yolk. (Example: Bright paintings on wooden panels from the Middle Ages)

Fresco

A painting done directly on wet plaster on a wall or ceiling so the paint becomes part of the wall. (Example: The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel)

Binder

The sticky ingredient that holds pigment particles together and makes paint stick to a surface. (Example: Linseed oil for oil paint; egg yolk for tempera)

Pigment

Finely ground colored powder used to make paint or dye. (Example: Crushed charcoal makes black pigment)

Collage

An artwork made by gluing various materials onto a flat surface. (Example: Cutting out magazine words and pictures to stick onto cardboard)

Mosaic

A picture made by fitting together tiny pieces of colored glass, stone, or tile. (Example: Roman villa floors made of thousands of tiny stone cubes)

Stained glass

Colored glass cut into pieces and held together by lead strips to form windows. (Example: The giant, colorful windows in Gothic cathedrals)

Relief printing

A printmaking process where the background is cut away, leaving the raised design to be inked. (Example: A rubber stamp)

Woodcut

A type of relief print made by carving a design into a block of wood. (Example: Stamping an inked wooden block onto paper to make a book illustration)

Linocut

A relief print made by carving a design into a sheet of linoleum. (Example: Using a gouge tool to carve a design into a smooth linoleum block)

Intaglio

A printmaking style where lines are carved into a metal plate, ink fills the grooves, and the surface is wiped clean. (Example: Dollar bills are printed using this process)

Relief

A sculpture that projects out from a flat background. (Example: A coin where the face is raised above the flat metal background)

Lithography

A printing method based on the fact that oil and water don’t mix, drawn with a greasy crayon on stone. (Example: Vintage colorful circus or theater posters)