Art Careers and Vocabulary

A comprehensive set of flashcards covering vocabulary related to art careers, clay preparation, elements of art, principles of design, and studio safety.

Urban Planner

Designs the best use of a community's land and resources.

Package Designer

Designs packaging that is attractive to consumers and economical to manufacture.

Scenic Designer

Designs the feeling of a place in individual scenes of a play.

Art Director

Works with set, costume, and lighting directors to bring visual elements of a film, TV show, or play together.

Landscape Architect

Designs landscapes for public and private recreational areas, housing developments, and businesses.

Copyright

The legal right of creative artists or publishers to control the use and reproduction of an original idea and work.

Appropriation

The use of borrowed elements in the creation of a new work.

Plagiarism

Copying another person's idea or work, claiming it as original, and/or not crediting the source.

Craftsmanship

The quality of neatness and attention to detail.

Creativity

A personal inventiveness regarding the production of a work of art.

Style

The artist's personal way of using the elements and principles of design.

Thumbnail Sketch

Small, quick sketches that capture possible sculpture ideas.

Clay Body

Combining different types of clay for specific clay qualities.

Utilitarian

Objects with practical purposes.

Non-utilitarian

Decorative objects.

Grog

Crushed bisqueware added to clay to add strength.

Moisture

Water content in clay.

Porous

Allows water to escape through small holes.

Installation

3-dimensional works that visually control or physically occupy a room or outdoor space.

Presentation

The display of an artwork based on thoughtful consideration of how it will be viewed.

Line

A continuous mark made by a moving point, can be horizontal, vertical, diagonal, or parallel.

Shape

An enclosed area of space with 2 dimensions; width and height.

Form

An object with 3 dimensions; width, height, and depth.

Color

Implied mood; has properties of hue, value, and intensity.

Texture

The way a surface feels to the touch or how it appears to feel through vision.

Value

Lightness and darkness of a color.

Space

Actual 3-dimensional space or the illusion of space through overlapping or perspective.

Negative Space

The area that surrounds or encloses the subject.

Positive Space

The subject matter itself.

Balance

The arrangement of elements of art to create a sense of stability and equal visual weight.

Contrast

A difference in the use of two elements.

Emphasis

Sense of importance given to any one part of the composition.

Movement

The way elements of art direct a viewer's eye through a work.

Pattern

The repetition of one or more elements.

Proportion

How parts of an artwork relate to each other in size or scale.

Rhythm

A sense of movement in a composition created by the repetition of an element.

Unity

The quality of wholeness achieved when separate elements work together.

Greenware

Clay that has not been fired in a kiln.

Plastic

Clay with most water, making it bendable.

Leatherhard

Clay with less water, which is workable.

Bone dry

Clay that is brittle and has a powdery surface.

Bisqueware

Clay that has been fired once in a kiln.

Glazeware

Clay that has glaze applied and fired again.

Primary Clay

Clay formed at its original site.

Secondary Clay

Clay that has moved to lower levels by erosion.

Porcelain

A white clay that fires white.

Stoneware

A gray clay that fires cream.

Earthenware

A brown clay that fires orange/brown.

Wedge

A technique to remove air bubbles and distribute water in clay.

Slip

Liquid clay used in ceramics.

Incising

Carving into clay for decoration.

Burnishing

Rubbing clay with a smooth object to create a glossy surface.

Raku

A type of reduction firing originally from Japan.

Warping

Uneven clay thickness that causes items to distort.

Crazing

Small cracks in the surface of glaze.