Art terms

Belly

The middle of the bristles

Head

the whole bristle (top of the brush)

Ferrule

the long metal part of the brush that connects the bristles and the handle

crimp

the bottom of the metal part that connects the bristles and the handle

round tip brush

Flat tip brush

bright tip brush

filbert brush

canvas

A linen or cotton material used to paint upon; name given to a ___ on a stretcher ready of painting; the finished product

Panel

traditionally describes a paint support made of solid wood, but is sometimes extended to include other types of board

Medium

a general term for describing the materials in which a work of art has been created

gesso

an acrylic substance that seals a painting surface, making it ready to receive paint

tooth

the degree of texture across the paint surface that will encourage greater adhesion of paint and broken-color effects

solvent

A liquid substance dissolves paint. Water is used as a _____ for acrylic painting. Chemical and organic _____ such as minerals spirits or turpentine are used for oil paints.

varnishes

resinous substances used as a protection for the finished picture surface

fugitive

the description of a pigment that has been proven to fade or darken over time

lightfastness

the ability of a pigment to maintain its color over time

underpainting

preliminary painting over which other colors are applied. The first coat in a picture, usually applied in lean washes to permit quick drying.

blending

the physical fusion of adjacent colors on a painting to give a smooth, tonally graded transition between areas of color

glaze

a transparent application of paint over a light ground or underpainting that can provide rich luminous coloring

impasto

painting technique with thick paint - often applied with a painting knife or bristle brush in which paint is heaped up in ridges to create a textured surface

alla prima

a painting finished in one session and also describes generally an attempt to capture the appearance of an object in one painted layer

grisaille

a type of understanding in various grey values

scrambling

dragging paint in a broken manner over a previously painted dry surface grs

sgraffito

a method of drawing or painting in various materials by scratching through a layer of one color to reveal another

painterly

a technique characterized by loose brushwork and patches of color rather than by outline or contour (ex Monet)

fat over lean

only applies to painting in oils, practice of painting thicker and oil rich layers over thinner layers with less or no oils (it prevents cracking)

tip

top of bristles