Drawing and Painting Final Exam Study Guide
Terms in Contemporary Art
Contemporary: Art of today.
Picture Plane: The imaginary flat surface in which the artist can arrange objects and is used as a visual reference.
Abstract: A style of art where the elements are simplified, distorted, or rearranged.
Non-objective: A style of art that contains no objects or subject matter.
Expressionism: A style of art where emphasis is placed on expressing emotions or feelings to the viewer.
Genre: Representing scenes from everyday life in an artwork.
Still life: Inanimate objects used as subject matter in artwork.
Artistic voice: An artist's personal style that is discovered and developed over time.
Sighting: The technique of using your eye to measure and compare the size of objects in a drawing.
Composition: The orderly arrangement of elements in an artwork.
Contour Line: A clean line that defines the inner and outer edges of an object.
Thumbnail: Small sketches that help an artist figure out their composition.
Painterly: Style characterized by visible brushstrokes that show the artist's hand movements.
Underpainting: The first layer of paint that blocks in the main shapes and values of a painting.
Chiaroscuro: The use of dramatic light and dark contrasts in an artwork.
Focal point: A specific area of the artwork that attracts the viewer's attention.
Fixative: A spray material used to protect works and prevent fading or smudging.
Portrait: The subject matter of the artwork is primarily the face or head area.
Foreground and Art Practices
Foreground: The area of an artwork usually located lower on the picture plane, where objects appear closer and therefore larger.
Appropriation: The act of borrowing, copying, or altering objects or images that already exist.
Fair Use: A legal doctrine that allows the use of copyrighted materials without permission, dependent on the severity of the infringement.
Graphic Designer: A professional who creates graphics primarily for published, printed, or electronic media, such as brochures and advertisements.
Illustrator: An artist who specializes in enhancing writing by creating visuals that accompany the text.
Industrial Designer: An artist that designs physical products for mass production, including furniture, cars, and other household items.
Artistic Materials
Canvas: A woven fiber material used for painting that can be stretched on a wooden frame.
Gesso: A primer applied atop canvas to help paint adhere better.
Acrylic: A medium that uses a plastic binder, flexible and adheres easily to many surfaces.
Collage: Various materials cut and pasted to a surface in an artwork.
Charcoal: A medium made from burning organic matter, such as twigs.
Pencil Grades: Designated as 6H, 4H, 2H, HB, 2B, 4B, 6B indicating darkness from lightest (6H) to darkest (6B).
Components of Paint
Pigment: Colored powder used in paint to give it its color.
Binder: Material in paint that holds pigment particles together and helps them adhere to the painting surface.
Binders include:
Wax for colored pencils
Plastic for acrylic paint
Gum arabic for watercolor.
Vehicle: A material that thins paint and helps it flow.
Color Terms in Art
Hue: The name of the color as it appears on the color wheel.
Local color: The color seen under natural light.
Arbitrary color: A color chosen by the artist that does not necessarily represent reality.
Primary Colors: Red, yellow, blue.
Secondary Colors: Orange, green, violet.
Monochromatic: A color scheme using one color with its tints and shades.
Analogous: A color scheme using colors next to each other on the color wheel.
Complementary: A color scheme using colors opposite each other on the color wheel.
Split-complementary: A color scheme consisting of a color and the two colors adjacent to its complement.
Warm colors: Colors that advance toward the viewer.
Cool colors: Colors that recede into the background.
Artistic Techniques
Impasto: A technique involving thick layers of paint, famously used by Van Gogh.
Hatching: The use of parallel lines to create value in an artwork.
Cross-hatching: The use of intersecting parallel lines to create value.
Grid method: A technique to accurately draw proportions from a reference photo by overlaying a series of squares.
Graded wash: A technique using watered-down paint that varies in value or intensity.
Gesture: Loose marks that emphasize direction and movement, particularly useful for drawing live models.
Linear perspective: A method in which parallel lines converge at a vanishing point on the horizon line.
Atmospheric perspective: The technique where color, value, and detail decrease as objects recede into the distance.
Elements of Design
Line: A point set in motion that can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or implied.
Shape: An enclosed space with two dimensions (height and width).
Form: An enclosed volume with three dimensions (height, width, depth).
Value: Refers to the lightness or darkness of an element in an artwork.
Color: What is visible from reflected light.
Hue: The name of the color.
Value: The lightness or darkness of a color.
Intensity: The brightness or dullness of a color.
Space: Can refer to positive or negative space or to the illusion of depth.
Texture: The surface quality of an artwork, which can be tactile or visual.
Principles of Design
Unity: A sense of wholeness where elements work together effectively.
Variety / Contrast: Highlights differences among elements within a composition.
Emphasis: Drawing viewers’ attention to a specific area of the artwork.
Rhythm: The appearance of movement in the artwork, often achieved through repetition of elements.
Movement: Creating a sense of motion in the viewer's eye as it navigates through the composition.
Pattern: Repetition of shapes or elements to create a design or motif.
Balance: Comparison of visual weight between the left and right sides of a composition, creating stability.
Symmetrical balance: Equal visual weight on both sides.
Asymmetrical balance: Unequal visual weight, but still achieving balance overall.