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Art Vocabulary

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2D and 3D

3D (Having or appearing to have height, length, and depth) and 2D (Having or appearing to have height and length but no depth)

2D Animation

Moving pictures in a two-dimensional environment

3D Animation

Moving pictures in a three-dimensional environment; Objects can be rotated and moved like real objects

A

Abstract art

Art that does not attempt to represent an accurate depiction of a visual reality but instead uses shapes, colors, forms, and gestural marks to achieve its effect. Learn more.

Abstract Expressionism

A term applied to new forms of abstract art developed by American painters such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning in the 1940s and 1950s. It is often characterized by gestural brush-strokes or mark-making, and the impression of spontaneity Learn more.

Acrylic paint

A fast-drying paint, acrylic paints are water-soluble but become water-resistant when dry. Learn more.

Action painters

The term action painter is applied to artists working from the 1940s until the early 1960s whose approach to painting emphasized the physical act of painting as an essential part of the finished work. Learn more.

Additive

The process of adding material to an artwork (ex. drawing with charcoal on paper)

Aerial Perspective

The effect of distance or atmosphere that creates haziness or changes in color

Aesthetic

Ideas about what makes a work of art beautiful or satisfying.


Airbrush

A small, air-operated tool that sprays various media, most often paint but also ink and dye


Analogous colors

Colors that sit next to each other on the color wheel

Animation

A way of making a movie from many still images. The images are put together one after another and then played at a fast speed to give the illusion of movement. Learn more.

Animator

A person who creates animation.

Antique

A collectible object such as a piece of furniture or work of art that has a high value because of its age

 

Applied art

Design principles applied to functional objects such as furniture and metalwork

 

Appliqué

A design made by stitching pieces of colored fabric onto a larger piece of cloth. Appliqué is used for wall hangings and as decoration on clothing, quilts, and pillows

 

Arabesque

A decorative technique that uses curving plant forms; frequently used in Islamic art

 

Arch

A curved structure over an opening such as a door or window. An arch may either stand alone or support the walls around the opening

 

Archaic Art

Greek sculpture or vases from 620 to c. 500 BC; ancient art

 

Architect

A person who designs and draws plans for buildings

 

Armature

A metal framework on which a sculpture is molded with clay or other material

Art criticism

The process of looking at, thinking about, and judging an artwork.

 

Art Deco

Applied design from the 1920s and 1930s derived from French, African, Aztec, and Chinese motifs

 

Art gallery

A building or space for the display of art

Art history

The study of art created in different times and cultures.

Art media

The materials used by artists.

Art museum

A building or space for the display of art.

 

Art Nouveau

An 1890s asymmetrical decorative style featuring sinuous forms based on objects found in nature

 

Artifact

An object made by a human being, typically of cultural or historical interest

 

Artisan

A skilled craft worker who makes or creates things by hand

 

Artist

A person who practices any of the various creative arts (ex. Painter, sculptor, filmmaker, photographer, poet, etc.)

Arts and Crafts Movement

A return to the hand-made decorative arts during the 1930s

Artwork

A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an aesthetic physical item or artistic creation

Ascender

That part of the lowercase letter that rises above the body of the letter, as in b, d, f, h, k, l, and t

Assemblage

A work of art made by grouping found or unrelated objects

Asymmetrical balance

Balance created when elements on each side of a design are different, but still creates a sense of balance

Atmospheric perspective

A phenomena in which distant objects appear lighter in tone, less detailed, and bluer or cooler in color

Avant garde

New and unusual or experimental ideas, especially in the arts, or the people introducing them

B

Background

The area or scenery furthest back in a picture

Balance

The equal distribution of weight in a design

 

Baren

Usually associated with the printmaker of Japan. A slightly convex hand tool, about 5 inches in diameter, for burnishing the back of the paper when printing from an inked relief block. Many Western artists use an ordinary household tablespoon for the same purpose, though the results are not necessarily equal in quality

 

Bas-relief

A projecting image with a shallow overall depth, for example, used on coins, on which all images are in low relief

 

Batik

A technique of hand-dyeing fabrics by using wax as a dye repellent to cover parts of a design, then dyeing the uncovered fabric

 

Beam

The horizontal supporting unit of a structure, usually made of steel or wood

 

Birds-eye view

An elevated view of an object from above (as if from a bird’s perspective)

Bisque

Clayware that has been fired once in the kiln without any glaze

Bleeding

The seeping of color into an adjacent color or area

Blending

To mix colors together. Also to move smoothly from one color to another without making a line

Blind contour drawing

A kind of drawing done in one continuous line, in which the  pencil is kept moving while the eyes remain on the object, never looking down at the paper

Block

In printing a piece of thick, flat material, such as cardboard, wood, or a potato, with a design on its surface, used to print repeated impressions of that design. In carving, a large solid  piece of a material, such as wood or stone, from which parts are cut away to form a sculpture

Blueprints

The detailed drawings an architect creates for a building before it can be built

Body proportions

The relationship of the sizes of one body part to another and to the rest of the body. For example, the head usually makes up about one-seventh of a person's total height

Bone Dry

Completely dry, unfired clay

Border

The ornamental strip or design around the edge of a printed page, drawing, etc

Brayer

A roller used to spread out ink during the printmaking process

Brightness

An attribute of visual perception in which a source appears to be radiating or reflecting light

Broken line

A line composed of a series of dashes

Brush

A tool with bristles, wire, or other filaments. It is used for cleaning, grooming hair, makeup, painting, surface finishing, and for many other purposes

Brushstroke

The mark of an artist made by a paintbrush drawn across a surface

Bust

A sculpture of a person’s head, shoulders, and chest

 

C

Calligraphy

Decorative handwriting or handwritten lettering

 

Candid

A photograph taken informally, often without the subject’s knowledge

 

Canvas

A tightly stretched cloth surface on which to paint

 

Capital

The top element of a pillar or column. There are three basic types of capitals which originated with the ancient Greeks: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian

Career

A person’s job or profession.

 

Caricature

A picture in which a person's distinctive features, such as nose, ears or mouth are distorted or exaggerated

 

Cartoon

Full-scale drawing for tapestry or wall painting; or a humorous or satirical drawing

 

Cartoon Art

The kind of art used in comics or cartoons. It usually has simple lines, uses  basic colors and tells a story in one picture or a series of pictures drawn in boxes called frames

 

Carve

Cut (a hard material) in order to produce an object, design, or inscription

 

Cast shadows

Shadows made on the ground by objects

Casting

An object made by pouring molten metal or other material into a mold

Cave Art

Prehistoric art found in caves

Center of Interest

The part of an artwork that you notice first.

Ceramics

The art or technique of making objects of ceramic, especially from fired clay

Chalk Pastel

A chalk-like crayon made from ground pigment with a binder added

Charcoal

A drawing material made from charred wood

Chiaroscuro

The strong contrast between light and dark in a painting for dramatic effect

Chisel

A long-bladed hand tool with a beveled cutting edge and a plain handle that is struck with a hammer or mallet, used to cut or shape wood, stone, metal, or other hard materials

Cityscape

The view of an urban landscape

 

Clay

A soft, moist, earthy material used to create artworks such as sculptures and pottery

Closed Form

A form that is a solid mass isolated from ambient space

Close-up

A very near or close view of an object or subject.

Coil

A rope-like shaped piece of clay

Collage

The technique of overlapping and gluing multiple pieces of paper together to create a piece of art

Collagraph

A print made from a collage of assorted pasted materials (such as cardboard, strings, papers, etc..)

Color

The element of art that is produced by light reflecting off of objects. 

Color Scheme

An arrangement or combination of colors

Color Wheel

A circular diagram which shows the organization of different hues and their relationships to one another

Colored Pencil

An art medium constructed of a narrow, pigmented core encased in a wooden cylindrical case

Complementary Colors

Colors that sit across from each other on the color wheel

Composition

The placement or arrangement of visual elements in a work of art

Contour Line

An outline

Contrast

The arrangement of opposite elements (light vs. dark colors, large vs. small, etc.)

Cool Colors

Colors that create a calm and peaceful mood. They appear to recede in space

Costume

Clothing characteristic of a particular time, place or people

Craquelure

A network of fine cracks in the paint or varnish of a painting

Crayon

A crayon is a stick of colored wax, charcoal, chalk or other material used for writing or drawing. A crayon made of pigment with a dry binder is a pastel; when made of oiled chalk, it is called an oil pastel

Crayon Etching

A type of picture made by coating paper with several layers of wax crayon and then scratching a design into the surface with a sharp object, revealing crayon colors in underneath layers

Crop

The removal of the outer parts of an image to improve framing, accentuate subject matter, or change aspect ratio

Cross Hatching

Using crossed lines for shading

Cross-contour

Lines that travel across a form to describe volume and surface characteristics

Crosshatching

A method of shading that is created with intersecting sets of parallel lines

 

D

 

Decorative Arts

The arts concerned with the production of high-quality objects that are both useful and beautiful

Depth

The apparent distance from front to back

Design

The outline, sketch, or plan of construction for a piece of artwork

Detail

A small part of a work of art, enlarged to show a close-up of its features. Also, a distinctive feature of an object or scene which can be seen most clearly close up

Diagonal Line

A line that has an oblique or slanted direction. Can help create the illusion of movement and instability

Digital Art

An artistic work or practice that uses digital technology as part of the creative or presentation process

Diptyc

A piece of artwork created on two hinged panels

Distortion

The altering of a something’s original shape or form, often used to create meaning

Drawing

A form of visual art in which a person uses various drawing instruments to mark paper or another two-dimensional medium

Drybrush

A painting technique in which a paintbrush that is relatively dry, but still holds paint, is used

E
Easel

A stand or frame used to support an artist’s canvas

 

Elements of Art

The seven elements of art are line, shape, space, value, form, texture, and color. These elements are the building blocks, or ingredients, of art

 

Embossed

A raised pattern or design on a surface

 

Emphasis

The focal point in a design that captures the viewer’s attention

 

Etching

A print produced by the process of etching (using strong acid to cut into the unprotected parts of a metal surface to create a design)

 

F

Fabric

A cloth typically produced by weaving or knitting textile fibers

 

Firing

The process of baking ceramics in a kiln or furnace

 

Focal Point

The element in a painting that pulls in the viewer’s attention

 

Folk Art

Artwork produced typically in cultural isolation by untrained, often anonymous artists or artisans

 

Foreground

The visual plane nearest to the viewer. It is the front layer in an artwork

 

Foreshortening

The visual distortion of objects from a particular perspective as they recede in space

 

Form

A three-dimensional object that encloses volume. It has a height, width, and depth

Found Objects

An object or artifact not originally intended as art that is found and considered to have aesthetic value

 

Freeform Shapes

An irregular shape (often found in nature). Organic shapes are usually irregular and don't always have names

 

Fresco

A technique of mural painting executed upon freshly-laid or wet plaster

Frottage

Technique where the artist places a piece of paper over an uneven surface then marks the paper with a drawing tool (such as pastel or pencil): thus creating a rubbing.

 

Functional Art

Aesthetic objects that serve utilitarian purposes

 

G

 

Gallery

A room or building for the display or sale of works of art

 

Geometric Shapes

A space enclosed by surfaces or lines. Geometric shapes such as circles, triangles or squares have perfect and uniform measurements and do not usually appear in nature

 

Gesso

A type of primer used to stop paint from soaking into the weave of a canvas

 

Gesture Drawing

A quick drawing which is meant to capture the essence of an object or figure

 

Glass Blowing

The craft of making glassware by blowing air through a tube of semimolten glass

 

Glaze

A coating of glass which is fused to the surface of a clay body during firing

Gradient

The visual result of gradually transitioning from one color to another

Graffiti

Writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually as a form of artistic expression, without permission and within public view.

 

Graphic Design

The art and practice of planning and projecting ideas and experiences with visual and textual content

 

Greenware

Clay objects that have been shaped, but not yet fired in a kiln

 

Grid

A pattern of parallel lines that cross one another at right angles or diagonally

 

H

 

Handbuilding

Refers to the one of several techniques of building pots using the only the hands and simple tools rather than the potters wheel. The term used for creating pottery using the potter’s wheel is “throwing”

 

Hatching

Shading using a series of parallel lines

 

Highlight

An area of direct light on an object

 

Horizon Line

The line where the land (or sea) and sky meet. It is the imaginary line to which things recede

Horizontal line

A line that moves from left to right. It can convey a sense of rest and calm

 
Hue

A pure, unmixed color

 

I

 

Illustrator

An artist who creates illustrations for books

 

Implied Shape

A shape that is not formally defined but is suggested

 

Implied Texture

The way that something looks as if it could feel (the illusion of texture)

 

Installation

Art that is created, constructed, or installed on the site where it is exhibited (site-specific artwork)

Interior Design

The art or process of designing the interior decoration of a room or building

 

Intermediate Colors

The colors made by mixing a primary color with a secondary color

 

J

Jewelry

Personal ornaments, such as necklaces, rings, or bracelets, that are typically made from or contain jewels and precious metals

 

K

Kiln

The furnace in which clay is fired to harden it

 

Kinetic Art

A piece of artwork that is designed to be set in motion

 

Knit

The process of making a garment (blanket, clothes, etc.) by interlocking loops of wool or yarn with knitting needles

 

L

 

Land Art

Artwork in which the landscape and the work of art are inextricably linked

Landscape

An artwork showing an outdoor scene

Landscape Design

The art or process of developing practical and pleasing outdoor living space

 

Leather-hard

The state in which clay has lost moisture due to evaporation, but has not yet completely hardened. It is no longer plastic. Clay that is dry enough to work with with out bending when you carefully pick it up, but still has enough moisture in it to easily cut and join together using appropriate techniques. Clay is carved best at this stage of dryness also

Line

The path created by a point moving through space

 

Linear perspective

A drawing technique used to create the illusion of depth in two-dimensional artwork

 

Lithograph

A print created from a mirrored image of an original piece of artwork drawn onto a smooth stone tablet with greasy crayons

 

Logo

A symbol used to represent a group (like a business or organization)

 

Loom

A device used to weave cloth and tapestry

 

M

 

Maquette

A small scale model or rough draft of an unfinished sculpture

 

Marker

A pen which has its own ink source and a tip made of porous, pressed fibers such as felt

 

Masks

A covering for all or part of the face, worn as a disguise, or to amuse or terrify other people

 

Materials

Resources used in the creation and study of visual art (ex. Paints, canvas, wood, etc.)

 

Medium

The material used to create a work of art

 

Middle-ground

The middle layer in a piece of artwork

 

Mixed-media

An artwork created with more than one medium (material)

 

Mobile

A kinetic sculpture

 

Model

A three-dimensional representation of an

 

Molding

In this technique, flat slabs of clay are pressed into molds in order to create various shapes or forms

 

Monochromatic

Object that is typically on a smaller scale than the original

 

Monoprint

A form of printmaking that has images or lines that can only be made once

 

Mood

The atmosphere or state of mind and feeling that a work of art generates

 

Mosaic

An assemblage of small pieces of color glass, stone or other materials to create a picture or design

 

Movement

The sense of motion created in a piece of artwork

 

Multimedia

An artistic discipline that combines film, performance, sound, visual effects, etc

 

Mural

A large picture painted or affixed directly on a wall or ceiling

 

N

 

Negative space

The empty space around an object

 

Neutral colors

Earthy colors that do not appear on the color wheel. They include browns, whites, blacks, etc

 

Non-objective art

A type of non-figurative and non-representational art

 

O

 

Oil pastel

An oil-based crayon which combines pigment with a non-drying oil and wax binder

 

One-point perspective

A drawing technique in which all diagonal lines converge to a single point on the horizon line (the vanishing point)

 

Opaque

Something that cannot be seen through

 

Open form

A form with irregular or broken contours. It has negative space within its form

 

Organic shapes

An irregular shape (often found in nature). Organic shapes are usually irregular and don't always have names. 

 

Origami

The Japanese art of folding paper into decorative shapes and figures

 

Overlapping

The placement of one or more objects over one another in order to create the illusion of depth

 

P

Painting

A picture or design executed in paints

 

Palette

A board used to hold paint on which colors can be mixed. Also can refer to the range of colors used in a piece of art

 

Papier-mâché

A malleable mixture of paper and glue, or paper, flour, and water, that becomes hard when dry

 

Pattern

Elements that repeat in a recurring and regular arrangement

 

Photogram

A photographic print made by placing an arrangement of objects on photosensitive paper, then exposing it to light

 

Photomontage

A collage created from various photographs or photographic reproductions

 

Pictograph

A form of writing using representational, pictorial drawings as symbols for a greater meaning

 

Pinch-pot

“Pinch” is a method of shaping clay by inserting the thumb of one hand into the clay and lightly pinching with the thumb and fingers while slowly rotating the ball in the palm of the other hand. Pots made in this manner are called “pinch pots”

 

Pixel

The basic unit of programmable color on a computer display or image

 

Plein air

The act of painting outdoors

 

Portfolio

A personal collection of an artist’s work meant to highlight their abilities

 

Portrait

A painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person

 

Pose

A particular way of standing or sitting, usually adopted for effect or in order to be photographed or drawn

 

Positive space

The space occupied by an object

 

Primary colors

The three basic colors that can be combined to create all other colors

Principles of design

The ways that artists use the elements of art in a work of art (balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, unity/variety)

Print

A picture, design, or the like, printed from an engraved or otherwise prepared block, plate, etc

Printmaking

The art/technique of creating prints

 

Profile

The side view of an object or person

 

Proportion

The relative sizes of parts in a whole

 

Q

 

Quilt

A piece of textile art created by sewing together patches of fabric

 

R

 

Radial balance

Balance that is created when elements are arranged evenly around a central point

 

Real texture

The way that something actually feels like

Realistic

The representation of things as they really look in real life

Receding lines

Lines that recede back into space and meet at a vanishing point

Relief sculpture

A sculpture consisting of shapes carved on a surface so as to stand out from the surrounding background

Repetition

The repeating of visual elements in a piece of art. It is a principle of design

Resist

A technique that uses the incompatibility of two mediums to create layered effects with color and texture

Rhythm

The repetition of elements to create visual movement

Rubbing

The reproduction of a texture created by placing a piece of paper over an object and rubbing the paper with a crayon or other material

 

S

 

Scale

The size of an object in relation to the size of another object

 

Score

The process of scratching the surface of a piece of clay to better join it to another piece (often with slip)

Sculpture

A three-dimensional work of art

Seascape

An artwork that shows a sea, ocean, or shore scene

Secondary colors

The colors that can be created when you mix two primary colors together

Self-portrait

A drawing, photograph, sculpture, or any other artistic representation which shows the likeness of the artist

Sfumato

A technique of allowing tones and colors to shade gradually into one another, producing softened outlines or hazy forms

Sgraffito

An ornamentation technique in which the surface layer of something is scratched through to reveal a contrasting color underneath

Shade

The darker value of a color that is created by mixing black with another color

Shading

The darkening or coloring of an image using lines or color

Shadow

The areas of darkness on or around an object caused by a lack of direct light

Shape

A two-dimensional space that can be defined by edges

Sketch

A rough or unfinished drawing or painting, often made to assist in making a more finished picture

Sketchbook

A book or pad of drawing paper used by an artist to draw or paint in as part of their creative process

Slab

An even flat piece of clay

 

Slip

Slip is liquid clay. The easiest way to make slip is to gradually sift or spoon dry, powder clay into a small cup of water. Stir well as you add because it will tend to thicken up after it sits for a minute or two. You want it to be about the consistency of thick cream

Slip Trailing

Slip trailing is another decoration method. Slip (a liquid clay) is applied to the clay through a tube or nozzle, much like icing a cake

Smock

A loose over-garment worn to protect clothing

Soft Sculpture

A three-dimensional piece of artwork created with a soft material (fabric, canvas, etc.)

Space

The area around, inside, or between shapes or forms

Spiral Line

A line that gradually moves outward as it circles around a central point

Stamping

This is the technique of pressing forms into the clay to get decorative effects

Stages of Dryness

When speaking of clay, we refer to three basic stages of dryness: wet, leather hard and bone dry

Stained Glass

Colored glass used to form decorative or pictorial designs

Stencil

A device used to apply patterns, designs, and/or words to a surface

Still-life

An artwork showing an arrangement of still objects (such as fruit or flowers)

Stippling

A method of shading that is created by varying amounts of dots in different densities

Studio

The room where an artist works

Stylized

Something represented in a more simplistic or abstracted fashion

Subtractive

The process of removing material from an artwork (ex. erasing charcoal to create highlights)

Sumi-E

A kind of Japanese brush drawing done with simple, flowing, curving lines that are created with careful brushstrokes

Symbol

Something used to represent something else (often a visual design)

 

Symmetry

A mirror image made from designs of equal proportions positioned in the same location on either side of a dividing line

Symmetrical Balance

Balance that is created when elements on one side of a design are similar to those on the other side

 

T

 

Tapestry

A picture or design woven or stitched in cloth and hung on a wall

 

Technique

The way an artist uses his or her tools. No two artists have exactly the same technique

 

Tempera Paint

A chalky, opaque, water-based paint (sometimes called poster paint)

 

Tenebrism

An effect such as chiaroscuro, with most figures in shadow, yet others in a shaft of light

 

Terra Cotta

Unglazed, fired clay, usually of pinkish color

 

Tertiary Colors

See intermediate colors

 

Tessellation

A pattern created with a repeating shape that does not overlap and could continue on forever

 

Tesserae

The individual pieces used in making a mosaic

 

Textile Art

A type of art created with plant, animal, or synthetic fibers to construct practical or decorative objects

 

Texture

The way a surface looks and feels - rough, smooth, silky and so on

 

Three-dimensional (3D)

Having length, width and depth. A sculpture is three-dimensional,  but a drawing is only two-dimensional since it is flat and has only length and width not depth

 

Throwing

The process of making a pot, bowl, vase, etc. from a piece of clay on a potter's wheel

 

Thumbnail

A small drawing done on paper to explore multiple ideas quickly

 

Tie-dye

Colorful cloth with designs of lines and circles. The designs are made because objects are tied into the cloth with string. The wrapped areas resist the colored dye into which the cloth is dipped

 

Tiffany Glass

A style of glass designed in the early 20th century by Louis Comfort Tiffany, using rich colors and the botanical forms and patterns characteristic of Art Nouveau

 

Tint

The lighter value of a color that is created by mixing white with another color

 

Title

The name given to a picture, sculpture or other piece of artwork, reflecting the main idea of the work

 

Tone

A more subtle color, which is created by adding gray to another color

 

Torso

The trunk, or main part of the human body, not including the head, arms and legs

 

Totem

An object or image that serves as a symbol or emblem of a family, person, idea or experience

Totem pole

A pole or pillar of wood carved and painted with totem images showing the history, traditions and legends of the Northwest Indians

 

Tower

A tall, vertical structure that either stands free or is part of a building

 

Tracery

Decorative ornamental stone or wood patterns used between pieces of glass or on walls

 

Trademark

A special design, name or symbol that represents a company or business. Most trademarks are registered with the government and cannot be used by anyone else (See also log)

 

Transfer

To print or copy a drawing or design from one surface to another by bringing the two surfaces into contact

 

Translucent

Allowing the passage of light but not the perception of distinct images (in-between transparent and opaque)

 

Transparent

Allowing light to pass through so that objects can be clearly seen underneath; the opposite of opaque. Window glass, cellophane and watercolors are transparent

 

Triad

Three colors equally spaced on the color wheel. For example, yellow, blue and red form a triad as do green, purple and orange and so on

 

Triptych

A picture or relief carving on three panels typically hinged together side by side

 

Trompe l'oeil (Fool the eye)

A painting so real that you want to touch the objects

 

Turret

A small tower, usually containing stairs, that is located on the top of a building

 

Two-dimensional (2D)

Having height and width, but not depth; flat. Paintings, drawings and stitchery are examples of two-dimensional art forms

 

Two-point perspective

A drawing technique in which all diagonal lines converge to one of two points on the horizon line (the vanishing points)

 

U

Unified

Having all parts look as if they belong together in a complete whole

 

Unity

The sense of harmony between all the elements in an artwork that create a sense of completeness

 

Uppercase

Capital letters in an alphabet

 

V

Value

How light, or dark, a specific color or hue is.

 

Vanishing point

The point in linear perspective at which all lines in perspective converge and diminish

 

Variety

A varied or diversified group of things (elements)

 

Vault

An arched ceiling or roof made of stone, cement, or brick

 

Vertical Line

A line that is in an upright vertical position. Can convey a sense of strength and power

 

Viewfinder

A device on a camera used to compose, frame, and focus a picture

 

Viewpoints

Sides from which an object can be seen. A shoe has many viewpoints; if you  put a shoe on a table, you can move around the table to see different views of the shoe

 

Void

An opening, gap, hole, or empty space, often used in modern sculpture. Voids are an important feature in the sculpture of Henry Moore

 

W

 

Warm Colors

Colors that create a feeling of warmth and energy. They appear to advance in space

 

Warp

The vertical threads that are attached to the top and bottom of a loom, through which the weft is woven (See also weft)

Warp and Weft

The perpendicular lines of thread or yarn used in the weaving process. (see it)

Wash

A coat of diluted ink or watercolor paint resulting in a semi-transparent layer of color

Watercolor Paint

A translucent water-based paint

Waterscape

A painting of or including a body of water

Wavy Line

A line that alternates between moving up and down fluidly through space. Can convey a sense of calm movement. 

Wax Resist

In this decorative technique, patterns or designs are created by brushing a wax medium over an area of clay, slip, or glaze to resist the final glaze application when the wax is dry

Weaving

An artwork made of thread, yarn, or other fibers laced or woven together

Wedging

A technique in which clay is thoroughly kneaded to remove air pockets

 

Woodcut

A print made from a design cut into a block of wood

 

Wet

Clay currently being worked with and has not had time to dry out

 

Worms-eye View

A perspective view from below an object or from a low or inferior position

 

X

 

X-Height

The height of the main portion of a lowercase letter, not including ascender or descender

 

Y

 

Yarn

Spun thread used for knitting, weaving, or sewing

Z

 

Zig-zag Line

A line that sharply alternates between moving up and down. 

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