Glossary

“Life-Size” artwork must be the same size as the object of focus to be called “Life-Sized”.

The Seven Design Ideas: Unity, Contrast, Dominance, Repetition, Harmony, Balance, Gradation.

The Seven Design Marks: Line, Shape, Tone, Colour, Texture, Size, Direction.

“Abstract Pattern” is the collection of shapes on the canvas.

“Treatment” is how “Resolved” a painting can be depending on how finished or otherwise you would like the work to have.

“Gesture” or “flow” of the form through the composition is known as the “inner curve” and can either be “active” which is bundled up and contracted, or “passive” which is stretched out, usually both exist at the same time on the one form.

“Packed Form” is the hierarchical stacking of smaller forms upon larger forms.

Blending Lost and Found Edges: Running a brush along the edge perpendicular to the interchange, whereas Hard and Soft edges are running a brush at right angles directly over the interchange, and Feathery edges are circular motions along the interchange.

Staccato: Short and diagonal.

Slashing: Long and diagonal.

Stippled: wet-on-wet blobs.

Sgraffito: Scratching into wet paint.

Gestural: Simple bold mark-making done in broad strokes with a large brush.

Velatura: A Translucent wash used to tone the canvas first before painting.

Imprimatura: A lean, transparent, and neutral under painting.

Wash: A thin, lean, and transparent layer of colour.

Glaze: A thick, fat, and transparent layer of colour.

Scumble: A rough, vigorous, and more directly applied opaque colour.

“Colour Families” are the groups of colours together on the colour wheel, e.g., more than one yellow, more than one blue, or more than one red, with all the individual hues within that family being brought together under certain designations e.g. Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, which you call the “Hue”.

“Value” the relative lightness or darkness of a colour.

“Temperature” is the relative warmth or coolness of each colour because warm colours advance out of the picture while cool colours recede into it.

“Chroma” means either dull-and-saturated, or bright-and-luminous.

“Tinting Strength” means the relative colouring power of the colours when mixed with each other, i.e. tint is the colour plus white, tone is the colour plus grey, and shade is the colour plus black.

“Achromatic” colour is black and white with a variety of grey’s in-between.

“Mono-Chromatic” colour is using one colour in a variety of tones.

“Polychromatic” colour using multiple colours.

“Compliments” are hues that are opposite each other on the colour wheel.

“Analogous” colour uses two colours that are side by side on the colour wheel.

“Mother Colour” is using the same colour in all the admixtures.

“Prismatic Colour” is pure and brilliant primary colour.

“Earth” and “Neutral” colours are reduced in chroma.

“Non-Colour” is a hue that has lost its chromatic Identity.

“Body Colour” is an opaque layer of paint which is usually a primary colour.

“Tonal Colour” means organising colour and form according to a spectrum.

“Value Contrast” are lights against darks or vice versa.

“Colour Contrast” is when two compliments are side by side on the canvas.

“Successive Contrast” is seeing one colour in the complement of another.

“Simultaneous Contrast” is a merging of two complementary colours within the vision of the viewer.

“Value Massing” is grouping similar light and dark details to create an abstract pattern of shapes.

“Inside Drawing” is the tonal progression on the inside of the form, which is dictated by the distance from the light source, strength of the light source, and whether the surface is glossy/satin/matte.

“Cut of the light” is frontal light, three quarter light, half-light, and rim light, which are at certain angles to the object of focus.

Sciagraphy: The study of shadows.

Chiaroscuro: Heavy use of shadows.

Penumbra: A lighter halo effect at the edges of shadows.

Atmospheric Light: An all-encompassing secondary light from the sky.

Direct Light: One single concentrated light source.

Halation: Light burning out details then shimmering or reflecting onto other objects.

Reflected Light: Light that strikes one object and then reflects onto another.

Highlight: Is the brightest portion of the object that usually is facing the light directly.

Light Plane: The side of the object facing the light.

Middle-Tone: The slightly oblique side neither in light nor shadow.

Shadow Plane: The side of the object facing away from the light.

Shadow: A dark shape caused by a lack of light entering that area.

“Refraction” is the diffusion of edges.

“Diffraction” is the softening of light, form and colour caused by a heavy atmosphere.

“Root Rectangle” is the height VS width correlation of the edges of the canvas when you draw a line from the centre of the bottom line to a corner and then drop it down: This forms from a root 1 rectangle a Root 2 rectangle of 1.41 and a Root 3 rectangle is 1.73 and a Root 4 is 2 and a Root 5 rectangle is 2.23 Etc.

“Table-Top” Composition is balanced front to back and has deeper recession looking down on top.

“Shelf-Top” Composition is balanced Left to Right, and you are looking straight on, with a level eye line.

“Viewpoint” is a “Vantage Point” from which the viewer has of the scene.

“Focal Point” is the primary area of emphasis that is the most interesting to look at, with secondary areas of emphasis supporting the main centre of interest.

“Picture Plane” is the flat plane at the end of your vision in a scene and it encompasses the picture you want to paint.

“Selective Focus” is the object in the centre of your vision which is in sharp focus with everything else being fuzzy and out of focus.

“Vanishing Point/s” on the horizon line that objects slant towards which create perspective.

“Counterpoints” are opposing design ideas used to create tension.

“Counter-change” is the use of opposing design marks used to create balance.

“Juxtaposition” is the change in difference of two or more elements that oppose each other.

“Linear Perspective” is one point perspective and defines only the form.

“Multi-Point Perspective” is an oblique view that defines the space the object is in.

“Isometric Perspective” is based on a multi-point perspective containing multiple objects.

“Geometric Perspective” is a lot like Isometric Perspective but Foreshortened to deceive the eye.

“Atmospheric Perspective”

Smaller, Less Detailed, Cooler, Duller, Darker, Softer, Greyer, Fuzzier, Neutral, all recedes.

Larger, More Detailed, Warmer, Lighter, Sharper, Stronger, Clearer, Brighter, all advances.

The “Sight-Size” Measuring method is where you stand back and measure an object in the real world according to a fixed point - usually a pencil held at an arm’s length, and then scale it up or down according to your needs.

An “Envelope” constitutes the block in phase where you work inside a broad shape, then onto smaller shapes for smaller parts of the image, starting broadly at first until you reach a certain degree of refinement.

“Positive” and “Negative” Space Is the area in and around that object which can either advance or recede, the area around the object is what defines the boundaries.

An “Implied-Line” is a series of points in the image that suggest a path for the eye to follow.

“Comparative Measurements” determine the length or width of an object by comparing it with another, e.g., the length of the torso compared to the size of the head.

“Relational Measurements” are well coordinated critical points of departure to confirm the locations of other points, basically orientating the relationships around each other.

“Convexity” on the body is a “Fullness” or is outwardly rounded, with a point of origin, an apogee [highest point], and an insertion point at the end. They are either “Continuous” which means they are either fluid and seamless, or “Discrete” which means each form is distinct.

“Length” and “Tilt” describe the qualities of every line, which combine to create the inclination and dynamism of every shape.

“Triangulation” uses two or more points to locate a single new point e.g., “non-parallelism” which is comparing the sides of the same form to make sure they are asymmetrical.

“Calliper Vision” is a process of measuring two points on opposite sides of the form.

“Staging” the division of planes on a canvas according to Foreground, Middle ground, and Background, or in figurative painting this is the proximity of a character to the viewer.

“Proportion” Divisions either by grids or by diagonals e.g., Thales Theorem.

To attain true realism, first you must choose a canvas that is the optimal size for the room in which it is to be displayed, then understand the optimal viewing distance. By doubling or tripling the longest edge once you have found the ratio for the room.

[A] 2ftx2ft square canvas = 4ft or 6ft vantage point.

[B] Use this ratio of the vantage point to measure the scene and find the optimal Viewpoint from which to paint the scene from e.g.:

[C] With a 2ft side x by a 4ft vantage point = 8ft from the scene in the real world with a 2ft x2ft square canvas.

Line Drawing:

· Alignments are the angles and lines that form positive and negative shapes.

· Landmarks are used to scale and connect disparate parts of an image.

· Direction of energy of the lines in the composition or “Rhythm”.

· Character is either open or closed or blocking you.

· Personality is either leaning in or leaning away.

Mass Drawing:

· “Essence” being the simplest form the object can be built with i.e., Square + Cube, Circle + Sphere, Triangle + Pyramid.

· The “Pose” is the silhouette formed by the person or object forming one large shape.