Alla prima: Italian for “at first,” referring to an immediate application of paint.
Analogous colors: a range of colors adjacent to each other on the color wheel, such as blue-green, blue, blue-violet and violet.
Asymmetrical: that which is not symmetrical. In reference to art, something may be balanced without being symmetrical.
Atmospheric perspective: the illusion of depth achieved through contrasts in value and definition.
Bamboo brush holder: a bamboo mat used to store paint brushes.
Binder: a paint ingredient that binds the pigment particles. Oil is the binder in oil paint.
Brush wash: a jar filled with water or solvent that is used to wash paint out of brushes.
Canvas pad: sheets of primed canvas in pad form.
Color intensity: the potency or strength of a color, also referred to as saturation.
Color palette: the colors used in a painting.
Color temperature: the differentiation between warm or cool colors.
Color wheel: a circular chart showing the primary, secondary and tertiary colors and how they relate to one another.
Complementary colors: two colors that appear opposite each other on the color wheel, such as red and green.
Composition: the arrangement of elements involving structure, value and color, that provides a path for the eye to follow through the painting.
Contrast: the extreme differences between specific elements in a painting, most commonly used to discuss value.
Cool colors: colors that look cool, such as green, blue and violet, also referred to as recessive colors.
Easel: a stand to prop artwork.
Fan brush: a brush with a fanlike shape to its bristles.
Fat over lean: a method of painting that involves layering more oily paint over less oily paint.
Filbert brush: a brush head with a flat shape and rounded tip that may come to a point.
Flat brush: a brush head with a flat shape and squared tip.
Gesso: a primer used to coat the painting surface before painting.
Glazing: to apply thin, transparent paint in layers.
Graphite paper: thin paper covered with graphite on one side, used to transfer drawings or images.
Ground: a layer of color applied to a canvas prior to the painting process.
Hard edge: the sharply defined, unblended edge of a wash or stroke of paint.
Highlight: an area of reflected light on an object.
Horizon: the line where land or water meets the sky, in reference to linear perspective.
Impasto: Italian for “paste” or “dough,” refers to a thick application of paint.
Kneaded eraser: a soft, pliable gray eraser.
Lightfastness: the degree to which a paint resists fading.
Light source: the origin of the light shining on elements in a composition.
Linear perspective: depth implied through line and the relative size of elements.
Mahlstick: a stick with a cork covered in leather on the end, used as a hand rest for steadier painting.
Medium: a liquid or gel paint additive that changes the characteristics of the paint.
Mineral spirits: a solvent used to thin and dilute traditional oil paints.
Monochromatic: one color.
Negative painting: painting around shapes or elements to imply their forms.
Oil paint: paint that uses oil as its binder.
One-point perspective: a type of linear perspective that uses one vanishing point.
Painting surface: the canvas, linen or panel that is painted on, also called a support.
Palette: a tray or disposable pad of paper for holding and mixing paints during a painting session.
Palette cups: small cups that clip onto the palette to hold thinner and medium.
Palette knife: a spatula-like knife used to mix paint on and clean paint off the palette and to add and remove paint from the painting surface.
Palette pad: a pad of disposable paper used as a palette for holding and mixing paint.
Pigment: the ingredients that give color to paint.
Positive painting: painting an element on a background, as opposed to negative painting.
Primary colors: the three basic colors, red, yellow and blue, from which all other colors are derived.
Professional (artist) grade paint: high-quality paint.
Rigger brush: also called a script or liner, a type of round brush with thin, long hairs.
Round brush: a paintbrush with hairs that come to a point.
Scumbling: to apply undiluted paint over previously applied paint, allowing some of the previously applied paint to show through.
Secondary colors: the three colors, orange, green and violet, made from a combination of two of the three primary colors.
Soft edge: a paint edge that smoothly blends into the surrounding paint.
Spray fixative: a spray coating used to prevent graphite or charcoal from smearing.
Stretched canvas: a painting surface made from canvas stretched over a frame of stretcher bars.
Stretcher bars: the wood frame pieces of a stretched canvas.
Student grade paint: usually less expensive paint that is lower quality than professional (artist) grade paint.
Symmetrical: balanced composition, with equal elements placed as if reflected in a mirror.
Taboret: an artist supply cabinet.
Tangent: the meeting of two compositional elements. Tangents usually detract from a composition.
Tertiary colors: the colors made from combinations of one primary color and one secondary color, such as blue-violet.
Thick over thin: the process of applying thicker paint over thin paint.
Traditional oil paints: oil paints that usually require solvents, such as turpentine or mineral spirits, to thin and dissolve the paint.
Turpentine: a solvent used to thin and dilute traditional oil paints.
Two-point perspective: a type of linear perspective that uses two vanishing points.
Underdrawing: drawing directly onto the painting surface as a guide for the placement of the paint.
Underpainting: a monochromatic wash of paint on the painting surface used as a preliminary guide.
Unprimed canvas: canvas that does not have a layer of primer or gesso.
Value: degrees of lightness or darkness of a color.
Value scale: a scale showing the range of values of a color.
Vanishing point: a point on the horizon line at which parallel lines seem to converge.
Vantage point: the point from which the viewer observes a scene.
Varnish: a clear liquid applied over a dry painting as a protective coating.
Viewfinder: a device used to visually crop a scene.
Warm colors: colors that look warm, such as red, orange and yellow, also referred to as aggressive colors.
Wash: a transparent application of paint.
Water-soluble oil paint: oil paint that can be thinned and diluted with water.
Wet-into-dry: applying a layer of paint on a layer of dry paint.
Wet-into-wet: applying a layer of wet paint into a layer of wet paint.