Glossary
- Acid-free paper.
- Paper that has not been processed with acid. Acid can cause paper to yellow over time.
- Angle ruler.
- A small ruler that can fold in the middle to measure angles.
- 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.
- Baseline.
- A line that establishes the placement of a subject and helps you work out the proportions of a drawing.
- Blind contour sketch.
- A sketch or drawing done with a single line without looking at the paper.
- Cast shadow.
- The shadow of an object that appears on a different surface or object.
- Chiaroscuro.
- A sketch or drawing that defines the form of an object using only highly contrasting values, usually black and white, instead of with contour lines or shading.
- Composition.
- The arrangement of elements in an artwork.
- Contour sketch (or Continuous line sketch).
- A sketch or drawing that is done with a single line.
- Contrast.
- Differences between the values in a composition.
- Craft knife.
- A small knife with a sharp, pointed, replaceable blade.
- Crop.
- Determine the area of a scene to be included within an artwork.
- Dividers.
- A handheld compass like device for measuring and proportioning.
- Drawing.
- A finished representation of a subject.
- Drawing board.
- A smooth, sturdy board placed underneath the paper for sketching or drawing.
- Drawing paper.
- Heavyweight paper, commonly 80 lb. to 90 lb. (170gsm to 190gsm), used for drawing.
- Ellipse.
- The shape a circle takes on when viewed at an angle. Used to show perspective.
- Erasing shield.
- A thin metal shield used to mask areas that are not to be erased.
- Eye level.
- See Vantage point.
- Fixative.
- A spray applied to pencil drawings to prevent the artwork from smudging.
- Focal point.
- The area or part of a painting to which the composition leads the eye, also referred to as the center of interest.
- Form shadow.
- A shadow on an object that gives the form more dimension.
- Format.
- The overall shape of a composition.
- Frisket.
- A sheet of paper used as a shield to create an even edge or a clean margin beside a set of pencil lines.
- Gauge.
- To determine specific proportions of elements in a scene.
- Graphite.
- A soft black substance used in the core of some pencils.
- Highlight.
- An area of light on an object, usually placed in the direct path of the light.
- Horizon line.
- The line where land or water meets the sky, in reference to linear perspective.
- Kneaded eraser.
- A soft, pliable gray eraser.
- Lead.
- The term mistakenly used for graphite in a pencil. Also the scale that rates the hardness or softness of the graphite.
- Leading lines.
- A group of compositional elements used to form lines to direct the viewer's eye to centers of interest.
- Light box.
- A device that shines light evenly through a translucent surface. This allows the viewer to see slides, transparencies or drawings laid on its surface.
- 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 in a composition.
- Mechanical pencil.
- A pencil consisting of a thin stick of graphite encased by a holder similar to a pen. Mechanical pencils need no sharpening.
- One-point perspective.
- A type of linear perspective with one vanishing point.
- Pad.
- A stack of sheets of paper attached at one side with glue or wire.
- Paper weight.
- The thickness of a sheet of paper; common weights for sketch paper are 50 lb. to 70 lb. (105gsm to 150gsm). For drawing paper common weights are 80lb to 90lb (170gsm to 190gsm).
- Pencil extender.
- A device that attaches to the end of a pencil that has been shortened by use, used to extend the pencil's life.
- Pencil sharpener.
- A mechanical device used to sharpen the ends of pencils.
- Perspective.
- A technique that gives the illusion of depth to a flat picture.
- Proportional dividers.
- Dividers that have points at both ends and are used for proportionally enlarging or reducing a hand-drawn image.
- Reference materials.
- Pictures from various sources, used to examine a subject more closely, or from different angles, or under different conditions.
- Reflected light.
- Light reflected off one surface onto another.
- Sandpaper pad.
- A very small pad of sandpaper sheets attached to a handle; used for sharpening pencil tips.
- Sewing gauge.
- A hand-held device with a moveable marking guide that can be used for measuring proportions.
- Sketch.
- A drawing in rough, unfinished form.
- Sketch paper.
- Lightweight paper, commonly 50 lb. to 70 lb. (105gsm to 150gsm), used for sketching.
- Slip sheet.
- A sheet of paper placed over an unfinished drawing, under the drawing hand, to prevent the hand from smearing the graphite as it moves across the paper.
- Straightedge.
- A metal ruler or similar tool used for drawing straight lines.
- Structural sketch.
- The primary line work that the values (lights and darks) and line work of a drawing are built upon.
- Symmetrical.
- Balanced composition, with equal elements placed as if reflected in a mirror.
- Tangent.
- The unfortunate meeting of two similar compositional elements. Tangents usually detract from a composition because they can confuse the viewer.
- Three-point perspective.
- A type of linear perspective with three vanishing points—two at the vantage point and one either above or below eye level.
- Thumbnail sketch.
- A small, quick sketch.
- Tooth.
- The roughness of a paper surface.
- Tracing paper.
- Thin, translucent paper used in the process of drawing.
- Triangle.
- A thin, transparent triangle formed out of plastic used for drawing lines.
- T-square.
- A straightedge with a perpendicular attachment that allows the tool to glide along the side edge of a drawing board or paper pad.
- Two-point perspective.
- A type of linear perspective with two vanishing points.
- Values.
- Degrees of light and darkness in a sketch or drawing.
- Value scale.
- A scale showing a range of values.
- Value sketch.
- A thumbnail sketch used to plan the lights and darks of a drawing.
- Vanishing point.
- A point usually on the horizon line, at which parallel lines seem to converge.
- Vantage point.
- The point from which the viewer observes a scene.
- Viewfinder.
- A device used to crop a scene.
- White vinyl eraser.
- A white, squarish eraser.
