Aggressive colors: warm colors that appear to come forward visually.
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.
Angle ruler: a small ruler that can fold in the middle and is used for measuring and transposing angles.
Art horse (or drawing horse, horse bench): a bench used for sketching and drawing with a prop for a drawing board.
Asymmetrical composition: a composition that has a balanced feel without having the elements placed equally on both sides.
Atmospheric perspective: also referred to as aerial perspective, this is depth implied through contrasts in value, definition and color temperature.
Back run: an instance in which paint at the edge of a freshly applied wash runs back into the wash area, which has begun to dry, creating a watermark; you can avoid back runs by pulling up any extra paint and water with a dry brush before it flows back into the wash.
Bamboo brush: a paintbrush with a round handle made from bamboo; when wet, the coarse hairs should taper to a point.
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.
Blending stump: also referred to as a tortillion, this is a small roll of soft, tightly wound paper, about the size of a pencil, used for blending in drawing.
Block: a pad of watercolor paper in which the sheets are glued together on all four sides so the paper will wrinkle less when made wet; you can remove the top sheet after the painting has dried by inserting a knife between the top two sheets and running it around the four sides.
Blocking-in: the process of making a structural sketch of the basic overall shape and proportions of a subject.
Brush wash: a jar filled with water or solvent that is used to wash paint out of brushes.
Cake: a hard, dry version of watercolor pigment.
Canvas pad: sheets of primed canvas in pad form.
Carbon pencil: a pencil with a carbon core.
Cast shadow: a shadow that is cast from an object onto another surface.
Charcoal pencil: a pencil with a charcoal core.
Charcoal stick: a stick made of charcoal with no outer casing.
Chroma: color or color intensity.
Cold-pressed watercolor paper: paper that has a moderately rough surface texture.
Color intensity: the potency or strength of a color, also referred to as saturation.
Color mixing: mixing one or more paint colors with water to achieve the desired transparency, color and value.
Color palette: the colors used in a painting.
Color scheme: a family of colors used together in a painting, also referred to as a painting’s palette.
Color sketch: a small, quick, preliminary painting used to plan the colors of a composition.
Color temperature: the differentiation between warm or cool colors.
Color theory: principles of how colors relate to one another.
Color wheel: a circular chart showing the primary, secondary and tertiary colors and how they relate to one another.
Colored pencil: a pencil with a colored core. These pencils are also available in black, white and grays.
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 sometimes color, that provides a path for the eye to follow through a drawn or painted scene.
Continuous line sketch/drawing: see contour sketch/drawing.
Contour sketch/drawing: also referred to as a continuous line drawing, a sketch or drawing that is done by keeping the pencil in contact with the paper and moving the pencil along the surface, while studying the contours of the subject.
Contrast: the extreme differences between specific elements in a drawing or 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.
Copier paper: inexpensive paper used in copy machines or printers.
Craft knife: a small knife with a sharp, replaceable blade.
Cropping: to determine the perimeters of a scene or piece of artwork.
Crosshatching: groups of parallel lines overlapping in different directions.
Design elements: elements that are found in composition, including size, shape, line, value and color.
Design principles: the use of design elements, including balance, unity, dominance and rhythm.
Divider: a compass-like tool used for measuring and proportioning.
Drawing: a finished representation of a subject.
Drawing board: a smooth, sturdy board used as a support for sketching and drawing paper.
Drawing paper: heavyweight paper used for drawing, usually 80 to 90 lbs. (170gsm to 190gsm) or more.
Drybrush: a term to describe an application of paint to a dry surface using a brush loaded with paint and very little water.
Easel: a stand to prop artwork.
Ellipse: the shape of a circle when it is viewed from the side, as in perspective.
Eraser shield: a thin piece of metal used to mask areas of a drawing during erasing.
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.
Fixative: a spray applied to dry artwork to prevent smearing.
Flat brush: a brush head with a flat shape and squared tip.
Flat wash: a wash of paint and water that is even in value and color.
Focal point: the area or part of a painting to which the composition leads the eye, also referred to as the center of interest.
Foreshorten: to give the appearance of depth and projection by shortening the visible area of an element; imagine a door and doorway. When the door is closed, the door is the same width as the doorway. As you open the door, the apparent width of the door becomes less wide compared to the door frame.
Form shadow: a shadow on a subject that displays its form.
Gauging values: comparing the values of the lights and darks of a drawing or painting with its subject.
Gesso: a primer used to coat the painting surface before painting.
Glazing: to apply thin, transparent paint in layers.
Gradate: to create a transition from one value or color to another.
Gradated wash: a wash that changes value.
Grade: the quality of materials, such as professional grade or student grade.
Graduating lines: pencil lines that graduate light to dark or dark to light.
Graphite paper: thin paper covered with graphite on one side, used to transfer drawings or images.
Graphite pencil: a pencil with a graphite core.
Graphite stick: a stick made of graphite with no outer casing.
Ground: a layer of color applied to a canvas prior to the painting process.
Hake brush (pronounced “hockey”): a wide, flat paintbrush with coarse hairs and a paddle-shaped, wooden handle.
Hard edge: the sharply defined, unblended edge of a wash or stroke of paint.
Highlight: an area of reflected light on an object; the lightest, brightest areas of a subject.
Horizon: the line where land or water meets the sky, in reference to linear perspective.
Hot-pressed watercolor paper: paper that has a smooth surface texture.
Impasto: Italian for “paste” or “dough,” refers to a thick application of paint.
Imprint: to create texture by pressing an item, such as a sponge, loaded with paint against a painting surface.
Intensity: the potency or strength of a color.
Kneaded eraser: a soft, pliable gray eraser that damages watercolor paper less than other erasers because it’s less abrasive and doesn’t crumble.
Lead: the graphite in a pencil and also the scale that rates the hardness or softness of the graphite: 6B, 5B, 4B, 3B, 2B, B, HB, H, 2H, 3H, 4H, 5H and 6H from soft to hard.
Lead holder: a type of mechanical pencil that can accommodate thicker graphite than other mechanical pencils.
Leading lines: a group of compositional elements used to form lines to direct the viewer’s eye to points of interest.
Lightfastness: the degree to which a paint resists fading.
Light source: the origin of the light in a composition.
Lightbox: a shallow box with a light inside and a translucent surface that is used for tracing.
Line comparisons: comparing the placement of the elements of a subject with lines.
Linear perspective: depth implied through line and the relative size and placement of elements of a scene.
Mahlstick: a stick with a cork covered in leather on the end, used as a hand rest for steadier painting.
Masking tape: paper tape used to attach one piece of paper to another.
Measure: to determine specific proportions of elements in a scene.
Mechanical pencil: a pencil that allows for refillable graphite.
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.
Mixture: a combination of watercolor paint and water.
Monochromatic: a painting done with different values of one color.
Natural hair brush: a paintbrush made of natural animal hairs.
Negative drawing: darkening around a subject so that the image is defined by the background.
Negative painting: painting around shapes or elements to imply their forms.
Neutral colors: browns and grays made from combinations of the three primary colors.
Oil paint: paint that uses oil as its binder.
One-point perspective: a type of linear perspective with one vanishing point.
Pad: a stack of sheets of paper that is attached at one side.
Painting surface: the paper, 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.
Paper weight: the thickness of a sheet of paper; common weights are the thin 90-lb. (190gsm), the moderate 140-lb. (300gsm) and the thick 300-lb. (640gsm).
Pastel pencil: a pencil with a pastel chalk core.
Pencil extender: a pencil handle with a sleeve used to hold shortened pencils.
Pencil sharpener: a device used to sharpen pencils.
Pigment: the ingredient that gives color to paint.
Plastic eraser: a soft nonabrasive eraser, usually either white or black.
Plein air: a French term meaning “open air,” used to describe painting on site.
Positive drawing: drawing a subject on a background rather than around the subject like negative drawing.
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.
Proportion lines: lines used to obtain the correct proportions when drawing.
Proportioning: comparing the dimensions of a subject.
Proportioning devices: tools that are used for proportioning such as dividers or a sewing gauge.
Quill mop brush: a round paintbrush with soft hairs that form a point when wet, known for holding lots of fluid.
Recessive colors: cool colors that appear to recede visually.
Reference material: photos, sketches or drawings used to study a subject.
Reference photo: a photo used to study a subject.
Reflected light: light that is reflected from one surface onto another.
Rigger brush: also called a script or liner, a type of round brush with thin, long hairs.
Rotary lead pointer: a device used to sharpen the graphite of a lead holder.
Rough watercolor paper: paper that has a rough surface texture.
Round brush: a paintbrush with hairs that come to a point.
Rule of thirds: a composition that has the elements placed along a grid that is divided into thirds.
Sandpaper pad: a small pad of sandpaper used to sharpen the core of a pencil.
Scribbling: random, multidirectional pencil lines.
Scrub: to move a brush back and forth over a wash to remove some of the paint; this technique can damage both the brush and the paper’s surface.
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.
Sewing gauge: a tool with a movable guide that can be used for measuring and proportioning.
Shading: the lights and darks of a subject displayed through the pencil lines of a sketch or drawing or the darkened tones of a painting.
Sketch: a rough, unfinished art representation of a subject.
Sketch paper: lightweight paper used for sketching, commonly 50 to 70 lbs. (105gsm to 150gsm).
Slip sheet: a sheet of paper placed over a portion of a drawing so the hand can be placed on top without smearing the drawing.
Soft edge: a paint edge that smoothly blends into the surrounding paint.
Solubility: the degree to which paint dissolves and mixes with water.
Spatter: to create texture by applying random dots of paint.
Spray fixative: a spray coating applied to prevent graphite or charcoal from smearing.
Stretch: to attach wet paper to a board so it won’t wrinkle as it dries.
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.
Structural drawing: a drawing of the shapes and forms in a scene without value or color.
Structural sketch: a sketch of the structural form of a subject, absent of values.
Student-grade paint: usually less-expensive paint that is lower quality than professional- (artist-) grade paint.
Surface texture: the coarseness of the surface of the paper.
Symmetrical composition: a composition whose balanced look results from placing elements equally on both sides of the composition so the sides perfectly reflect each other.
Synthetic hair brush: a paintbrush made with artificial bristles.
Taboret: an artist supply cabinet.
Tangent: the point at which two compositional elements touch or intersect. 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.
Thumbnail sketch: a small, quick sketch used to plan a composition.
Tooth: the roughness of a paper’s surface.
Tracing paper: thin, translucent paper used for tracing.
Traditional oil paints: oil paints that usually require solvents, such as turpentine or mineral spirits, to thin and dissolve the paint.
Transfer paper: a sheet of paper covered with graphite on one side, used to transfer a structural sketch onto drawing paper or a drawing onto your painting surface.
Transposing angles: copying the angles of the subject when sketching or drawing.
Turpentine: a solvent used to thin and dilute traditional oil paints.
Two-point perspective: a type of linear perspective with 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.
Values: the lights and darks of a subject.
Value scale (also referred to as a grayscale or value finder): a small piece of cardboard that has a range of lights and darks and is used for gauging values.
Value sketch: a sketch that displays the light and darks of a subject; used to plan the lights and darks of a painting.
Vanishing point: a point on the horizon line at which parallel lines seem to converge in the distance.
Vantage point: the point from which the viewer observes a scene.
Variegated wash: a wash that changes color.
Varnish: a clear liquid applied over a dry oil painting as a protective coating.
Viewfinder: a small piece of plastic or cardstock used as a handheld window 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 that has been diluted with water or thinner.
Water-soluble oil paint: oil paint that can be thinned and diluted with water.
Wet-into-wet: applying a layer of wet paint into a layer of wet paint.
Wet-on-dry: a term to describe an application of paint to a dry surface using a brush loaded with paint and a normal amount of water.
White vinyl eraser: a soft, nonabrasive eraser.
Woodless pencil: a pencil made of a cylinder of graphite coated with lacquer, with no outer wood casing.
VINE TANGLES WITH WOODPECKER
graphite pencil on drawing paper
13" × 10" (33cm × 25cm)