Vocabulary
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A Abstract Art Any art in which the depiction of real objects in nature has been subordinated or entirely discarded, and whose aesthetic content is expressed in formal pattern or structure of shapes, lines,and colors. Sometimes the subject is real but so stylized, blurred, repeated, or broken down into basic forms as to be unrecognizable. Achromatic colors White, black, and grays, as distinguished from the chromatic colors. (see Chroma) Addition - sculptural term that means building up, assembling, or putting on material. Additive Color - Color created by superimposing light rays, adding(superimposing) the three physical primaries (lights) - red, blue, and green - will produce white. The secondaries are magenta, yellow, and cyan. Aesthetic, Aesthetics - Relating to the artistic or the”beautiful”; traditionally a branch of philosophy, but now a compound of the philosophy, psychology, and sociology of art. Against the Grain - Folding or feeding paper at right angles to the grain direction of the paper. Also called crossgrain. Airbrush - In artwork, a small pressure gun shaped like a pencil that sprays watercolor pigment. Used to correct and obtain tone or graduated tone effects. Amorphous shape - A shape without clarity or definition; formless, indistinct, and of uncertain dimension. Analogous colors - Colors that are closely related in hue(s). They are usually adjacent (next) to each other on the color wheel. Art - The formal expression of a conceived image or imagined conception in terms of a given medium. Artists proof - One of the proofs in a limited edition of original prints. The artist proof must bear the artist™s signigture or mark and, since the early 20 TH century, is usually numbered. Ascender - In Typography, the portion of a lower case letter that extends above the x-height. Asymmetry - Having unlike, or noncorresponding appearances; without symmetry. An example; a two-dimensional color work which, without any necessarily visible or implied axis, displays an uneven distribution of parts throughout the composition. Background - In the pictorial arts, that part of the composition that appears to be the farthest away from the viewer. The background is one of the three zones of recession in linear perspective. Lotains and offscape are little-used terms for the most distant parts of the landscape. Balance - a sense of equilibrium achieved through implied weight, attention, or attraction, by manipulating the visual elements within an artwork, in order to accomplish unity. Balance: symmetrical and asymmetrical balance; radial balance; value, shape, color, and texture balance. Balance refers to the distribution of visual weight in a work of art. In painting, it is the visual equilibrium of the elements that causes the total image to appear balanced. Balance can be either symmetrical or asymmetrical in a work of art. Baseline - In typography, it is the invisible line that the bottom of type sits on in a line of type. Biomorphic shape - Irregular shape that resembles the naturally developed curves found in living organisms. Blending - In painting, the gradation of color so that two hues or values merge imperceptibly. Can be achieve using a variety of drawing and painting techniques. Blowup - An enlarged photographic copy, as of a smaller photograph or a piece of original artwork, particularly graphics. Calligraphy - Elegant, decorative writing. Lines used in art works that possess the qualities found in kind of writing may be called “calligraphic.” They are generally flowing and rhythmic. Camera obscura - An optical contrivance for projecting the image of an object or scene on a surface, from which it is traced and thus is more accurately reproduced than by being drawn freehand. Cap Height - In Typography, the guideline for the top of uppercase letters. Caricature - Pictorial ridicule or satire, effected by distortion of personal physical characteristics or through exaggerated depiction of the foibles and vices of individuals. Cast shadow - The dark area that occurs on a surface as a result of something between the light source and the surface. Chroma - 1. the purity of color or it™s freedom from white, black, or gray. 2. The intensity of hues. Chromatic - Pertaining to the presence of color. Collage - A pictorial technique in which the artist creates the image, or a portion of it by adhering real materials that possess actual textures to the picture-plane surface, often combining them with painted or drawn images. Color - The visual response to the wavelengths of light, identified as red, blue, green, etc. Color: primary and secondary colors; warm, cool, and neutral colors, color value; hue; and intensity. Color depends on light because it is made of light. There must be light for us to see color. A red shirt will not look red in the dark, where there is no light. The whiter the light, the more true the colors will be. A yellow light on a full color painting will change the appearance of all the colors. Color tetrad - Four colors equally spaced on the color wheel that include a primary and it™s compliment and a complimentary pair of intermediates. This has also come to mean any organization of color forming a rectangle which could include a double split compliment. Color triad - Three colors spaced an equal distance apart on the color wheel that form an equilateral triangle. The twelve-color wheel has a primary triad, a secondary triad, and two intermediate triads. Combination Marks - Symbols and Logo used together, also called signigture. Complimentary colors - Two colors directly opposite each other on the color wheel. A primary color is compliment to a secondary color the is the mixture of the two remaining primaries. Composition - An arrangement and/or structure of all the elements which achieves a unified whole. Often used interchangeably with the term design. Comprehensive - Final sketches or models and are presented to the client. From them the client makes a “Yes” or “No” , more comps are presented until the client is satisfied. Concept- 1. A comprehensive idea or generalization. 2. An idea that brings diverse elements into a basic relationship. Content - The expression, essential meaning, significance, or aesthetic value of a work of art. Content refers to the sensory, subjective, psychological, or emotional properties we feel in a work of art, as opposed to our perception of its descriptive aspects alone. Contrast - value contrast; color intensity; texture, shape, and warm and cool color contrast. Contrast refers to differences in values, colors, textures, shapes, and other elements. Contrasts create visual excitement and add interest to the work. If all the art elements‘value, for example ‘are the same, the result is monotonous and unexciting. Counter - In Typography, the white shapes within the letters. Craftsmanship - Aptitude, skill, or manual dexterity in the use of tools or material. Taking time to make sure a project is done well. Design - A framework or scheme of construction on which artists base the nature of their total work. In a broader sense, design may be considered synonymous with the term “form”. Descender - Typographical term referring to the part of a letter form that dips below the baseline in a line of type. Dominance - The principle of visual organization that suggests certain elements should assume more importance than others in the same composition or design. Some feature emphasized and others are subordinated. syn. Emphasis and center of interest. Dry mounting - A method of attaching drawing, print, photograph or any other work of art done on paper to a cardboard backing. Instead of paste or any other wet adhesive, dry mounting tissue is place between the art work and the backing. It is then heated and exposed to pressure, which activates the thermosetting resin. Elements of Design - Line, shape, value, texture and color. These are the basic ingredients that the artist uses separately or in combination to produce artistic imagery. Their use produces the visual language of art. Emphasis - color dominance, focal areas, and visual emphasis with shapes. Emphasis is used by artists to create dominance and focus in their work. Artists can emphasize color, value, shapes, or other art elements to achieve dominance. Various kinds of contrast can be used to emphasize a center of interest. syn. Dominance and center of interest. Expression - 1. The manisfistation through artistic form of a thought, emotion, or quality of meaning. 2. In art, expression is synonymous with the word “content”. Expressionism - A form of art in which there is a desire to express what is felt rather than perceived or reasoned. Fauves - A name (meaning wild beasts) for an art movement that began in Paris, France, about 1905. It was expressionistic art in a general sense, but more decorative, orderly, and charming than German expressionism. Form - 1. the arbitrary organization or inventive arrangement of all the visual elements according to the principles that develop unity in the artwork. 2. The total appearance or organization. Form: geometric, organic, and natural forms; realistic, abstract, and nonobjective forms. Form describes volume and mass, or the three-dimensional aspects of objects that take up space. Forms can and should be viewed from many angles. When you hold a baseball, shoe, or small sculpture, you are aware of their curves, angles, indentations, extensions, and edges‘their forms. Geometric shape - A shape that obeys the laws of geometry. Geometric shapes are usually simple, such as triangles, squares, and circles. Gestalt - A German word for “form”, defined as an organized whole in experience. The Gestalt psychologists, about 1912, advanced the theory which explains psychological phenomena by their relationships to total forms rather than their parts. Graphic Art - 1. Two-dimensional art forms such as drawing, painting, making prints,etc. 2. The two dimensional use of the elements. 3. May also refer to the techniques of printing as used in newspapers, books, magazines, etc. Gouache - The technique of applying opaque watercolor to paper. harmony - The quality of relating the visual elements of a composition. Harmony is achieved by repetition of characteristics that are the same or similar. these cohesive factors create pleasing interaction. hatching - Repeated strokes of an art tool producing clustered lines (usually parallel) that create values. In “cross” hatching, similar lines pass over the hatched lines, following a different direction and usually resulting in darker values. high-key color - Any color which has a value level of middle gray or lighter. highlight - The portion of an object that, from the observer™s position, receives the greatest amount of direct light. horizon Line - The line in a perspective drawing where the sky meets the ground. A drawing inside a room has an eye level line. The placement of the line on the picture plane depends on the vantage point of the artist. If the artist is low to the ground, the Horizon Line is low on the picture plane an so on. hue - Designates the common name of a color and indicates it™s position in the spectrum or on the color wheel. Hue is determined by the specific wavelength of the color in a ray of light. illusionism - The imitation of visual reality created on the flat surface of the picture plane by the use of perspective, light and dark shading, ect. illustration(al) - An art practice, usually commercial in character, that stresses anecdotes or story situations and stresses subject more than form. image - 1. A mentally invisioned thing or plan given concrete appearance through the vehicle of an art medium. 2. A likeness or portrait. intensity - The saturation, strength, or purity of a color. A vivid color is of high intensity, a dull color, of low intensity. isometric projection (perspective) - A mechanical drawing system in which a three dimensional object is presented two-dimensionally; starting with the nearest vertical edge, the horizontal edges of the object are drawn at a thirty-degree angle and all verticals are projected perpendicularly from a horizontal base. Kinetic art - Art that involves an element of random or mechanical movement. lettermarks - In Graphic Design, letters that form a name in type. Used to identify a company, often to shorten a long name or an unpronounable name. letterspacing - In Typography, involves the amount of space between individual letters and punctuation characters. line - The path of a moving point, that is, a mark made by a tool or instrument as it is drawn across a surface. A line is usually made visible by the fact that it contrasts in value with the surface on which it is drawn. Line: contour lines; hatching and cross-hatching; gestural lines; implied lines; and expressive lines. Line is a mark made by a pointed tool‘brush, pencil, stick, pen, etc. and is often defined as a moving dot. It has length and width, but its width is very tiny compared to its length. A line is created by the movement of a tool and pigment, and often suggests movement in a drawing or painting. linear perspective - A system used to develop three-dimensional surface; it develops the optical phenomenon of diminishing size by treating edges as converging parallel lines. They extend to a vanishing point or points on the horizon (eye-level) and recede from the viewer. logo - In Graphic design, word or words in type. They identify a company, brand name, group or project. medium, media - The material(s) and tool(s) used by the artist to create the visual elements perceived by the viewer. monochromatic - Having only one color; the complete range of value of one color from white to black. motif - A designed unit of pattern that is repeated often enough in the total composition to make it a significant or dominant feature. Motif is similar to theme or melody in a musical composition. movement: linear movement; visual movement with lines and shapes, value, and perspective. Visual movement is used by artists to direct viewers through their work, often to a focal area. Such movement can be directed along lines, edges, shapes, and colors within the works, but moves the eye most easily on paths of equal value. negative area - the unoccupied or empty space left after the positive elements have been created by the artist. However, when these areas have boundaries, they also function as design shapes in the total structure. non-objective - In art, not representing any object, figure, or element in nature, in any way; nonrepresentational. objective - That which is based, as near as possible, on physical actuality or optical perception. Such art tends to appear natural or real. open value composition - In such a work, values cross over shape boundaries into adjoining areas. oblique projection (perspective) - A mechanical drawing system in which a three dimensional object is presented two dimensionally: the front and back sides of the object are parallel to the horizontal base; and the other planes are drawn as parallels coming off the front plane at a forty-five degree angle. orthographic drawing - Graphic representation of two dimensional views of an object, showing a plan, vertical elevations, and/or a section. pattern - 1. Any artistic design (sometimes serving as a model for imitation). 2. Any composition with a repeated element and/or design, most often these are varied,and produce interconnections and obvious directional movement. Pattern: planned or random repetitions of colors, lines, values, and textures to create patterns. Pattern uses the art elements in planned or random repetitions to enhance surfaces of paintings or sculptures. Patterns often occur in nature, and artists use similar repeated motifs to create pattern in their work. Pattern increases visual excitement by enriching surface interest. perspective - Any graphic system used to create the illusion of three-dimensional images and/or spatial relationships on a two-dimensional surface. There are several types of perspective (linear, atmospheric, and projection system). pictographs - Public symbols, used to cross language barriers for directions, safety, transportation, used encouraged by all. picture frame - The outermost boundaries of the picture plane. picture plane - The actual flat surface on which the artist executes a pictorial image. In some cases the picture plane acts merely as a transparent plane of reference to establish the illusion of forms existing in a three-dimensional space. primary color - A fundamental color that cannot be separated into any other colors. When primaries are mixed, they can produce all the remaining colors. Principles of Design - Balance, Movement, Rhythm, Contrast, Emphasis, Pattern and Unity. These concepts determine how the Elements of Design are used in a composition. radial - Refers to compositions that have the major images or design parts emanating from a central point or location. rectilinear shape - A shape whose boundaries usually consist entirely of straight lines. repetition - The use of the same visual effect a number of times in the same composition. Repetition may produce the dominance of one visual idea, a feeling of harmonious relationship, an obviously planned pattern, or a rhythmic movement. rhythm - A continuance, a flow, or a sense of movement achieved by the repetition of regulated visual units; the use of measured accents. Rhythm: regular, irregular, and progressive rhythms; repetition of colors, shapes, and lines to create rhythm. Rhythm is the repetition of visual movement‘colors, shapes, or lines. Variety is essential to keep rhythms exciting and active, and to avoid monotony. Movement and rhythm work together to create the visual equivalent of a musical beat. secondary color - A color produced by a mixture of two primary colors. shadow, shade, shading - The darker value on the surface of an object that gives the illusion that a portion of it is turned away from the source of light. shape - An area that stands out from the space next to it or around it because of a defined or implied boundary, or because of differences of value, color, or texture. Shape: geometric and organic shapes; positive and negative shapes; abstract shapes; and outlined shapes. Shape is an area that is contained within an implied line, or is seen and identified because of color or value changes. Shapes have two dimensions, length and width, and can be geometric or free-form. Design in painting is basically the planned arrangement of shapes in a work of art. simultaneous contrast - When two different color tones come into direct contact, the contrast intensifies the difference between them. space - The distance between points or images. Space: two-dimensional and three-dimensional space; creating space with different sized and overlapping shapes; and linear perspective. Actual space is a three-dimensional volume that can be empty or filled with objects. It has width, height, and depth. Space that appears threedimensional in a painting is an illusion that creates a feeling of actual depth. Various techniques can be used to show such visual depth or space. spectrum - The band of individual colors that results when a beam of white light is broken into its component wavelengths, identifiable as hues. split compliment - A color and the two colors on either side of its compliment. style - The specific artistic character and dominant form trends noted during periods of history and recent art movements. Style may also refer to artists™ expressive use of media to give their works individual character. subtractive color - The sensation of color that is produced when wavelengths of light are reflected back to the viewer after all other wavelengths have been subtracted and/or absorbed. symmetry - The exact duplication of appearance in mirror like repetition on either side of a (usually imaginary) straight-lined central axis. tactile - Pertaining to the sense of touch. technique - The manner and skill with which artists employ their tools and materials to achieve a predetermined expressive effect. The ways of using media can have an effect on the aesthetic quality of an artists total concept. tension - The manifested energies and forces of the art elements as they pull or push in affecting balance or counterbalance. tertiary color - Color resulting from the mixture of two secondary colors, characterized by the neutralization of intensity and hue. On the color wheel tertiary colors are positioned inside the outermost ring of colors. texture - the surface character of a material that can be experienced through touch or the illusion of touch. Texture is produced by natural forces or through an artist™s manipulation of the art elements. Texture: actual and simulated texture; textures in fabric, wood, metal, and in nature. Texture refers to the surface quality, both simulated and actual, of artwork. Techniques used in painting serve to show texture, i.e. the dry brush technique produces a rough simulated quality and heavy application of pigment with brush or other implement produces a rough actual quality. three-dimensional - To possess, or to create the illusion of possessing, the dimension of depth in addition to the dimensions of height and width. thumbnails - small, quickly done sketches. Used to work out compositional problems ahead of the finished work or art. tone - 1. the value or color character of a surface, determined by the quality of light reflected from it. The amount of light reflected can be determined by the medium that has been applied to the surface. 2. Color variety due to slight changes within the same hue. transparency - A visual quality in which a distant image or element can be seen through a nearer one. trompe loeil - Literally, a trick of the eye; a technique that copies nature with such an exactitude that the subject depicted can be mistaken for a natural form. two - dimensional - To possess the dimensions of height and width, especially when considering the flat surface, or picture plane. unity - The result of bringing the elements of art into appropriate ratio between harmony and variety to give a sense of oneness. Unity: color, texture, shapes, and value are used to create unity. Visual unity is one of the most important aspects of well-designed art and is planned by the artist. Unity provides the cohesive quality that makes an art work feel complete and finished. When all the elements in a work look as though they belong together, the artist has achieved unity. value - 1. The relative degree of light or dark. 2. The characteristic of color determined by light or dark, or the quantity of light reflected by the color. Value: high key - light‘and low key - dark‘ paintings; value contrasts; graded values; and values in atmospheric perspective. Value refers to dark and light. Value contrasts help us to see and understand a two-dimensional work of art. This type can be read because of the contrast of dark letters and light paper. Value contrast is also evident in colors, which enables us to read shapes in a painting. vanishing Point - In linear perspective, a point at an infinate distance on the Horizon Line at which any two or more lines that represent parallel lines will converge. This principle is based on an optical illusion best illustrated by railroad tracks that appear to converge on the Horizon. variety - Differences achieved by opposing, contrasting, changing, elaborating, or diversifying elements in a composition to add individuality and interest; the counterweight of harmony in a work of art. volume - A measurable area of occupied space. |
