Art Terminology: Essential Vocabulary for Visual Arts
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Spatial Prepositions
- Above [PREP]: If something is above something else, it is in a higher position.
- Across From [PREP]: If something is across from something else, it is on the other or opposite side.
- Below [PREP]: If something is below something else, it is in a lower position than that thing.
- Between [ADV]: If something is between other things, it is in the middle or separating one thing from another.
- Close [ADJ]: If you are close to something, it is a short distance away from that thing.
- Far [ADV]: If something is or goes far from something, it is a long distance away from that thing.
- Lower [ADJ]: It is below something else.
- Near [ADV]: If something is near something else, it is a short distance away from it.
- Next To [PREP]: If something is next to something else, it is beside or very close to it.
Color and Light Terms
- Black [ADJ-U2]: If something is black, it is completely dark with no light or color.
- Bright [ADJ]: If something is bright, it produces or contains a large amount of light.
- Color Wheel [N]: A color wheel is a circular chart that displays the spectrum of primary and secondary colors.
- Colored Pencil [N]: A colored pencil is a pencil that marks in a color other than black or gray.
- Complementary Color [N]: A complementary color is a hue that is opposite another hue on the color wheel and does not contain the same primary colors.
- Contrast [N]: Contrast is the degree of difference between colors or lightness and darkness in something.
- Dark [ADJ]: It produces or contains little or no light.
- Dull [ADJ]: If a color is dull, it is not strong or bright.
- Hue [N]: A hue is a type of color, such as red or green.
- Intensity [N]: Intensity is how strong or forceful something is.
- Light [N]: Light is a form of energy, produced by the sun and other sources, that allows the eye to see things.
- Opaque [ADJ]: If something is opaque, light cannot shine through it.
- Pigment [N]: A pigment is a material or substance that is used to create a particular color.
- Primary Color [N]: A primary color is one of the three colors used to make other colors. Red, yellow, and blue are the primary colors.
- Secondary Color [N]: A secondary color is a color that is created when two primary colors are mixed together. Orange, green, and purple are secondary colors.
- Shade [N]: A shade is how light or dark something is. Shade is also dark space where light is blocked from shining.
- Spectrum [N]: The color spectrum is the group of all colors, showing primary colors and the range of colors in between that are created by combining them.
- Value [N]: A light value is the amount of light or darkness in something.
- Vibrant [ADJ]: If a color is vibrant, it is very strong or bright.
Material and Tool Definitions
- Acrylic [ADJ]: If paint is acrylic, it is made with water and plastic substances.
- Brush [N]: A brush is a tool with many hairs at one end that is used to spread a material, such as paint.
- Clay [N]: Clay is a heavy material that starts as a soft substance but becomes very hard under high heat.
- Eraser [N]: An eraser is a piece of rubber that is used to remove pencil marks from a surface.
- Glaze [N]: A glaze is a liquid substance that dries into a hard, shiny coating.
- Ink [N]: Ink is a colored liquid that is used for marking or writing on something.
- Marker [N]: A marker is an instrument used for making thick marks with ink.
- Oil-Based [ADJ]: If paint is oil-based, it is made with a slick substance that cannot be dissolved in water.
- Paper Cutter [N]: A paper cutter is a device with a long, sharp blade for cutting paper that leaves it with precise, straight edges.
- Pen [N]: A pen is an instrument used for writing that marks paper with ink.
- Pencil [N]: A pencil is an instrument used for writing that marks paper with a non-permanent impression that is usually gray.
- Ruler [N]: A ruler is a straight, stiff tool that is used to measure something or to draw a straight line.
- Scissors [N]: Scissors are two connected blades that slide against each other in order to cut something.
- Smock [N]: A smock is a loose shirt that is worn to protect the clothing underneath from becoming dirty.
- Tape [N]: Tape is thin material with a sticky surface that is used to attach multiple things together.
- Thinner [N]: A thinner is a product that makes paint flow more smoothly and can also be used to clean paint from brushes and other supplies.
- Watercolor [N]: A watercolor is a thin paint that is made by mixing pigment with water.
Shape, Line, and Surface Descriptors
- Angle [N-COUNT]: An angle is a measurement of the space in a corner where two lines meet each other.
- Circular [ADJ]: It has a shape that is round, in which each point along the edge is an equal distance from the center.
- Curved [ADJ]: It is bent or rounded.
- Diagonal [ADJ]: It extends from a corner to an opposite corner, usually through the middle of a square or rectangular shape.
- Empty [ADJ]: It does not hold or contain anything.
- Flow [V]: It moves steadily and evenly.
- Jagged [ADJ]: If something is jagged, it has an uneven surface with sharp points.
- Line [N]: A line is a long, thin mark along a surface.
- Parallel [ADJ]: If lines are parallel, they remain the same distance from each other along their entire lengths and do not touch each other.
- Pattern [N]: A pattern is a design with a repeated image.
- Rectangular [ADJ]: It has four straight sides, with each side the same length as the opposite side.
- Shape [N]: A shape is the physical form or outer line of something.
- Sharp [ADJ]: Its details are easy to see.
- Smooth [ADJ]: It is even and does not contain any rough or jagged parts.
- Square [ADJ]: It has four straight sides that are all the same length.
- Straight [ADJ]: It extends in one direction and does not turn or bend.
- Stretch [V-T-U10]: To stretch something is to pull the sides of something so that it becomes larger in one direction but not in another.
- Style [N]: A style is a particular way that someone does or makes something.
- Texture [N]: A texture is the quality of a surface, such as how smooth or rough it is.
- Translucent [ADJ]: If something is translucent, light can shine through it.
- Triangular [ADJ]: It has three straight sides that may be the same length or different lengths.
- Uneven [ADJ]: If something is uneven, its parts are not distributed equally.
General Notes
- Clay hardens in a Kiln [N]: A kiln is a type of oven that gets very hot and is used to harden clay.
- Cluttered [ADJ]: It contains many items or materials and looks disorganized.