Visual Arts - Introductory

Show your true colors by learning these words related to visual art. This list covers different media and artistic techniques, artists' tools, and other essential vocabulary. It's truly a work of art.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. abstract
    not representing or imitating external reality
  2. acrylic
    used especially by artists
  3. asymmetry
    a lack of balance or proportion among the parts of something
  4. background
    the part of a scene behind objects in the front
  5. balance
    harmonious arrangement or relation of parts within a whole
  6. blend
    mix together different elements
  7. calligraphy
    beautiful handwriting
  8. canvas
    an oil painting on a heavy, closely woven fabric
  9. cast
    form by pouring (e.g., wax or hot metal) into a mold
  10. ceramics
    the art of making and decorating pottery
  11. charcoal
    a stick of black carbon material used for drawing
  12. collage
    a paste-up of pieces to form an artistic image
  13. color wheel
    a chart in which complementary colors (or their names) are arranged on opposite sides of a circle
  14. complementary color
    either one of two chromatic colors that when mixed together give white (in the case of lights) or grey (in the case of pigments)
  15. composition
    the spatial property resulting from the arrangement of parts
  16. contrast
    perceptual effect of the juxtaposition of different colors
  17. cool
    (of colors) inducing the impression of lower temperature
  18. depth
    the extent downward or backward or inward
  19. diagonal
    having an oblique or slanted direction
  20. easel
    an upright tripod for displaying something
  21. embellish
    make more attractive, as by adding ornament or color
  22. emphasis
    special importance or significance
  23. figure
    a model of a bodily form
  24. focal point
    the concentration of attention or energy on something
  25. foreground
    the part of a scene that is near the viewer
  26. form
    the spatial arrangement of something
  27. genre
    a class of art having a characteristic form or technique
  28. geometric
    characterized by shapes and lines in design and decoration
  29. glaze
    a coating, as for ceramics or metal
  30. harmony
    congruity of parts with one another and with the whole
  31. horizontal
    parallel to or in the plane of the horizon or a base line
  32. hue
    the quality of a color determined by its dominant wavelength
  33. intensity
    chromatic purity
  34. kiln
    a furnace for firing, burning, or drying porcelain or bricks
  35. landscape
    painting depicting an expanse of natural scenery
  36. medium
    a liquid with which pigment is mixed by a painter
  37. model
    a representation of something, often on a smaller scale
  38. mosaic
    design made of small pieces of colored stone or glass
  39. multimedia
    the use of many types of communication simultaneously
  40. mural
    a painting that is applied to a wall surface
  41. neutral
    having no hue
  42. oil paint
    paint in which a drying oil is the vehicle
  43. opaque
    not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy
  44. optical illusion
    an optical phenomenon that results in a false or deceptive visual impression
  45. origami
    the art of folding paper
  46. palette
    a board on which an artist mixes paints
  47. palette knife
    a spatula used by artists for mixing or applying or scraping off oil paints
  48. pastel
    any of various pale or light colors
  49. pattern
    a decorative or artistic work
  50. perspective
    appearance as determined by distance from the viewer
  51. polygon
    a closed plane figure bounded by straight sides
  52. portfolio
    a set of pieces of creative work shown as a sample
  53. portrait
    any likeness of a person, in any medium
  54. potter's wheel
    a horizontal rotating wheel holding the clay being shaped by a potter
  55. primary color
    any of three colors from which all others can be obtained by mixing
  56. printmaking
    artistic design and manufacture of prints as woodcuts or silkscreens
  57. representational
    depicting objects, figures, or scenes realistically
  58. rubbing
    representation consisting of a copy (as of an engraving) made by laying paper over something and rubbing it with charcoal
  59. scale
    the ratio between the size of a thing and its representation
  60. score
    make small marks into the surface of
  61. sculpture
    a three-dimensional work of art
  62. shade
    the quality of a given color, as distinct from other colors
  63. shape
    a perceptual structure
  64. silhouette
    a filled-in drawing of the outline of an object
  65. sketch
    preliminary drawing for later elaboration
  66. slab
    block consisting of a thick piece of something
  67. slip
    potter's clay that is thinned and used for coating or decorating ceramics
  68. spectrum
    an ordered array of the components of an emission or wave
  69. stained glass
    glass that has been colored in some way
  70. stencil
    a sheet of material that has been perforated with a pattern
  71. still life
    a painting of inanimate objects such as fruit or flowers
  72. study
    preliminary drawing for later elaboration
  73. style
    a mode of expression typical of a person, group, or period
  74. symbol
    something visible that represents something invisible
  75. symmetry
    balance among the parts of something
  76. technique
    a practical method or art applied to some particular task
  77. texture
    the feel of a surface or a fabric
  78. three-dimensional
    involving or relating to three dimensions or aspects
  79. tint
    a variation or slightly different shade of a color
  80. transparent
    able to be seen through with clarity
  81. two-dimensional
    involving measurements of magnitude in two directions
  82. unity
    the quality of being fused into one
  83. value
    relative darkness or lightness of a color
  84. vertical
    at right angles to the plane of the horizon or a base line
  85. warm
    (of colors) inducing the impression of heat
  86. watercolor
    a water-base paint ; used by artists
  87. woodcut
    engraving consisting of a block of wood with a design cut into it; used to make prints
Created on Thu Feb 02 14:30:28 EST 2017 (updated Wed Mar 29 16:03:31 EDT 2017)

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