Terms used in Canvas Painting

The information can become overwhelming when you start painting on canvas.  Getting to know the terminology will help clear some things up a little bit.  Here are some terms we will be using in this book.

Abstract - abstract art depicts the subject by using form and color.  You may see a resemblance to the original piece.  However, the subject is generally represented in more geometric shapes than the natural setting.

Above are two forms of abstract art.

Accent - Giving exceptional detail to a certain object in the painting to bring attention to it.

A good example of accenting.

Acrylic - A type of paint which dries quickly.  It can easily be cleaned up with mineral spirits.

Alla Prima - Meaning "at the first" in Italian, this phrase means the painting is completed with just one sitting.

Cool colors - Colors associated with the cold such as blue.

Color Wheel - Any full spectrum circular diagram which represents the relationships of colors.

This allows the colors to be compared for contrast.

Composition - The arrangement of the elements in an art piece.

Medium - The type of pain being used to create a work of art.  It can also mean the binder, usually an oil.

Palette - The painter's board where colors can be mixed and and different hues can be created.

A before and after shot.

Perspective - Being able to reproduce the same height, depth, and distance perception in a two dimensional medium that the human eye would perceive.

This photograph is a good representation of perspective.

Pigment - The colored substance created by natural elements and synthetic ones  which are mixed with certain binders to create paints.

Primary colors - A color which can not be created by mixing other colors.  The only three primary colors are red, blue, and yellow.  With these three all other colors can be created.  (White is not a color. It is the absence of color.  Black is the combination of all colors.)

Secondary colors - Any color which can be created from mixing the primary colors, such as violet, green, and orange.

Warm colors - Hues which represent warmth such as orange, red, yellow.

Now that you know some of the language, let's step into the art studio.