Painting Glossary:
Water based paints: acrylic, gouache, watercolour, tempera
Oil based paints: oil paints, enamel paints (e.g. some house paints)
glaze: dilute oil paint. Usually diluted with lean medium, linseed oil or a combination of linseed oil and turpentine
wash: dilute water based paint. Diluted with water
note: watercolours should always be diluted, they are intended to be used as a wash
scumbling: scrubbing a little colour over an underpainting, using a dry brush and a circular motion
stippling: dotting a colour onto the canvas
wet in wet: using wet paint over or next to wet paint.
wet on dry: using wet paint over an already dry painted area.
underpainting: also called blocking in: painting the canvas with simple areas of base colours before adding detail.
alla prima: all at once, i.e. the whole painting happens in one session - usually an oil painting term, and hence a wet in wet technique
impasto: thick textured paint
en plein air: outside, as in the artist was out in the landscape they were painting, not working in the studio from a photograph or sketch
gesso: a paint used to prepare canvasses. It seals the canvas to prevent the oils from seeping through and rotting the canvas. I also creates a smooth texture to paint onto, and creates a white ground. Gesso can be layered and sanded to create a very smooth surface, or laid down with a rough texture if desired.
ground: base colour to start painting over. While gesso is usually white, it can be black, and traditional painters sometimes started with a light beige coloured ground.
Water based paints: acrylic, gouache, watercolour, tempera
Oil based paints: oil paints, enamel paints (e.g. some house paints)
glaze: dilute oil paint. Usually diluted with lean medium, linseed oil or a combination of linseed oil and turpentine
wash: dilute water based paint. Diluted with water
note: watercolours should always be diluted, they are intended to be used as a wash
scumbling: scrubbing a little colour over an underpainting, using a dry brush and a circular motion
stippling: dotting a colour onto the canvas
wet in wet: using wet paint over or next to wet paint.
wet on dry: using wet paint over an already dry painted area.
underpainting: also called blocking in: painting the canvas with simple areas of base colours before adding detail.
alla prima: all at once, i.e. the whole painting happens in one session - usually an oil painting term, and hence a wet in wet technique
impasto: thick textured paint
en plein air: outside, as in the artist was out in the landscape they were painting, not working in the studio from a photograph or sketch
gesso: a paint used to prepare canvasses. It seals the canvas to prevent the oils from seeping through and rotting the canvas. I also creates a smooth texture to paint onto, and creates a white ground. Gesso can be layered and sanded to create a very smooth surface, or laid down with a rough texture if desired.
ground: base colour to start painting over. While gesso is usually white, it can be black, and traditional painters sometimes started with a light beige coloured ground.