metal line. Hairspray is an effective
and inexpensive alternative.
Focus 1 .The degree to which detail
is defined. 2. A point of interest in
a drawing.
Foreshortening A method of
depicting an object at an angle to
the surface of the picture, so that
(using vanishing point perspective)
the object appears to change
shape and become narrower or
smaller as it recedes. This effect
emulates what we see in real life.
Form The outer surface of a
three-dimensional object.
Format The size, shape, and
orientation of the image. A small
image might be described as small
format Horizontal images are often
said to be "landscape format"
(abbreviated to "landscape"), while
upright images are called "portrait
format" (abbreviated to "portrait").Frottage A French term meaning
"rubbing." A piece of paper is
placed on top of an object or
rough surface, then rubbed over
carefully but vigorously with a
crayon.The paper then bears a
crayon impression or copy of the
surface that was underneath it A
number of Surrealists, including Max
Ernst used frottage in their work.Fugitive A term given to a pigment
that it is not stable, and that will
"escape" or change over time.Gamut A complete range or extentGlassine A type of thin, glossy,
and translucent paper—a delicate
material used in collage, or for
wrapping and protecting a finished
piece of work.Golden Section A proportion in
which a straight line or rectangle
is divided into two unequal parts
in such a way that the ratio of the
smaller part to the greater part
is the same as that of the greater
part to the whole.Gouache Opaque watercolor
Also called body color.Grisaille A painting in gray or
a grayish color Often made by
students as a tonal exercise, and
by artists representing stone
sculptures in a painting. Giotto's
Virtues and Vices in the Arena
Chapel, Padua, are painted in
grisaille and appear to be made
of stone. Rubens used grisaille to
paint small images for engravers.
Grisaille is occasionally seen in
church stained-glass windows, and
it has a history in enamel work.Ground A wet solution usually of
gouache or gesso (chalk and animal
glue) brushed onto paper board,
or canvas and allowed to dry
before an image is drawn or
painted. The ground provides
a particular color or texture
beneath the image.Gum arabic The natural
secretion of the acacia tree,
which is used as a binding
agent in many liquid media. It
improves the bonding properties
of the ingredients in inks and
watercolors, enabling them
to stick to paper It also helps
to maintain a stable dispersion
of pigment particles in water
as the film of a wash dries. It
is a strong adhesive, and is also
used as a size.Hatching (cross-) See Crosshatching.Hot-pressed papers (HP)
Paper made using hot cylinders,
which give it a smooth surface (as
opposed to cold-pressed paper,
which has a rough surface).Hue A term for a color, or a
family of colors. Also used by
artists' materials manufacturers
to indicate the use of a substitute
pigment—for example, cadmium
yellow hue.Impressing Stamping or printing.Key A painting is said to be
"high key" when the colors
and tones are bright and "low
key" when they are dark or
somber The term is also used
to describe a surface to which
paint will adhere readily.Lifting out A method of creating
highlights and mid-tones in a dry-
media drawing (such as charcoal or
graphite). Dark tones are laid down
first then an eraser or masking tape
is used to lift away particles of the
drawing media to reveal the
lightness of the paper beneath.Lightfast A term confirming that
pigment in the product will not
fade with exposure to light.Linear perspective A form of
perspective in which parallel lines
are represented as converging,
to give the illusion of depth
and distance.Lithography A method of
printmaking in which a drawing
or painting is made directly onto
a smooth slab of particular lime-
stone or a metal plate using an oil-
based crayon or ink. After several
intervening processes, the surface
of the stone is made wet before
being rolled with a thin film of oil-
based printing ink. The ink attaches
to the oil-based image and is
repelled by the wet stone. Paper
is then pressed against the stone
to take a print.Masking fluid Clear or opaque
latex fluid developed for watercolor
painting. It can be used with any
wet media to isolate or protect
parts of an image from further
work. Artists can paint freely over
dry masking fluid, with the area
beneath remaining unaffected. It
is then peeled away.Masking tape Invaluable, multi-
purpose, sticky paper tape, used
for fixing paper to walls and boards,
lifting out charcoal and other dry
media, and masking off areas of a
drawing that the artist wishes to
keep untouched by media applied
above or beside the tape.Medium A generic term for art
materials that produce marks on
a surface, or can be otherwise used
to create an image—for example,
graphite, ink, pastel, or even a
beam of light. Also refers to
an additive used to control the
application properties of a colorMonochrome Usually refers to a
black, white, and gray drawing, or a
drawing made in any single colorMonoprinting A direct method of
printing in which wet medium
(water-, oil-, or spirit-based) is
applied to a surface that is then
pressed onto paper and removed
to leave a print. The surface can
be reloaded or redrawn with
more medium, but each print will
be unique. Alternatively, oil-based
printing ink is rolled evenly onto
a smooth metal, glass, or plastic
surface. Paper is laid on top and
a rapid drawing is made on the
back of it The paper lifts away to
reveal the image on its other side.
This method incorporates the
excitement of accidental and
unpredicted marks.Negative space The space
between things. This may be
disregarded in real life, but in
picture-making it is as important
as the objects/subjects themselves.Objective drawing Refers to
the concept of objectivity. Usually
an academic drawing observed
from life, aiming to represent facts
rather than an interpretation of
the subject.Optical blending See Pointillism.Papercut A type of collage in
which flat sheets of paper are
cut into an image.Picture plane In the imaginary space
of a picture, it is the plane occupied
by the physical surface of the workPigment Any substance used as
a coloring agent—for example,
the finely ground particles of plant,
rock, mineral, or synthetic material
that are suspended in a medium to
constitute paint.Plumb line A line from which a
weight is suspended in order to
determine verticality or depth.Pointillism A technique of using
points or dots of pure color in
such a way that when the picture is
viewed from a distance they react