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Help for Art Types

ACRYLIC— Synthetic resin paint that can display characteristics of wither oil or watercolor.

AQUATINT— Intaglio process in which the image is printed from a plate which is treated with resin, heated, and etched to produce a range of tonal values.

BLOCK PRINT— Relief process in which the image is printed from a carved block, sometimes faced with linoleum or metal. Also called a linocut.

CASEIN— Opaque, milk-based paint.

CHALK— Stick of calcium carbonate, bright white in color.

CHARCOAL— Black, porous carbon, produced by burning wood and usually compressed into sticks or in pencils.

CHROMOLITHOGRAPH— Color lithographs produced commercially in the latter half of the 19th century. See also LITHOGRAPH.

COLLAGE— Assemblage of separate pieces, usually paper, which are glued or sewn together to form a two-dimensional artwork.

COLLOGRAPH— Relief print made from objects glued to the printing block.

COLORED PENCIL— Pigmented drawing medium in pencil form.

CONTE CRAYON— Chalk crayon made from a mixture of graphite and clay in black, white, and colors.

CRAYON— Stick of colored wax.

DRYPOINT— Intaglio process in which the image is printed from lines scratched into a metal plate.

ENAMEL— A usually opaque, vitreous coating, composed chiefly of quartz, feldspar, clay, soda, and borax, applied by fusion to surfaces especially of metal, ceramic, or glass; has a glossy appearance upon hardening.

ENGRAVING— Intaglio process in which the image is printed from lines incised into a metal plate.

ENGRAVING/AQUATINT— See ENGRAVING, AQUATINT.

ETCHING— Intaglio process in which the design is worked into a coated plate, which is then etched by acid to produce lines that hold the printing ink.

ETCHING/AQUATINT— See ETCHING, AQUATINT.

GOUACHE— Opaque water-based paint composed of pigment, size and binder.

GRAPHITE— Form of carbon, gray to black in color, commonly used in pencils.

INK— Pigmented liquid or paste, usually black, used for drawing and printing.

INK WASH— Thin film of highly diluted ink, usually applied with a brush.

INTAGLIO— Technique of creating a design that is sunken into the surface, by carving or incising. The image prints from ink held in the recessed areas of the plate or block, which have been cut or etched away.

LITHOGRAPH— Planographic process in which the design is made on a stone or plate, which is chemically treated to hold the printing ink only on the design areas.

MEZZOTINT— Intaglio print in which a plate is textured, scraped, and burnished to produce gradations of light and shadow.

MONOPRINT— Monotype with part of the image printed from a plate, stone or block, and part of the image drawn with ink or paint, thus producing multiple prints which combine common printed elements with unique drawn elements.

MONOTYPE— Print made from drawing (with ink or paint) on a plate and transferring the image to paper by rubbing or printing, thus producing a unique image.

OIL— Paint in which the pigment is dispersed in oil as a binding medium.

PASTEL— Colored crayon made from pigment mixed with water-based binder.

PEN AND INK— Pigmented liquid applied as line with a pen or stylus.

PHOTOGRAVURE— Photomechanical print made from an intaglio plate which is etched using a photographic process, to produce a full range of tones.

PHOTOMECHANICAL REPRODUCTION— Machine-made copy of an artist's image in color or black and white, produced using photographic techniques to prepare the printing plate.

SCRATCHBOARD— Drawing board from which a black ink surface layer is scraped away, to reveal white lines or images. Also known as clayboard.

SCREEN PRINT— Planographic process in which the design is printed by forcing ink through a mesh on which the non-design areas are stopped out. Also called serigraphs or silkscreens.

SILVERPOINT— Stylus tipped with silver, which leaves marks on specially prepared paper.

TEMPERA— Water-soluble paint composed of pigment mixed with egg yolk or other fatty constituents.

WATERCOLOR— Transparent water-based paint of pigments and a clear binder, such as gum arabic.

WOOD ENGRAVING— Relief process in which the design is carved into and printed from the end grain of a wood block.

WOOD RELIEF— Composition of separate wooden elements joined to produce a two-dimensional or low-relief work.

WOODCUT— Relief process in which the design is carved into and printed from the plank side of a wood block.