abstraction - Artwork that is altered by the simplification or rearrangement of visual elements.
acrylic - A paint which uses liquid acrylic plastic as a binder for the pigment; water soluble before dry.
artist’s proof - A print that is outside the regular edition or numbering process, but printed at the same time, from the same plates, and usually retained by the artist for personal use.
batik - A method of dyeing cloth which involves using wax to prevent the dye from dyeing certain areas. Batik patterns are often intricate, requiring multiple wax and dyeing processes.
bronze - A metal alloy made of tin and copper. It is used in the creation of sculptures.
composition - A subject matter; also the creation of something by arranging parts to form a unified whole.
cross-hatch - Technique of placing lines close together in opposite directions to create dark areas in a drawing.
cyanotype - A process of photographic printing that produces a blue line on a white background; a photographic blueprint.
dry media - Pencil, chalk, crayon and other media not requiring use of a fluid.
edition - The total number of impressions made at one time from the same plate.
egg tempera - A painting medium in which pigments are bound together with egg yolk.
fresco - A technique of painting in which pigment is applied to a thin layer of wet plaster; as it dries it becomes part of the wall.
giclée - (zhee.clay) A term for making fine art prints from a digital image using ink-jet printing onto a canvas or photo-based paper.
gouache - An opaque watercolor.
impasto - Paint applied in heavy layers or strokes, making it thick and textured.
intaglio - A method of engraving where the design is depressed below the surface of the metal plate.
lithograph - The process of printing from a flat surface, treated so as to repel the ink, except where it is required for printing.
monotype - A one-of-a-kind print made by painting on a sheet of glass and transferring the wet image to paper by rubbing the back of the paper with a smooth implement.
pastel - A colored crayon made from chalk and pigment (the deepest tones are pure pigment). It is considered a painting technique because the colors are applied in masses rather than lines.
patina - A greenish film which forms on copper and bronze after weathering as a result of oxidation.
pointillism - French impressionistic technique where the use of tiny dots or strokes creates an image only visible from a distance when the eye blends the colors to form outlines of the work.
serigraph - Also known as silkscreen; this is a color stencil printing process in which paint is forced through a fine screen onto the paper beneath.
trompe-l’œil - French term meaning “trick of the eye.” This is an art technique in which extremely realistic imagery is used to create the optical illusion that the objects are real.
wash - Technique used in watercolor, brush drawing, and oil painting to describe a broad, thin layer of diluted pigment or ink.
watercolor - A transparent paint made from mixing powdered color with a binding agent and water; the most unforgiving painting technique due to the fluidity of the medium
