Visual Arts 

Art  Vocabulary/Terms

 

Acrylic paint: a fast drying synthetic paint made from acrylic resin.

 

Analogous colors: Colors that are closely related to each other because a common color can be found; for example: blue, blue violet, violet colors.

 

Asymmetrical: a type of balance where elements are arranged differently on each side of an imaginary mid-line.

 

Background: the area that appears to be farthest away or behind the other objects.

 

Balance: parts of the picture arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically so that the areas seem to have equal visual weight.

 

Composition: organization of elements in space.

 

Design: to create a work of art by combining elements of art into a planned whole.

 

Elements of art: those components that make up the composition: line, value, space, texture, shape/form and color.

 

Experimentation: to search out by trial.

 

Foreground: the area that appears to be nearest and in front of the other objects.

 

Image: a physical likeliness or representation of a person, animal, or thing, photographed, painted, or sculpted; a thought from the imagination made visible.

 

Intensity: refers to the brightness or dullness of a color; amount of saturation.

 

Line: the path of a moving point that is made by a tool, instrument, or medium as it moves across an area.

 

Medium/Media: materials used to create an image.

 

Middle ground: the area that appears between the foreground and background.

 

Movement: in visual arts, the direction or flow in artwork.

 

Organic: any living or natural shape that is not geometric.

 

Pattern: a principle of design wherein element or combination of elements are repeated in a planned way.

 

 

 

Portrait: artwork that shows the face or figure of a person.

 

Primary Colors: the basic colors that can't be reduced into component colors and be used to mix all other colors.

 

Principles of Design: the way the elements of art such as balance, movement, patterns/repetition, unity/variety and emphasis are used to create a composition.

 

Repetition: a principle of design, for an element is used more than once.

 

Secondary colors: colors made by mixing two primary colors. When red yellow and blue are used as primary colors, the secondary colors are orange green and violet.

 

Shade: A dark color achieved by changing the value of a color by adding black.

 

Space: an element of art that is the area in and around objects in a composition.

 

Style: an artist's special way of creating art; the style of an artwork helps determine how it is different from other artworks.

 

Symmetrical/Symmetry: a type of balance in which elements are arranged the same on each side of an imaginary line.

 

Technique: a special way to create artwork, often by following a step-by-step procedure.

 

Texture: an element of art that is the way an object feels or looks like it feels.

 

Tint: A light color achieved by changing the value of a color by adding white.

 

Tone: a color mixed with black and white, a grayed color.

 

Unity: a principle of design which is the quality of having all parts look as if they belong together; achieved by proximity or repetition.

 

Value: an element of art that describes the relative lightness or darkness of a color.

 

Variety: differences achieved by changing elements in a composition to add interest.