Glossary : oil painting

Wet-in-Wet

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:35:00 GMT

A painting technique in which wet color is applied into or on top of paint that is still wet.

Underpainting

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:33:00 GMT

An initial layer of paint applied to a ground, which serves as a base for subsequent layers of paint and helps to define color values for later painting.

Scumbling

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:26:00 GMT

A painting technique in which semi-opaque or thin opaque colors are lightly brushed over an underpainted area so that patches of the previous color show through. Also a method of mixing two colors on the canvas together, pulling each color from opposite directions in a figure eight technique so that the finished composition is a smooth transition from one color to another.

Mahlstick

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:21:00 GMT

A long stick, one end of which the painter holds in one hand, to support and steady his/her brush-holding hand. The other end of the stick is padded and rests on the canvas.

Impasto

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:16:00 GMT

The texture produced by the thickness of pigment in a painting.

Imprimatura

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:16:00 GMT

A wash or glaze of thin color used to tone down a white surface before painting on it.

Glaze

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:14:00 GMT

A transparent layer of paint applied over a ground or another paint layer of a different color.

Alla Prima

admin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:58:00 GMT

Also known as 'direct painting,' alla prima is a one-layer painting technique in which the painting (usually painted from life) is completed in one sitting or while the paint is still wet.