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Art Materials Materials used in the production of art, predominantly pictures Acknowledgements to the original sources for many definitions can be established by checking the number at the end of each definition (1,2,3etc) against the list at the bottom of this section.Accelerator A substance that speeds up a chemical change. An accelerator is added to oil paints to speed drying (also called a "drier"), (1) Acetone A solvent used as a paint remover. Used in cleaning up epoxy resins, polyester resins, many inks and adhesives. Often used in the cleaning and restoration of old paintings. (1) Acrylic A rapid drying paint which is easy to remove with mineral spirits. In addition, a plastic substance commonly used as a binder for paints. (2) Airbrush A small-scale paint sprayer that allows the artist to control a fine mist of paint. Patented by Charles Burdick, an Englishman, in 1893. (4) Alizarin Originally a bright red pigment, made from madder, which is derived from the root of the plant Rubia tinctorum. (1) Alkyd Synthetic resin used in paints and mediums used as a binder for the pigment. It also speeds the drying time. (6) Aquarelle Term for “Watercolour” in French, referring to the act of drawing or painting with transparent watercolour. (2) Aquarelle brush A style of watercolour brush, used flat for large areas and on the edge for fine light (1) Art gum An eraser that crumbles as it erases, causing neither scratching nor discolouration. (1) Azurite A mineral copper ore used as a deep blue pigment with a greenish tint Used often in wall paintings, it was popular during the Renaissance for underpainting as a cheaper medium than ultramarine (1) Binder A substance which when mixed with pigment makes paint adhere to a surface: Oil is the binder for oil paints, gum Arabic for watercolours. (2) Bistre A brown, transparent pigment. (3) Body Colour Opaque paint, which is able to eliminate any underlying colours from view. (3) Brayer A tool used to roll ink onto a surface by hand. (1) Bridge A tool used by a painter to keep the hand away from the artwork. A bridge typically rests on two points where a mahlstick leans on one. (1) Bristol board A robust drawing surface used for many types of artwork. (1) Buffer A substance that reduces acid migration. (1) Butcher Paper A type of paper sold in rolls typically 36 inches wide. It has a fairly hard surface, with one side having slightly smoother texture than the other. Useful as a base material for very large drawings, paintings, and collages. (1) Cadmium Substance, especially cadmium sulphate, from which reds, oranges, and yellows are extracted for use in paint pigments. (1) Camera Lucida An art tool that uses a prism to concentrate and project light onto paper (or some other surface) so you can trace the resulting image. (5) Canvas Closely woven cloth used as a support for paintings, usually made of flax or cotton. (3) Card or cardboard A stiff paper used as a base material for artworks. In some instances, it is made from plastics. (1) Casein A dried lumpy curd of skimmed milk, which when mixed with water and dry pigments, makes an excellent paint. Casein paint is too inflexible for use on canvas. It dries quickly with a waterproof surface. (2) Ceruse A white, lead-based paint. (2) Cobalt A metal, resembling nickel, from which a range of blue pigments are made. (1) Conte A trade name for a brand of French crayons made from a unique compound of pigments with a chalk binder. Conte crayons are free from grease, making them acceptable for lithographic drawing. (2) Copal A hard resin used in making varnishes and painting mediums. (3) Crayon Commonly used as a general term for children’s wax-based drawing sticks, technically it is any drawing material that can be produced into stick form. (2) Damar A resin from conifer trees, used in making oil mediums and varnishes. (3) Diluents Liquids, such as turpentine for oil paint and water for watercolours used to dilute paints. (3) Dipper A container for oils and mediums, which clips to the side of the palette. ( 2) Distemper A blend of glue, chalk and water-based paint, used mostly for murals and posters. ( 3) Drier A material that accelerates or initiates the drying of an oil paint or oil by promoting oxidation. ( 3) Drying Oil Oil that, when spread into a thin layer and exposed to air, absorbs oxygen and converts into a tough film. ( 3) Easel Used as a support for painter’s artworks. ( 1) Egg Tempera A medium predominantly used for painting until the introduction of oils. It is very fast drying so does not lend itself to blending very well. ( 2) Emulsifier A catalyst combining oil, water and varnish into a painting medium. ( 1) Emulsion An agent used to combine materials which would not otherwise mix (i.e. oil and water, or water and resin. Emulsifying agents can be naturally based substances (e.g. egg-yolk), 'artificial' (e.g. gums and varnishes) or 'saponified' (e.g. fatty oil, wax). ( 2) Encaustic A painting medium where pigment has been suspended in a binder of hot wax. ( 4) Filler Inert pigment added to paint to increase its bulk. ( 3) Fixative A solution, usually of shellac and alcohol, sprayed onto drawings, to prevent their smudging or crumbling. ( 3) Fugitive pigment Pigment that changes colour (both lighter and darker) after original application: fades either through prolonged exposure to light or atmospheric pollution, darkens when mixed with other substances. ( 2) Gamboge A clear, transparent yellow used for gilding and watercolour. It is obtained from the yellow gum-resin of a variety of trees grown in India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Not suitable for oil painting due to its transparency. ( 2) Gesso A mixture of glue and either chalk or plaster of Paris applied as a coating to surfaces in order to give them the correct properties to receive paint. ( 4) Glair A varnish for tempera paints. Glair is prepared by mixing egg whites with a little water, and beating them. After the resulting bubbles have dissipated, it is then applied. ( 1) Glaze In oil painting, it is a thin transparent or translucent layer brushed over another layer of paint, allowing the first layer to show through but altering its colour slightly. ( 4) Gouache A heavy, opaque watercolour paint, producing a less wet-appearing and more strongly coloured picture than from ordinary watercolour. ( 1) Graphite A form of carbon with a metallic lustre and a greasy feel. Compressed with fine clay, it is used in lead pencils, paints, and various coatings. ( 1) Gum A plant substance soluble in water. ( 3) Gum Arabic A gum, extracted from Acacia trees, used in solution as a medium for watercolour paints. ( 3) Ink Substance containing pigment(s) generally used for writing. Not usually applied in producing artworks as they are rarely sufficiently permanent. “Printing ink” has different constituents to writing ink, being a more close relation to paint. ( 1) Lacquer An extremely hard, waterproof varnish, shellac being an example ( 5) Lean Paint Paint thinned with a spirit, which therefore has low oil content. ( 3) Linseed oil A drying oil used in paints, usually boiled, making it faster drying. ( 1) Mahlstick A long stick a painter uses to support his/her brush-holding hand ( 5) Maroger Slow drying, painting medium consisting of 1 part lead carbonate, 1 part beeswax, and 10 parts of linseed oil cooked together. Developed by Jacques Maroger ( 7) Medium The liquid in which pigments are suspended. Also a material chosen by the artist for working. ( 3) Mixed Media Descriptive of art that employs more than one medium. The potential combinations are therefore virtually limitless but can come from e.g., paints, natural materials, man made items or different types of e.g. paints such as acrylic and watercolour or gouache and tempera. ( 2) Oil paint Slow drying paint made of pigments mixed with an oil. Oil paints are usually opaque and traditionally used on canvas. ( 1) Paint Name for the combination of Pigment and a binding liquid. Types of paint include tempera, watercolour, oil paint, gouache, enamel, encaustic, fresco, lacquer, oriental lacquer, acrylic, and secco. ( 1) Palette The surface upon which a painter will mix his colours. Also the term for the colour range used by an artist. ( 3) Palette knife A knife used by painters for mixing, applying and cleaning paints. ( 1) Panel A hard, base material upon which paint can be applied, often wood. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with board. ( 1) Paper Matted or felted sheet, usually made of cellulose fibres, formed on a wire screen from water suspension. Fine arts papers are made of pulped linen and cotton rags, while lower quality papers, such as newsprint, are made of wood pulp or a combination of wood pulp and cotton rag. ( 8) Passe-Partout A mat or other border used to frame or mount a picture. ( 1) Pastels Sticks of powdered pigment held together with a gum binding agent ( 4) Pigment Finely powdered colour material, which produces the colour of any medium. Pigment becomes paint, ink, or dye when mixed with oil, water or another fluid. When pressed into wax it becomes a crayon, pencil or chalk. ( 1) Plasticiser Ingredients added to paint to either make it flow or be easily redissolved. ( 3) Resin Natural or synthetic organic compound consisting of a noncrystalline solid or viscous liquid substance or mixture, usually transparent or translucent yellow to brown, it can melt and burn and, after drying sets hard. Used as varnishes as well as turpentine ( 8) Sanquine A red-brown chalk. ( 3) Shellac A yellow resin formed from secretions of the LAC insect, used in making varnish. ( 3) Sinopia A red-brown chalk used for marking-out frescoes ( 3) Stretcher A wooden chassis for textile supports with expandable corners. ( 3) Tempera A water-based paint that uses either egg, egg yolk, glue, or casein as a binder ( 4) Toner A dye that can bleed or migrate through dried paint films. ( 3) Tragacanth A gum, extracted from certain Astragalus plants, used as a binding agent in watercolour paints and pastels. ( 3) Varnish Generally, a more or less transparent film-forming liquid that dries into a solid film, thus protecting what is underneath. ( 3) Venice Turpentine A semisolid mixture of a resin and an essential oil. Used primarily in making mediums and diluents for oil painting. ( 3) Watercolour Paint that uses water as a medium. ( 1) White Spirit A thinner used with oil paints replacing Turpentine. ( 3) Whiting Chalk, which is purified, ground with water and dried to form an inert pigment. ( 3) Acknowledgements The following sources helped produce the definitions shown above (1) http://www.artlex.com (2) http://www.Askart.com (3) http://www.Rexart.com (4) http://www.Ackland.com (5) http://www.MindConnect.com (6) Ralph Mayer, "A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques" (7) American Artist magazine, 12/2002 (8) Britannica (9) Donald Martin Reynolds, "Masters of American Sculpture", p. 13 (10) Daniel C Boyer, Artist (11) Marika Hershkovic,(Ed), "American Abstract Expressionism" (234) (12) Lydia A Miniter, Oradell New Jersey (American Artist, 6/2002 (13) Cynthia McBride, McBride Gallery in Annapolis, MD (14) Kimberley Reynolds, "Illustrated Dictionary of Art Terms" (15) "A Studio of Her Own" by Erica Hirshler (16) Gordon McClelland and Jay Last, "The California Style" (17) Christies (18) Neal Auction Company (19) "Eva Hesse: Post-Minimalism into Sublime." (20) Cynthia McBride
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