Vocabulary

Art Room Vocabulary

Artlex is a great resource for art vocabulary.

A:

analogous color scheme - three colors next to each other on the color wheel.




B:

balance - equal distribution of visual weight in a design

C:

clay - Mud; moist, sticky dirt. There is a temperature with ceramic clays at which their particles fuse (vitrification), and this is most commonly controlled by heating (firing) them in a kiln. The most common types of ceramic clays are earthenware, stoneware and porcelain.

color - the appearance of objects described in terms of a person's perception of their hue and lightness or brightness and saturation.

composition - The arrangement of the elements of art in a work.

complementary color scheme - two colors across from each other on the color wheel.



cool colors - blues, purples and greens.

D:

E:

emphasis - creating a focal point with size, placement or contrast.

F:

G:

glaze - special paint used on fired clay to add color

H:

I:

indigo - dark blue, part of the rainbow

J:

K:

L:

line - My favorite definition is "a dot that took a walk." A mark with length and direction.

M:

mandala - a circular symbol representing unity; found in many cultures around the world

monochromatic - using only one color, with tints and shades

N:

O:

P:

Q:

R:

radial balance - balance created with a center point.  Example: snowflake, flower, sunshine

S:

shade - adding black to a color to make it darker.

T:

tint - adding white to a color to make it lighter.  Example: pink is a tint of red.

U:

V:

W:

warm colors - reds, oranges and yellows.

X:

Y:

Z: