Drawing Terms & Concepts Defined

LIST of TERMS and CONCEPTS DEFINED for: D RAWING

TERMS:

1. Commissioned: Artwork that is strictly for profit or sale. 2. Foreshortening: Shortening objects that are pointed towards or away from the viewer to show depth on a flat plane. 3. Foreground: The area closest to the viewer in a composition. 4. Middleground: Area of a composition between the foreground and background. 5. Chiaroscuro: Showing volume by using extreme contrasts in light and dark. 6. Hatching: Small parallel lines used to create a variety of values. 7. Medium: Materials used to produce a piece of artwork. 8. Picture plane: The physical dimensions of a piece of 2-D art. 9. Crosshatching: Small parallel and perpendicular lines to create various values. 10. Gradation: Gradual change from light value to dark value. ======11. Thumbnails: Quick sketches that record ideas for future drawings. 12. Iconography: The symbolic meaning of the subject matter. 13. Patrons: The people who purchase commissioned artwork. 14. Contour lines: Outer edges of any 3-dimensional form defined by line. 15. Rendering: Shading or smoothing out values. ======16. Subject: The identifiable images in a piece of artwork. 17. Content: The message, idea, or feeling of a piece of art. 18. Asymmetry: One half of a piece is unbalanced with the other half. 19. Gesture drawing: Drawing that uses quick lines to capture gestures of a subject. 20. Positive space: The shape of the object that is the subject of a work of art. 21. Negative space: The area surrounding the positive space. 22. Ambiguous space: When the relationship between the positive space and the negative space is undefined. 23. Mixed media: Combination of media in a work (ink, graphite, paint, etc.) 24. Tooth: The texture of a sheet of paper. 25. Shallow space: A composition with little depth or feeling of distance. 26. Background: The area furthest from the viewer in a composition. 27. Line quality: The unique character of a line (relaxed, agitated, intense, etc.) 28. Line variation: The thickness or thinness, lightness or darkness of a line. 29. Diffused shadow: Shadows that appear fuzzy at their edges. ======30. Graphite: Pencil or drawings made with pencil. 31. Varying deg. detail: Making important areas more defined than others. 32. Cropping: Cutting off the subject at the edges of the picture plane. 33. Viewfinder: Device used as a window for framing the composition. 34. Point of view: Position from which the viewer of art is meant to look. ======35. Neutrals: Black, white, and all tones of grey. 36. Symmetry: One half of a piece is balanced with the other. 37. Still-life: Arrangement of non-moving objects in a work of art. 38. Scale: Relative size of an object compared to objects surrounding it. 39. Composition: The basic overall arrangement of a work. 40. Focal point: Area to which the artist directs the viewer’s attention. 41. Implied line: Technique used to manipulate the viewer’s eye towards focal pt. 42. Staffage elements: When supporting subjects are used to “frame” the focal point 43. Diagonal comp.: Movement from upper left to lower right is undesirable. 44. Lithograph: Printmaking technique where a design is drawn on stone or metal with a wax crayon. ======45. Mature Work: An artist’s most recognizable and popular style. 46. Deep space: A composition with great depth or feeling of distance. 47. Stippling: Using patterns of dots to show values and gradation. 48. Geometric shape: Shapes with clean, straight edges, such as triangles and circles. 49. Organic shape: Shapes with irregular edges, such as leaves or puddles. ======50. Aesthetics: One’s sense of beauty or visual preference. 51. Critique: Honest assessment of one’s own work or the work of others, designed to raise awareness. 52. Fixative: Clear chemical sprayed over a drawing to prevent smearing. 53. Tortillion: Small, tightly wrapped paper used to render drawings.

CONCEPTS: 1. The 3 major styles of art: Representational: Artist attempt to capture reality in the work. Nonrepresentational: Artist shows no recognizable objects in the work. Abstract: Artist distorts reality, but objects are still recognizable.

2. The 7 stages of light: Specific stages of light and shadow that define volume and space on a 2-dimensional plane. Light source: Point which emits the light itself (sun, candle, lamp) Light: The area of typical value on the subject. Highlight: The area of highest value on the subject. Shadows: The area of lowest value on the subject. Cast shadow: The area of dark value cast upon other surfaces. Core of shadow: The area of darkest value within the cast shadow. Reflected light: Light that is reflected from the main object to surrounding surfaces, or from surfaces onto the object.

3. Form versus function: Form refers to the way a piece of art is made. Function refers to why that piece of art was made. 4. The 6 ways that artists show depth: Overlapping: Size: Focus: Placement: Intensity and value: Linear perspective: STUDY GUIDE 1

1. Artwork that is strictly for profit or sale.

2. Shortening objects that are pointed towards or away from the

viewer to show depth on a flat plane.

3. The area closest to the viewer in a composition.

4. Area of a composition between the foreground and background.

5. Showing volume by using extreme contrasts in light and dark.

6. Small parallel lines used to create a variety of values.

7. Materials used to produce a piece of artwork.

8. The physical dimensions of a piece of 2-D art.

9. Small parallel and perpendicular lines to create various values.

10. Gradual change from light value to dark value. STUDY GUIDE 2

11. Quick sketches that record ideas for future drawings.

12. The symbolic meaning of the subject matter.

13. The people who purchase commissioned artwork.

14. Outer edges of any 3-dimensional form defined by line.

15. Shading or smoothing out values. STUDY GUIDE 3

16. The identifiable images in a piece of artwork.

17. The message, idea, or feeling of a piece of art.

18. One half of a piece is unbalanced with the other half.

19. Drawing that uses quick lines to capture gestures of a subject.

20. The shape of the object that is the subject of a work of art.

21. The area surrounding the positive space.

22. When the relationship between the positive space and the

negative space is undefined.

23. Combination of media in a work (ink, graphite, paint, etc.)

24. The texture of a sheet of paper.

25. A composition with little depth or feeling of distance.

26. The area furthest from the viewer in a composition.

27. The unique character of a line (relaxed, agitated, intense, etc.) 28. The thickness or thinness, lightness or darkness of a line. 29. Shadows that appear fuzzy at their edges.

STUDY GUIDE 4

30. Pencil or drawings made with pencil.

31. Making important areas more defined than others.

32. Cutting off the subject at the edges of the picture plane.

33. Device used as a window for framing the composition.

34. Position from which the viewer of art is meant to look. STUDY GUIDE 5

35. Black, white, and all tones of grey.

36. One half of a piece is balanced with the other.

37. Arrangement of non-moving objects in a work of art.

38. Relative size of an object compared to objects surrounding it.

39. The basic overall arrangement of a work.

40. Area to which the artist directs the viewer’s attention.

41. Technique used to manipulate the viewer’s eye towards focal pt.

42. When supporting subjects are used to “frame” the focal point

43. Movement from upper left to lower right is undesirable.

44. Printmaking technique where a design is drawn on stone or

metal with a wax crayon. STUDY GUIDE 6

45. An artist’s most recognizable and popular style.

46. A composition with great depth or feeling of distance.

47. Using patterns of dots to show values and gradation.

48. Shapes with clean, straight edges, such as triangles and circles.

49. Shapes with irregular edges, such as leaves or puddles.

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50. One’s sense of beauty or visual preference.

51. Honest assessment of one’s own work or the work of others,

designed to raise awareness.

52. Clear chemical sprayed over a drawing to prevent smearing.

53. Small, tightly wrapped paper used to render drawings.