Resource: Glossary of 2D Art Words, Phrases, Concepts, Terminology

1. Abstraction: An artistic style that simplifies or distorts visual reality, often emphasizing form, color, and texture over realistic representation.

2. Acrylic paint: A fast-drying, water-based paint that consists of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion, known for its versatility and durability.

3. Aesthetic: The overall visual quality or appeal of a work of art, including its composition, color scheme, and style.

4. Alla prima: An Italian term meaning "at first attempt," referring to a painting technique in which the entire artwork is completed in one session, typically using wet-on-wet blending.

5. Analog: Referring to traditional, non-digital methods or materials, such as drawing with pencil and paper or painting with oil on canvas.

6. Anatomy: The study of the structure and form of living organisms, including humans, animals, and plants, often explored in art to understand how to accurately depict the human figure or animal subjects.

7. Background: The area of a composition that appears furthest from the viewer, often depicting distant scenery or setting the context for the main subject.

8. Balance: The distribution of visual weight within a composition, achieved through the arrangement of elements such as color, shape, and texture to create a sense of harmony and stability.

9. Brushwork: The manner in which paint is applied to a surface using a brush, including techniques such as stippling, blending, and cross-hatching.

10. Canvas: A sturdy fabric traditionally used as a surface for painting, typically stretched over a wooden frame.

11. Chiaroscuro: An Italian term referring to the use of strong contrasts between light and dark to create a sense of volume and depth in a two-dimensional artwork.

12. Cartooning: The art of creating stylized, exaggerated drawings or illustrations, often used in comics, animation, and caricature.

13. Charcoal: A drawing medium made from compressed charcoal dust, typically used for sketching and shading to create dark, expressive lines and tones.

14. Collage: A technique in which various materials, such as paper, fabric, or photographs, are glued or assembled onto a surface to create a new composition or image.

15. Color theory: The study of how colors interact with each other and the visual effects they produce, including principles such as hue, saturation, value, and color harmony.

16. Composition: The arrangement of elements within a work of art, including the placement of objects, figures, and shapes, as well as the overall organization of the image.

17. Contrast: The degree of difference between light and dark, or between colors, within a composition, used to create visual interest and emphasis.

18. Cross-contour: A drawing technique in which lines are used to describe the three-dimensional form of an object by following its contours or surface curves.

19. Cross-hatching: A drawing technique in which lines are layered at different angles to create shading and texture.

20. Decoupage: A decorative technique in which cut-out images or designs are adhered to a surface and then sealed with a varnish or glaze.

21. Depth: The illusion of three-dimensional space in a two-dimensional artwork, created through techniques such as perspective, overlapping, and shading.

22. Digital art: Artwork created using digital tools and techniques, such as digital painting software, graphic tablets, and 3D modeling programs.

23. Digital painting: The creation of artwork using digital tools such as a graphics tablet and software like Adobe Photoshop or Corel Painter.

24. Easel: A portable stand used to support a canvas or drawing board while an artist works, allowing for easy adjustment of the angle and height.

25. Expressionism: An artistic movement characterized by the use of bold colors, gestural brushwork, and exaggerated forms to convey emotional or psychological content.

26. Fantasy art: Artwork that depicts imaginary or fantastical subjects, such as mythical creatures, magical landscapes, and epic battles.

27. Figure drawing: The practice of drawing the human figure from observation or imagination, focusing on anatomy, proportions, and gesture.

28. Foreshortening: A drawing technique used to create the illusion of depth and perspective by depicting objects or figures as they appear to recede into space.

29. Gesso: A primer used to prepare surfaces such as canvas or wood for painting, providing a smooth, absorbent surface for the paint to adhere to.

30. Gesture drawing: A quick, loose sketch that captures the basic movement and rhythm of a figure or object, often used as a preliminary step in the drawing process.

31. Glazing: A painting technique in which thin layers of translucent paint are applied over dry layers to create subtle color variations and depth.

32. Gouache: A type of opaque watercolor paint that dries to a matte finish, often used for illustrations and design work.

33. Graphic novel: A long-form narrative work in the format of a comic book, typically featuring complex storylines, detailed artwork, and themes that extend beyond traditional superhero genres.

34. Grid method: A drawing technique that uses a grid overlay to break down an image into smaller, more manageable sections for accurate proportion and scale.

35. Grisaille: A painting executed entirely in shades of gray, typically used as an underpainting for a more detailed work in color.

36. Hatching: A drawing technique in which closely spaced parallel lines are used to create shading and texture.

37. Highlights: The brightest areas of a composition where light is reflected most strongly, often used to create contrast and emphasis in a drawing or painting.

38. Horizon line: A horizontal line in a composition that represents the viewer's eye level and separates the sky from the ground or other elements in the scene.

39. Illustration: The creation of visual images to accompany written text, often used in books, magazines, advertisements, and other forms of media.

40. Impasto: A painting technique in which paint is applied thickly to create a textured surface, often using a palette knife or brush.

41. Impressionism: An art movement characterized by loose brushwork, a focus on capturing the effects of light and atmosphere, and an emphasis on subjective perception rather than objective reality.

42. Ink: A liquid or paste containing pigment used for drawing or writing, typically applied with a pen, brush, or other tool onto a surface such as paper or canvas.

43. Landscape: A genre of art that depicts natural scenery, such as mountains, forests, or fields.

44. Layering: The process of applying multiple layers of paint or digital effects to a work of art, allowing for greater depth and complexity in the final image.

45. Lightbox: A device used by artists to trace or transfer images onto a new surface by shining light through a translucent panel.

46. Light and shadow: The use of light and dark values to create the illusion of volume, form, and depth in a two-dimensional artwork, often achieved through techniques such as shading, highlighting, and chiaroscuro.

47. Linework: The use of lines to define shapes, contours, and details in a drawing or painting.

48. Line art: Artwork created using primarily or exclusively lines, without the use of shading or color, often used in illustrations, comics, and graphic design.

49. Mixed media: The use of multiple materials or techniques in a single artwork, such as combining painting with collage or digital elements. Artwork that combines multiple materials or techniques, such as painting, drawing, collage, and sculpture, to create a cohesive and unified composition.

50. Monochromatic: A color scheme that uses variations of a single color, including different shades, tints, and tones, to create a harmonious and unified composition.

51. Mood: The emotional atmosphere or feeling conveyed by a work of art, often influenced by factors such as color, lighting, composition, and subject matter.

52. Mural: A large-scale painting or artwork applied directly to a wall or ceiling, often created to decorate public spaces, buildings, or architectural structures.

53. Narrative: The telling of a story or sequence of events through visual means, such as a series of images or a single artwork that suggests a narrative interpretation.

54. Naturalism: An artistic style characterized by the accurate representation of objects, figures, and scenes from the natural world, often emphasizing detail, realism, and observational accuracy.

55. Observational drawing: The practice of drawing from direct observation of real-life subjects, such as still lifes, landscapes, or live models, to develop drawing skills and improve accuracy.

56. Oil paint: A type of paint made from pigment suspended in a drying oil, typically linseed oil, known for its rich colors, slow drying time, and ability to create smooth, blended effects.

57. Palette: The range of colors used by an artist, as well as the surface on which these colors are mixed and blended.

58. Perspective: A technique used to create the illusion of depth and three-dimensionality in a two-dimensional artwork by representing objects as they appear to the eye in space.

59. Plein air: A French term meaning "in the open air," referring to the practice of painting outdoors to capture the effects of natural light and atmosphere.

60. Portrait: A representation of a person, typically focusing on their face and expression.

61. Priming: The process of applying a preparatory layer, such as gesso, to a surface before painting to improve adhesion and create a suitable painting surface.

62. Proportion: The relative size, scale, and placement of elements within a composition, including the size of objects in relation to each other and to the overall composition.

63. Realism: An artistic style characterized by the accurate and detailed representation of subjects from everyday life, often emphasizing naturalistic colors, textures, and forms.

64. Rendering: The process of depicting an object, scene, or subject in a drawing or painting, often focusing on detail, texture, and lighting to create a realistic or stylized representation.

65. Resilience: The ability to adapt, recover, and persist in the face of challenges, setbacks, and obstacles encountered in the artistic process, including criticism, rejection, and self-doubt.

66. Scale: The size or proportion of objects within a composition, including the relationship between objects and their surroundings, as well as the overall size of the artwork itself.

67. Scumbling: A painting technique in which thin layers of opaque or translucent paint are applied over dry layers to create texture and depth.

68. Shading: The use of value, contrast, and gradation to create the illusion of depth, form, and volume in a two-dimensional artwork, often achieved through techniques such as hatching, cross-hatching, and blending.

69. Sketch: A rough or unfinished drawing or painting created as a preliminary study or spontaneous expression of ideas, often used to capture fleeting impressions or moments of inspiration.

70. Still life: A genre of art that depicts inanimate objects, such as flowers, fruit, and household items, arranged in a composition.

71. Stippling: A drawing or painting technique in which small dots or dashes are used to create shading and texture.

72. Study: A preliminary drawing or painting created as a practice exercise or reference for a larger, more detailed artwork.

73. Stylization: The process of simplifying or abstracting forms, shapes, and subjects in art to convey a specific aesthetic or expressive quality, often used to emphasize certain characteristics or evoke a particular mood or emotion.

74. Surrealism: An artistic movement that explores the realm of dreams, the unconscious mind, and the fantastical, often characterized by bizarre imagery and unexpected juxtapositions.

75. Texture: The tactile quality or surface characteristics of an object or material, often represented in art through techniques such as brushwork, impasto, and collage, as well as visual effects such as pattern, grain, or roughness.

76. Thumbnail sketch: A small, quick, and simplified drawing or painting created as a preliminary study or plan for a larger, more detailed artwork, often used to explore composition, layout, and design ideas.

77. Tone: The relative lightness or darkness of a color, often used to create depth, volume, and atmosphere in a two-dimensional artwork, as well as to convey mood, emotion, and expression.

78. Underpainting: An initial layer of paint applied to a canvas or surface before adding additional layers of color, used to establish the overall tonal values and composition of a painting.

79. Value: The relative lightness or darkness of a color or tone, often represented on a scale from white to black, used to create contrast, volume, and depth in a two-dimensional artwork.

80. Vanishing point: In perspective drawing, the point on the horizon line where parallel lines appear to converge, creating the illusion of depth and distance in a composition.

81. Varnish: A transparent or translucent protective coating applied to a finished painting or drawing to enhance color, protect against damage, and provide a glossy or matte finish.

82. Wash: A thin, transparent layer of paint or ink applied to a surface to create a tint or tone, often used as a base layer in watercolor painting.

83. Wet-on-wet: A painting technique in which wet paint is applied to a wet surface, allowing colors to blend and merge together seamlessly.

84. Workspace: The area where an artist creates their work, typically equipped with tools, materials, and a suitable surface for drawing or painting.

85. Work in progress (WIP): A term used to describe an unfinished or ongoing artwork that is still in the process of being created, often shared by artists to solicit feedback or document their artistic journey.

86. X-acto knife: A precision cutting tool with a sharp, replaceable blade, often used by artists and illustrators for fine detail work, paper cutting, and collage.

87. Xylene: A solvent commonly used in oil painting mediums, varnishes, and cleaning agents, known for its strong odor and ability to dissolve and blend oil-based pigments.

88. Yellowing: The gradual discoloration or darkening of paint, paper, or other materials over time due to exposure to light, heat, or environmental factors, often seen in aging artworks or improperly stored materials.

89. Zenithal lighting: A lighting technique used in painting and photography to simulate the effect of natural sunlight or overhead lighting, creating strong highlights and deep shadows to emphasize form and volume.

90. Zigzag stroke: A drawing or painting technique in which short, jagged lines are used to create texture, movement, or emphasis, often used in expressive or dynamic compositions.

91. Zoomorphism: An artistic theme or motif that depicts animals or animal characteristics in human or non-animal subjects, often used to explore themes of identity, transformation, or the interconnectedness of all living beings.

92. Zorn palette: A limited color palette consisting of only four colors—ivory black, titanium white, yellow ochre, and vermilion (or cadmium red light)—used by Swedish artist Anders Zorn to create a wide range of colors and values in his paintings.

93. Zygote: A term used in biology to describe the initial stage of development in a fertilized egg, often used metaphorically to describe the genesis or starting point of an artistic idea or concept.