Artists' Glossary

Our glossary provides you with explanations to technical terms that will help you understand the world of painting. You can also find a glossary of terms for Brushes in our Articles section. 

In addition, we have an explanation of terms within our Composition and Permanence section which tackles the technical aspects of colour.

Aluminium stearate: A possible stabilizer for oil paint.

Binder: The substance which binds the pigment in a paint, ground or drawing material.

Casein: Adhesive made from skimmed milk.

Chassis: Wooden frame, fixed or expandable, used to brace a wood-based board on which to stretch either paper or a canvas. Interchangeable with ‘stretcher' and sometimes ‘frame'.

Cradled board: Originally a hardwood panel with fixed strips along the grain and movable strips across the grain on the reverse, used to brace the board but still allow it to expand. In this book, ‘cradled' is used to mean a wood-based board which has been glued and screwed to a fixed chassis. See fig. 69.

Canvas: Loosely used to mean a stretched and primed canvas ready for use or already being painted on.

Double stretched canvas: Two layers of canvas stretched on one frame.

Drying oil: Vegetable oil which dries to a film by oxidation.

Essential oil: Extracted from plants, an oily liquid which is partly volatile.

Fugitive: Indicates instability in the colour of a pigment.

Glazing: Transparent colour over dry underlayer, used to create spatial and/or colour effects. Oil paint offers the widest manipulative possibilities in glazing but any transparent medium can offer glazing too.

Ground: Layer on support which can alter in colour, absorbency or texture. In this book, ‘primer' is also used for ‘ground'.

Gum: Hardened sap of plants which is either water-soluble or absorbs water.

Handling properties: Group of properties which reflect smoothness, brushability, spreadability, tactility, etc.

Humidifier: Substance or thing which retains moisture or prevents it escaping.

Imprimatura: Coloured veil over a white ground. The term ‘veil' is used in this book. See Coloured grounds in Index.

Key: Rough surface.

Mahlstick: A long rod with a padded end, used to steady your hand against a painting.

Masking fluid: Rubber latex solution used to mask out areas on paper.

Media: May be used for a particular method, e.g. oils, water colour, etc.

Medium: Used either to indicate a particular method, or to indicate a material used for further manipulation of a method, e.g. glaze medium in oil painting. Plural is mediums.

Mineralized methylated spirit: Type of alcohol.

Mineral oil: Type of oil refined from petroleum.

Mineral wax: Wax/es refined usually from petroleum.

Mull, Mulling: Grind, grinding (rubbing) pigment with muller and plate (slab).

Parchment: Prepared skin of sheep or goat, mainly for calligraphy.

pH of paper: Measure of acidity. pH7 indicates a paper which is acid-free.

Polymerized oil: See stand oil.

Primer: Ground.

Proprietary: often a trade named product.

Resin, natural: Hardened sap of plants which is insoluble in water.

Resin, synthetic: Resinous compound, usually synthesized from petroleum.

Shellac: Resin secreted by stick insects on certain trees, mainly in India. Available in a number of grades.

Sinking paint: Layer of paint which sinks into underlayer.

Stand oil: In this book stand oil can be assumed to be linseed stand oil. Stand oil is a drying oil which has been processed by heat. It can also be called polymerized oil.

Stretcher: See Chassis.

Support: Material which supports the ground and painting or drawing.

Surfaced: Rough surface.

Thixotropic: a gel of fluid which flows when stress is applied eg. Liquin® Light Gel.

Tooth: Rough surface.

Toothed: In this book ‘toothed' and ‘surfaced' are both used to indicate a roughened ground.

Vehicle: The substance which carries the pigment. Often interchangable with binder.

Veil: See imprimatura.

Vellum: Prepared calf-skin, mainly for calligraphy.

Wetting agent: Usually a detergent-based liquid which breaks surface tension of a binder, and ‘wets' the pigment or support.

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