Drawing Vocabulary

Chiaroscuro:  An Italian word designating the relative contrast of dark and light in a drawing, painting or print. Artists use chiaroscuro to create spatial depth and volumetric forms through slight gradations in the intensity of light and shadow.

Contour lines:  The lines that define the edge between two shapes.

Contrast:  The difference between to unlike things, such as a dark color and a light color.

Form:  A three-dimensional object or, in an artwork, the representation of a three-dimensional object.

Negative space:  The empty space that surrounds and defines a form. 

Positive space:  The space that a form or shape occupies in an artwork.

Shading:  A way of showing gradual changes in lightness or darkness in a drawing or painting. Shading helps make a picture look more three dimensional.  Techniques include blending, stippling, hatching, and cross-hatching.

Shape:  A two-dimensional figure created by connecting actual or implied lines that enclose an area of space. A shape can be geometric (such as a circle or square) or organic (having an irregular outline).

Value:  The relative lightness or darkness of something.

Value scale:  A series of blocks showing the gradual increase of shading

Composition:  the arrangement of objects on a drawing surface.

Proportion: The size of something in a drawing in relation to the other objects in the drawing, using visual measurement techniques for realism.

Light source: demonstrates the direction that light is coming from in a drawing, using highlights and shadows to create the illusion of form.

Contrast: the dramatic difference between light and dark and other elements and principles (such as rough texture next to smooth texture).

Gradation: a gradual, subtle change in value.

Perspective: A drawing technique which creates the illusion of 3 dimensions on a 2 dimensional surface (height, width, depth).

Horizon line: an imaginary horizontal line at the artists eye level; in landscapes, the line where the sky seems to meet the earth

Vanishing point: an imaginary point (or points) on the horizon line where lines converge (come together)

Transparent: you can see directly through the object, such as clear glass.

Translucent: some light can pass through object, such as stained (colored) glass.

Opaque: light does not pass through object, such as glass painted black.

Blending:  Technique of shading through smooth, gradual application of value.

Cross Hatching:  Superimposed layers of parallel lines (hatching) at an angle to

one another; used to create shadow and modeling.

Drawing:  An art technique using pencil, pen, brush, charcoal, crayon, pastel, etc.

Gesture Drawing:  Quick sketch used to capture the movement or position of a figure.

Graphics:  Create visual images that complement written words.Images and words generated by hand or computer.

Illustrate:  Create visual images that complement written words.

Picture Plane:  The flat surface of a two-dimensional art work.

Sketch:  Quick, rough drawing without much detail that can be used as a plan for a future drawing Stippling:  Painting, drawing, etc. by means of flecks or dots.

Implied:  type of line where the eye completes the unfinished line in a shape

Figurative:  use of the human figure in an artwork.

Thumbnail Sketches:  rough sketches of ideas, usually small (thus the size of a thumbnail)

Sketchbook:  a book or collection of drawings, a place an artist works out ideas for later work.