The traditional painting surface for an egg tempera painting. It is basically a wooden panel which has been primed with a mix of rabbit skin glue, gypsum or whiting, white pigment and water. Not to be confused with an acrylic gesso primer, which is more suited as a primer for acrylic and oil paintings.
Usually relating to oil painting. It is a thin layer of transparent or semi-transparent paint that is applied over previous layers to modify the colour. A glaze can intensify or dull down the color beneath it.
This is the division of a support along geometrical lines in order to produce the ‘perfect’ proportions.
The rule or thirds is a similar, but simpler method of obtaining an approximate result.
A water-based painting medium which is handled similarly to watercolor but in which the paint has been rendered opaque either by the addition of an extender or by packing with large amount of pigment. It is also known as “designers colour” and “body colour”.
By adding plenty of water it acts like watercolor, but when used neat it has excellent covering power, but unlike watercolor it can be applied to coloured grounds. This makes it particularly popular with illustrators and graphic designers because of is matt finish and strong, bright colours.
The way one colour blends into another, darkening or lightening in a progressive, even manner. For example; a watercolour wash of a sky that is darker at the top of the painting and lighter at the horizon is often painted as a gradated wash.
A prepared painting surface such as primed canvas. In some cases the primer can be tinted in which case it is known as ‘coloured ground’.