Comman Art Terms starting from T

Glossary of Art Terms

Welcome to USBlackart.Com Glossary of common Art Terms. Here we hope to give you a brief definition of various art terms which might be unfamiliar to you. If you have any questions, comments, or ideas please e-mail us.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

T square: -a guide for drawing horizontal lines on a drafting table. It is also used to guide the triangle that draws vertical lines. Its name comes from the general shape of the instrument where the horizontal member of the T slides on the side of the drafting table. Return to top

Tension:- to make tense, tighten or stress. Return to top

Texture: -the tactile surface characteristics of a work of art that are either felt or perceived visually. Return to top

Tertiary Colors: also called intermediate colors, these are blends of primary and secondary colors. Colors such as red-orange and blue-green are tertiary colors. Return to top

Three-Dimensional :- Having, or appearing to have, height, width, and depth. A sensation of space which seems to have thickness or depth as well as height and width Return to top

.Three-Quarter View:- a view of a face or any other subject which is half-way between a full and a profile view. Return to top

Thumbnail Sketch:- crude, small pencil drawings used to develop the initial concept for a design. Return to top

TIFF: acronym for Tagged Image File Format, a standard graphic image file format usually generated by scanners. Return to top

Tint:- a hue with white added. Pink is a tint of red. Return to top

Titanium: an oxide used as a white pigment of great permanence and covering power. Usually extended with other whites to improve its brushing and drying properties. Return to top

Tole:- decorative painting on tin objects. Return to top

Tondo: - A painting in the shape of a circle. Return to top

Tone: - A quality of a color, such as its tint, shade, value, or brightness; or to create such a quality in a color. To tone down is to make a color less vivid, harsh, or violent; moderate. To tone up is to make one become brighter or more vigorous. Refers to the general effect in painting, of light, color, and shade. Return to top

Transition:- the change or passing from one condition, place, thing, or activity to another; the passage linking one subject, section, or other part of a composition with another. Return to top

Trompe L'oeil:- French for "fool the eye." A two-dimensional representation that is so naturalistic that it looks actual or real (three-dimensional.) This form of painting was first used by the Romans thousands of years ago in frescoes and murals. French for "deceive the eye". A painting with extreme naturalistic details, aiming to persuade the viewer that they are looking at an actual object, not a representation. It involves rendering a subject with such detail and attention to lighting and perspective that the finished piece appears real and three-dimensional. Return to top

Trecento - The 1300s-- the fourteenth century.IsUsed to mostly refer to Italian art of that century. Return to top

Triptych: - A painting that has three parts, panels, or canvases. This was a common form for an altarpiece during the middle Ages and the Renaissance Return to top

Two-Dimensional :- Having height and width, but no depth; flat. : A measurable distance on a surface which show height and width but lack any illusion of thickness or depth. Return to top

Turpentine: -a high quality oil paint thinner and solvent. Return to top

Typography:- the study and process of typefaces; how to select, size, arrange, and use them in general. In modern terms. typography includes computer display and output. Traditionally, typography was the use of metal types with raised letterforms that were inked and then pressed onto paper. Return to top

Tempera:- Technique of painting in which water and egg yolk or whole egg and oil mixture form the binder for the paint. Used also as a term for cheap opaque paints used in schools. Return to top

Thixotropic:-Referring to materials that are thick and viscous while at rest but will flow if brushed, stirred, or shaken. Resumes to the viscous state once, the agitation stops. . Return to top. Return to top

Tint:- Term for a color lightened with white. Also, in a mixture of colors, the tint is the dominant color. . Return to top

Texture: -The actual or virtual representation of different surfaces, paint applied in a manner that breaks up the continuous color or tone. Return to top

Tone:- The light and dark values of a color. Return to top

Toner ;-An unlaked dye that can bleed or migrate through dried paint films. Return to top. Return to top

Tooth:- Small grained but even texture. Tooth provides for the attachment of succeeding layers of paint. Return to top

Traction:- In oils, the movement of one paint layer over another. Return to top

Tragacanth:- A gum , extracted from certain Astragals plants, used as a binding agent in watercolor paints and pastels. . Return to top