Episode 1: Show Vocabulary
We don’t shy away from technical terms in this show. As we put on the final touches to the first episode with mixed media artist Annie O’Brien Gonzales , check out some of the terms you may hear in the show.
COLOR
Color Scheme -
Just like there or notes that sound together in music (known as chords,) there are color combinations that work together in painting. Annie talks about and teaches the color schemes including analgous, complementary and monotone.
Analogous color scheme -
A color scheme that uses colors that are analogous, or side by side on the color wheel. For example, you could choose to do a painting with only yellows, greens, ad blues, and it would work from a color standpoint because all of those colors are adjacent to each other on the color wheel.
Complementary color scheme -
Complementary color schemes use colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. For example, you could plan to use only blues and oranges in your painting. The painting would work from a color standpoint because you're using complementary colors.
Monotone color scheme -
A color scheme that relies on the full range of one color. This color may be lightened or darkened (using white or water depending your medium or a dark color like black.) Think of a black and white photo but instead of just black and white, you can also use red. (Or any one color.)
Complementary color - ("Does it need more of it's complement?")
A complementary color is the color across on the color wheel. If you're looking for the complement of blue, you'd travel across the color wheel to discover it's orange.
One useful way to use complementary colors is to dull down your pigment. So for example, say you're using a blue but it is brighter (more saturated) than you want it to be. You can dull it down slightly by adding just a touch of its complement.
MATERIALS
Paint grades-
In an art store, paints come in different grades including professional, student and craft paints. So for example, if you're in the acrylics section, you'll see some tubes are way more expensive than others. Professional paints are the most expensive. Student grade is the next expensive and craft paints are the least expensive (and often in a totally different section if you're in a craft store.)
So what's the difference? The difference is in the amount of the color pigment itself in the bottle. Think of it like saffron. A lot of saffron is going to make something very expensive. Less saffron is going to make something less expensive...but not as tasty.
The good news is that both professional grade and student grade paints are light fast and won't fade over time. The difference is in how they handle.
Fillers -
You'll hear artists talk about fillers in paint. Student grade paints have more filler than professional grade paint. Filler is exactly what it sounds ike, it adds bulk to the paint without having to add more pure pigment, which keeps the cost down. It also changes how it handles and mixes. Student grade paints get muddier more quickly than professional grade paints. You'll also need more paint to cover the same area because there isn't as much pigment.
Pigment load- When you hear an artist talk about pigment load they could be referring to one of two things.
First, they could be talking about how much pigment is in the paint. In acrylics, fluid acrylics have more pigment load (more pigment) in them than heavy bodied acrylics.
The second use of pigment load is physically how much paint you're picking up on your brush. Watercolorists use this term much more often to mean the second than acrylic painters.
TYPES OF ACRYLIC PAINTS
There are several types of acrylics and more every day. (Yay material scientists!)
Heavy bodied acrylic paints-
Heavy bodied paints are the thickest. When you think of oil painting tubes of paint, this is heavy bodied.
Soft bodied acrylic paints -
Most craft paints and some professional grade paints (Liquitex brand for example) are soft bodied acrylic paints. They have a creamy texture that’s a bit more fluid than heavy bodied paints but don’t run freely like fluids.
Fluid acrylics paints-
Fluid acrylics are just that, fluidy. They have the consistency of cream.
High flow acrylic paints-
Newly onto the acrylics scene are high flow pigments, which have the thickness of water. Because of this thinness, they can be put in tools like paint pens. (The fluid acrylics aren't fluid enough to get through the pen.)
TECHNIQUES
Glazing-
Glazing is where you create a thin, trnasparent layer of paint and apply it over a layer underneath. The idea is that you can see through that thin glazed layer into the layer below it. Glazes can be applied very thinly to slowly build up color. They can also be used as a final wash to unify the whole painting. Among many other uses.
Annie O’Brien Gonzales’ episode of the podcast comes out September 30th. Add your name below to get the newsletter and notified when it goes live.