Life Style / Painting Glossary

Rabbet: The recess or groove of a frame for holding the picture.

Realism: A loosely applied term used to describe a painting that looks 'real' or has a strong or unpleasant subject.

Receding Colours: Pale or cool colours tend to recede into the background, thus they give us the impression of distance.

Reflected Light: The shadowed part of an object which is lightened by the reflection from an adjacent object.

Relief: The apparent or actual (impasto, collage) projection of three-dimensional forms.

Removers: Substances used to soften old varnish or paint so they may be removed easily.

Renaissance: The term applied to the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries in Italy. It was called so because of the 'rebirth of ideas after the restrictions of thought in the middle ages'.

Resin: A natural or synthetic material that is the main ingredient of paint and that binds ingredients together. It also aids adhesion to the surface.

Resist: Any material, usually wax or grease crayons, that repel paint or dyes. Lithography is a grease (ink)and water (wet stone or plate) resist printing technique. Batik is a wax resist fabric artform.

Rice Paper: A generic term for Japanese and other asian forms of paper made for artist's use. Used for sumi-e, brush calligraphy, and watercolor. Fibers from the inner bark of woody plants such as kozo . . . View Full Definition

Rocker: A broad-ended tool with a sharp-toothed curved base which is used to ground a mezzotint plate. It is so called because it is applied with a rocking motion.

Roller: A paint application tool having a revolving cylinder covered with lambs-wool, fabric, foamed plastic or other material.

Ropiness: Paint dries with a stringy look because it did not flow evenly onto the surface.

Rough: Rough watercolor paper has a coarse rough texture. This surface allows for maximum graining of washes and accidental highlights and texture.

Roulette: A small-toothed wheel set in a handle that can be used for working on a metal plate. A second use is for helping to transfer a large cartoon to a wall, a canvas or a panel. The roulette is r . . . View Full Definition

Runs: A blemish caused by excessive flow of the coating. Usually caused by applying too much paint or stain.

Rust Preventative Paint: The first coat of paint applied directly to iron or steel structures to slow down or prevent rust.

Sag: A downward movement of a paint or varnish caused by the application of too much coating, or the gathering off too much material in holes, cracks or joints.

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