Life Style / Painting Glossary

Classical: Established ideals of perfection.

Claude Glass: A small convex mirror that instead of being silvered was blackened at the back. The idea was that being convex it would reduce the scene and by being blackened it would only reflect the main . . . View Full Definition

Clear Coating: A transparent protective and/or decorative film.

Cleavage: It implies that the adhesion of paint layers in a picture has failed.

Coalescing: The settling or drying of an emulsion paint as the water evaporates.

Coat: A layer of paint.

Coating: A paint, stain, varnish, lacquer, or other finish that both protects and provides decoration to the substrate.

Cohesion: Attraction of molecules within a coating (how it holds together).

Cold Pressed: Watercolour paper that is Cold Pressed (CP) or 'Not' Pressed (NP) has mildly rough texture. It takes colour smoothly but the tooth allows for slight irregularities and graining in washes.

Collage: A method of picture-making which incorporates a wide variety of materials and often a certain degree of relief besides actual painting. Papers, cards, textiles, wood fragments, fur, small st . . . View Full Definition

Color Retention: The ability of paint to resist fading.

Color Uniformity: Ability of a coating to maintain a uniform or consistent color across its entire surface, particularly during the weathering process.

Colorant: Concentrated color that can be added to paints to make a specific color.

Colorfast: Fade resistant.

Colour Temperature: Colours are warm, hot or cold in appearance; orange, red, blue. This is true within each category of colour. There are hotter and colder colours in every category.

Colour Wheel: For details of the colour wheel and other theoretical aspects, see: Colour Theory in Painting.

Complimentary Colours: Red and green; blue and orange; yellow and purple... Colours that are opposite one another. When placed side by side they will intensify one another, making each more vibrant.

Composition: The arrangement of elements of form and colour within an artwork.

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