Duffy’s Art Vocabulary
Direction- The line along which anything lies, faces, or
moves.
Width- Horizontal measurement.
Length- Measurement from end to end.
Height- Vertical measurement.
Depth- Distance from front to back or near to far in an
artwork.
Shape- a flat, two-dimensional area with height and
width. (2-D)
Two-Dimensional- Having height and width.
Three-Dimensional- Having height, width, & depth.
Geometric- Shapes that are precise and mathematical.
Organic- irregular & uneven shapes.
Square- a plane figure with four equal, straight sides
and four right angles.
Circle- a round plane figure whose boundary
(circumference) consists of equal points from the
center.
Triangle- a plane figure with three straight sides and
three angles.
Rectangle- a plane figure with four straight sides and
four right angles, especially 1 with unequal adjacent
sides.
Detail- a small part of the larger artwork.
Composition- the placement or arrangement of visual
elements or ingredients in a work of art.
Form- an object with 3 dimensions- height, width, and
depth.
Volume- the amount of space that a substance or
object occupies.
Mass- a large quantity or amount of something. An
object that appears to have weight.
Space- describes empty or full areas, areas that are
far away or nearby, and areas that are huge or small.
Positive Space- Shapes, forms, or lines that stand out
from the background in a work of art.
Negative Space- The empty space around and
between forms or shapes in an artwork.
Horizon- Line where earth & sky meet.
Vanishing Point- A set point on the horizon to which
your eye is led by following slanted lines.
Point of View- The position from which something or
someone is observed.
Linear Perspective- to position shapes to appear near
or far away in an artwork.
Straight-on View- Point of view that encourages a
viewer to focus on other aspects of the composition.
Two Point Perspective- A Linear Perspective where
there exist two points from which an object’s lines
radiate from; the sides of the object vanish to one of
two vanishing points on the horizon line.
Three Point Perspective- A Linear Perspective where
there are two vanishing points somewhere on the
horizon; there also exists a vanishing point above or
below the horizon line that the vertical lines disappear
to.
Foreground- objects appearing larger are placed
toward the bottom of artwork.
Middleground- objects appearing mid-size are placed
toward the middle of the artwork.
Background- objects appearing smaller are placed
toward the top of the artwork.
Atmospheric Perspective- Technique that creates the
illusion of air and space in a scene.
Value- shades of light and dark.
Murals- large artworks applied directly to a wall or
ceiling.
Shading- a gradual change from light to dark values.
Contrast- the effect showing the difference between
light and dark value.
Mood- the feeling you get from an artwork.
Simulated Texture- AKA Visual Texture; the way a
surface looks like it might feel.
Real Texture- AKA Tactile Texture; the way a surface
would feel if you could touch.
Color- Hue; The visual quality of objects caused by
the amount of light reflected by them.
Colorist- An artist who uses color with great skill.
Color Scheme- plans for combining colors in a work
of art.
Monochromatic- a color scheme using different values
of a single hue by showing tints and shades of the
same hue.
Analogous- a color scheme where at least 3 colors
side by side on the color wheel are used together.
Complementary- a color scheme featuring 2 colors
opposite on the color wheel.
Neutral- a color scheme made up of black, white, and
various tints and shades of gray.
Tint- a lighter color value made when mixing a hue
with white.
Shade- a darker color value made when mixing a hue
with black.
Intensity- the brightness or dullness of a hue.