Glossary

Bistre - like Imprimatura, a yellow/brown transparent wash applied to the ground before painting on it. (French).

Cangiante - means changing colours. Hue shifts in colour to make shadows e.g. for drapery and fabrics.

Chiaroscuro - dramatic passages of light and dark in a painting (examples are paintings by Caravaggio).

Croquis - small, quick sketch(es) (French) or thumbnails. Used when considering composition.

Effloresence - the forming of a white, chalky substance on the surface after many years. Often caused by paint containing Zinc Oxide and fatty acids resulting in zinc soaps.

Festaiolo - a figure in the painting looking directly at the viewer. From the Italian meaning 'party-goer' or 'party host'. Sometimes the artist will use a self-portrait within the painting as the Festaiolo. A compositional technique to add interest and dynamism for the viewer.

Grisaille - a grey tonal underpainting (French). Also known as 'dead layering' as human subjects would appear dead. Typically, the underpainting would be rendered to a high degree and transparent glazes would be applied on top to provide the colour.

Imprimatura - a thin translucent layer of colour applied to the ground before painting on it. It reduces the absorbency of the ground and is sometimes used as a middle tone for the painting itself. It can also help secure the drawing. Some artists apply it to get rid of the white, either to avoid the 'painting on white fear', to easier see the proper relationships of tones or to be able to establish lights by rubbing back.

Sfumato - to produce soft or 'smokey' edges. This is not achieved by a single technique but is canonical - meaning an approach which utilises a number of techniques such as using multiple layers, softening edges, using smooth brush work and find gradations of values. Use soft, synthetic rounds. Blending is more even if the paint is almost dry before blending.

Unione - use of harmonious colours to provide balance and harmony.

Verdaccio - a green tonal underpainting typically used for skin. A nine-value tonal range can be created using Terre Verte and Titanium White. Believed to provide better depth to shadows since green is complementary to red (or pink of the flesh).