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Acrylic Paint A common name given to water base paints made with an emulsion of 100% acrylic co-polymers. Artist's acrylics are sold by the tube and have the consistency of toothpaste. For decorative painting they are more often used to tint the glazing liquid.
Alkyd A synthetic resin used in oil base paints. Reacting a drying oil with a hard, synthetic material creates an alkyd resin. Antiquing Technique intended to give appearance of age or wear. Badger Hair Softener A high quality brush made with badger hair and used to soften and blend glazes together for Marbling, Wood Graining, and other faux finishes. Base Coat The first coat of paint applied to a surface after the primer coat or tinted primer coat to render it non-porous. Broken Color Techniques whereby a wet glazed surface is given a variance by manipulating it with various tools. Burnish To polish using a hard, smooth tool such as a trowel or putty knife. Color Wheel The visible spectrum of colors arranged in a circle. A chart in which complementary colors are arranged on opposite sides of the circle. Combing A technique of pulling toothed implements (rubber, metal, leather, plastic or cardboard) through wet media. Coverage Amount of surface a given quantity of paint will cover; also how well paint conceals surface being painted. Crackle Finish A finish in which cracking is produced, allowing the undercoat to show through the cracks. A rapid drying of topcoat over slow drying undercoat produces crackling. Cutter A short, natural (hog hair) bristle brush used to add specific markings in simulating wood grain. Decorative Painting Technique This can be accomplished with a variety of techniques and tools, adorning surfaces in a decorative way using paint and/or glaze. Denatured Alcohol This is also called denatured solvent or solvent alcohol. It is an alcohol that has been made unfit for drinking. Used as a solvent for all shellac-based media and dried latex and acrylic films. Distressing Can also be another term for ‘glazing and wiping’. Dragger A stiff bristle brush used for “dragging”. Dragging A glazing technique for achieving a subtle mix of fine stripes by pulling a wide stiff bristled brush through wet glaze. Also called Strie’. Extender A slow-drying clear medium that when mixed with latex paint, creates a durable glaze. Faux
Faux Bois A French term meaning “fake wood”. Faux Marble A French term meaning “fake marble”. Fitch This is a natural long hair bristle brush with bristles 1” wide and 1 ½” long. Used primarily for mixing color into glaze. Flogger A brush with very long bristles used to simulate wood grain. Flogging A technique used to create the appearance of pores in wood by “drumming” or “slapping” the surface with a long bristled brush. Usually used in the 1st stage of imitating certain types of wood. Frottage`
(in decorative painting)
This
comes from the French word meaning “to rub”. The decorative paint term
denotes a technique of applying a wet glaze, then rubbing it with fabric, paper
or other materials, to create a texture. Gesso Traditionally this is a medium made from rabbit skin glue and whiting (chalk) which was used to prime artist’s canvas or as a ground under water gilding. Presently, gesso is made from acrylic resins yet still has thickness, whiteness and hardness of traditional gesso. Gilding The application of metal in any form (gold or other metallic leaf, metallic foil, metallic paint, metallic powder, etc.) as a finish. Glaze A clear, durable medium formulated and mixed with latex paint to extent the open-time or work time to the paint so that it can be manipulated. Glaze is a paint extender. It is also used to create translucence and/or to add sheen and dimension in some faux finishes. Glazing Process of applying glaze, either oil or water base, to all or part of a surface. Grade A continuous and gradual color transition. Grain The arrangement of the fibers in wood. Heart Grainer (Rocker) A tool used to create the heart grain of wood for “faux bois”. Highlighting Making certain parts of finished project appears lighter than other parts Hog Hair Softener A high quality brush made from hog’s hair used to softer and blend glazes together for wall glazing. It is also used to remove excess glaze build up in corners of walls or recesses of carved moldings or to eliminate brush strokes in wet glaze. Hue The
family name of a color according to its wavelength on the visible spectrum. Latex Paint Water
base paint made with a synthetic latex emulsion. Marbleizing Finishing process used to make surface being painted look like marble. Masking The use of tape, paper, a combination of the two or other substances to protect and isolate a particular area for painting. Mineral Spirits / White Spirits Used as a solvent for oil-based paint and varnish. Moiré A British term meaning to break up a glaze giving a blotchy surface appearance by manipulating a rag, sponge, stipple or brush into the wet glazed surface. Visual effect of different tones used to render certain linear patterns in marble and undulations in wood grain to achieve nuance and depth. Monochrome Having or appearing to have only one color. Painting done in a range of tones of a single color to create depth and shadow. Mottler A short, natural, soft-haired (squirrel) bristle brush used in simulating wood grain. Negative Technique Glaze is applied to a surface with a roller or brush and then manipulated with various
tools thereby moving and removing it. Opacity The degree of covering/hiding power of a paint or coating. Open Time The amount of time that a glaze stays wet and workable. Oxidation The chemical change caused by the introduction of oxygen. On iron it creates rust, on copper it creates an attractive patina known as verdigris (due to the greenish tint). Patina A thin greenish layer that forms on copper or copper alloys, such as bronze, as a result of long exposure to the elements and often valued aesthetically for its color. It gives a surface appearance of something grown beautiful naturally, with age or use. Positive Technique Glaze is applied to a surface with the manipulating tool (such as a sea sponge or rag). Primer The first coat of media applied to a surface to reduce absorbency & to ensure adhesion of subsequent coats. Rag Rolling A glazing technique that involves using rags to manipulate wet glaze. Scumble Traditionally, a British term denoting tinted oil (or water color) glaze or stain that is used to produce a broken color effect. In North America the term means a translucent, slow-drying, water base glaze. Shade Degree of color obtained by adding black to a color or hue. Shellac An alcohol-soluble liquid derived from lac, the resinous secretion of the lac beetle. Deep orange-brown in its natural state, white shellac is bleached colorless to make clear shellac. Skim Coat - Venetian Plaster The second step in the Venetian Plaster Techniques whereby a skim coat of Venetian Plaster is forced into the valleys and recesses of the texture coat, filling in the pattern and creating a tone on tone effect, also called “smooth coat”. Soften To blend a color or brush marks by lightly smoothing, partially or wholly, generally with a badger hair softener. Sponge Painting A broken color effect produced by either applying color or removing color by dabbing with a natural sponge. Stipple A decorative treatment also known as “Pouncing”. A glaze is applied to the surface and while it is wet, a Stippler is hit or pounced onto the surface causing the glaze to disperse into tiny dots. Stippling gives a very even film of glaze while removing brush strokes in a wet glaze. Stippler A large brush, usually with a large surface area of hundreds of hog hair bristles, that when applied to a wet paint or glaze produces a mottled, stippled pattern. Strie` A glazing technique for achieving a subtle mix of fine stripes by pulling a wide stiff bristled brush through wet glaze. Sword Striper A small, fine, artist brush made of natural (Sable) hairs and is shaped like a sward or dagger. Used for fine veins in marbling. Texture Coat - Venetian Plaster The first step in the Venetian Plaster techniques whereby a pattern is made in the wet Venetian Plaster Base Coat and left to dry in anticipation of a second smooth VP coat (skim coat). Tint Pigments used for altering the hues of all types of media. Translucency Clarity Transmitting light but causing sufficient diffusing to prevent perception of distinct images. Trompe L'Oeil French expression meaning, “To trick the eye”. A painting technique in which an illusion of depth and reality is created by emphasizing highlights and shadows. Universal Tint Super-saturated colorants used to tint water or oil base glazes, paints, varnishes, plasters, gesso etc. The colorants cannot be used alone; they must be added to another medium. Value The amount of light & dark in a hue. Varnish Traditionally a transparent coating composed of a fossil resin drying agent and volatile solvent (very yellow). Presently, the term is used to describe any synthetic resins such as alkyd or acrylic clear coats, epoxies and polyurethane’s that provide a clear protective coating. Venetian Plaster Venetian plaster is a multi-layered application that resembles finishes found in the palaces of Rome. The final product has the same look, shine and feel of marble. Venetian plaster is tintable; so you can select the color you like. The finish is achieved through repeatedly layering and burnishing the product. The more layers and burnishing applied, the more depth and movement achieved. The
application process is truly laborious. However, it's required to achieve the
desired effect. There
are a few variations that can be incorporated with Venetian Plaster: Stencil
designs can be used to create texture and depth. They are embedded into the
wall. An iridescent shine can be achieved by adding metallic glazes. Wet Edge The place where one section of glaze joins a still wet, previously applied section, so that no "seam" or "break" in the finish, is visible after it is dry.
This list is far from complete. If you come across other decorative painting techniques defined or tips and definitions you would like to see added to our list please [send it] to us and we'll be happy to add!
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