1. Acrylics A type of paint made with synthetic resin as a medium (liquid) to bind the pigment (color), rather than natural oils such as linseed used in oil paints. It has the advantage of drying faster than oil paint and being water soluble.

2. Gesso: A mixture of glue, whitening, and water used as an undercoat for a painting.

3. Pigment: is the substance or powder that makes up the color of a paint. Pigments are either organic (derived from plant or animal sources, e.g. ivory black, indigo) or inorganic (derived from salts or metallic oxides e.g. ocher, cobalt blue).

4. Retarder Retarder is a medium added to paint to increase the time it takes to dry. It is formulated to slow (retard) drying. Retarder can be particularly useful with acrylic paints, to increase the working time you have before the paint dries.

5. Mediums: Mediums are added to acrylics to change the paint’s consistency (make it thicker so it shows brush marks or thinner for washes) and finish (matte or gloss), to slow drying (retarders), to add texture, and avoid over thinning.

6. Gel Medium: is a gloss medium that allows the color to be extended or made more transparent without loss of structure.

7. Canvas: heavy fabric that is “stretched” on a wooden frame as a support for painting

8. Color Theory Vocabulary Hue: the basic name assigned to a color. Intensity: (of color) How bright or dull a color is. Also called “saturation”.

9. Color Patte: The grouping of colors that one choose to use within a piece of work. Limited Color Pallet: When an artist restricts themselves to a specific few colors (monochromatic, analogous etc.)

10. Chiaroscuro: the contrast of light and dark areas in a painting (light source)

11. Monochromatic: Working with only one color, but many different shades, tints, and intensities of it.

12. Impasto A way of applying paint, specifically a thick, textured application of a pint where the marks are made by the brush or painting knife stay visible.. Painterly The term refers to painting where the paint itself is loose, fluid or textured. Photographs and where form is defined more by blocks of color than line are also often described as such.