Color Pencil Glossary
acid free paper - paper that has been buffered with an alkaline reserve, and the acid compounds have been neutralized.
adjacent hue - a hue that is next to another hue on a color wheel.
archival paper - paper that has been manufactured to resist against natural aging.
blender - a tool that helps blend or merge the layers of color pencil together.
blending - a technique of applying one layer of color over another
layer of color and the combining of the two or more colors together creates a new color. A tortillon, solvents, erasers, blending pencils, or blending ink pens can be used to blend and smooth out the colored pencil layers which make the colors very bright and vivid.
burnishing - using a light colored pencil or metal object with heavy
pressure and applying it over a layered or drawn surface. It makes the colors look brighter, sometimes lighter and can give an image a
polished or reflective look.
chiaroscuro - a Renaissance system for describing an emergence of
form, relying on value changes from dark to light.
chroma - a color's strength or intensity.
circulism stroke - Maggie Toole's color pencil technique of drawing and
overlapping, intertwining circles in various colors and sizes.
color - an element of art that has 3 properties 1. hue or tint 2.intensity and 3.value.
color key - a key or legend displaying what colors you used in your artwork.
color pencil - a pencil containing a wax, oil or water-based bound
pigment as its "lead". They are semi-opaque accept for white, cream and grey. A popular name brand is Prismacolor Pencils.
color temperature - warm and cool hues.
complementary colors - hues that are opposite of each other on a color wheel.
crosshatching - lay one layer of color horizontal and then a different layer of color vertically. Continue with this layering process until the desired results are achieved.
drybrushing - a blending technique, in which you blend the layers of color with a dry paintbrush.
fixative - a protective spray you can apply to color pencil work. It also helps prevent wax bloom and can also be used when color won't adhere to the surface of the paper.
frottage - color pencil rubbing of textured object.
grisaille - method of establishing values using a neutral or single hue of low intensity color, such as sepia, greys or a complementary color, before applying color.
hue - a single color of the color spectrum.
impressed line - a technique in which one impresses lines onto the paper, before adding color, by using a blunt tool. Great for achieving white lines, whiskers, or whispy hairs.
intensity - a color's strength or brightness.
layering - applying one pencil color stroke after another, building numerous layers of different colors.
lightfastness - how well a color is able to retain it's pigment, when exposed to light.
linear stroke - Is strokes that are close together, creating an even tone
monochromatic - applying only one color or hue and varying the pressure to achieve dark and light areas.
pigment - the pencil color to be applied, either wax or oiled based.
point - the sharpness of the pencil, from very sharp to dull
pressure - is a term used when applying color either lightly to heavly to the surface of the paper.
scrumbling - a technique in which you apply light overlapping layers of color, in small circular motion.
saturation - the purity or intensity of a color.
sgraffito - a technique in which you scrape or scratch away the very top surface of layers of color to create whispy hairs, lines etc.
solvents - substances that are used to dissolve the color pigment on the surface of the paper.
smooth surface - a paper with a very smooth hard finish with zero to little tooth.
strokes - the direction in which applying the color pencil
stroking - applying horizontal, diagonal, vertical, circular or crosshatch lines side by side and/or overlaying one another.
stump - a single size tool consisting of tightly rolled paper, used for blending layers of color pencil together.
tortillion - a tool that comes in three sizes, consisting of tightly rolled paper, used for blending layers of color pencil together.
value - lightness and darkness of a color.
vellum surface - a paper with a minimum to moderate tooth.
vertical line technique - a technique created by Ann Kullberg, in which apply vertical line or stroke next to another.
wash - is an even tonal application of one color with the same steady pressure
water color pencil - water soluble pencils that can be applied either wet or dry.
wax bloom - is a build up of wax from wax based pencils, which
creates a whitish haze on the surface of the paper.
wip - work in progress
MORE COMING SOON!
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