Painting Textures and Techniques

A clear plastic used as a medium for pigments. These paints can be used on almost any painting surface without painting a ground first. They dry quickly in glossy or matte finishes.

• tempera

• watercolor

• acrylic

• gouche

• finger paint

A painting technique in which a paint brush that is relatively dry, but still holds paint, is used. Load is applied to a dry support such as paper or primed canvas. The resulting brush strokes have a characteristic scratchy look that lacks the smooth appearance that washes or blended paint commonly have.

• sgraffito

• frattage

• scumbling

• sponge

• dry brush

It is the technique of creating a rich, irregular texture in wet or semi-wet paint by rubbing, or pressing, a sheet of non-absorbent paper onto an area of flat, opaque color. When the paper is peeled away it drags at the paint, leaving a rough, mottled surface. This word is derived from the French verb frotter, meaning to rub.

• sgraffito

• frattage

• scumbling

• sponge

• dry brush

This word is derived from the Italian word graffiare, meaning “to scratch”, and refers to a method of scratching or scraping through a layer of paint to expose the color or colors underneath.

• sgraffito

• frattage

• scumbling

• sponge

• dry brush

This is the rough application of a dry, semi-opaque color over a different colored layer of dry, opaque paint. The top layer is applied thinly, in circular/wavy motions, creating a movement of color which partially obscures the underlying color.

• sgraffito

• frattage

• scumbling

• sponge

• dry brush

The use of a sponge to create texture.

• sgraffito

• frattage

• scumbling

• sponge

• dry brush

(1) Any material used to create a work of art; plural form, media. (2) In painting, a liquid added to the paint that makes it easier to manipulate.

• medium

• supply

• tools

• flat

• rough

The smoothness and absence of curvature or surface detail/texture.

• medium

• supply

• tools

• flat

• rough

The technique of gently intermingling two or more colors or values to create a gradual transition or to soften lines.

• blending

• blocking in

• glazing

• ombre

• cross-hatching

It is a system in which thin, transparent washes of color are laid on successive layers of dried colors, such as many sheets of colored tissue paper.

• blending

• blocking in

• glazing

• ombre

• cross-hatching