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.

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.

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.

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.

The use of a sponge to create texture.

(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.

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

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

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.

(literally "shaded" in French) this is the blending of one color hue to another, usually moving tints and shades from light to dark, but can be used for transitioning colors. This is a type of color gradation.

This is when the whole of the canvas is painted or worked up simultaneously. The first step is to decide what the dominant colors and tones are and to loosely paint these areas, or ___ them in. Then gradually the shapes and colors are refined, more detail added, and tones finalized. This is a type of underpainting.

In this technique, lines and strokes or color are criss-crossed on top of one another to create a fine mesh of color or tone.

This technique is applying paint in small, separate strokes of pure color, without blending, so that the picture is built up in the same way a mosaic is. From the appropriate viewing distance, these small strokes appear to fuse, but because they are fragmented, they reflect more light and movement than blended color.

An initial layer of paint applied to a ground, which serves as a base for subsequent layers of paint. These are often monochromatic and help to define tones.

A visual technique of gradually transitioning from one color hue to another, or from one shade to another, or one texture to another. As a principle of design, it refers to any way of combining elements of art by using a series of gradual changes in those elements. This is unlike contrast which stresses sudden changes in elements.