Artist's Resources∼Artist's Dictionary H
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N |
O |P |Q |R |S |T |U |V |W |X |Y |Z
H
Hague School
Dutch realist Artists who painted at the Hague during the last half of the 19th
century.
Hairline register
A very close register; in printing a register within plus or minus one half row
of dots.
Hake
Pronounced hoe-key An Oriental flat brush made of sheep or goat hair, used for washes.
Halftone
1. In painting, a value between the lightest and the darkest tone of a color.
2. In printmaking, a gray or tint made by breaking an area up by use of dots or lines.
3. In commercial printing, a photo or gray or tint produced by photographing the original through a crosshatch
screen, the dot size being determined by the number of crosshatch lines to the inch.
4. In commercial Art, a benday screen of dots on acetate, used on a layout to create grays and textures, known by
various trade names, such as Zipatone.
Halo, Halation
1. A glowing or halo effect usually about the head of religious figures in Art.
2. In graphic Arts, the same type of effect around headlines, products, etc.
Hammer
In stone carving, a tool used to pound on a chisel or other tool to cut or remove
stone.
Hand-blocked
Printed by hand with the use of a block plate.
Hand-burnishing
In printmaking, a method of rubbing a plate, often achieved with a wooden spoon.
Hand coloring
See Pochoir.
Handi-bender
A wire bending jig used to bend coat hangers or other wire into many desired shapes for
crafts.
Hand-primed
As opposed to mechanically primed canvas, the primer is brushed or rolled on by hand
rather than by machine.
Hand screen printing
See Silkscreen.
Hand-tacking iron
An electrically heated iron used to tack or fix, in the dry mounting process, without
a press.
Hard realism
A realism with an exact and flat painting style; Grant Wood (1892-1942) painted in
this manner.
Haricot
In design, a kidney bean shape.
Hatch, hatching
Lines superimposed upon lines to create texture and value. See
Crosshatch.
Haze
An atmospheric condition that clouds an area.
H D
Hand made
Heartwood
In woodcarving, the harder and darker part of the tree near the center, the
"heart".
Heel (of a brush)
The portion of hair on a brush where the brush and ferrule meet.
Henri, Robert
(1865-1929) An American painter and teacher, one of the founders of the Aschan School.
He was author of "The Art Spirit", a popular manuscript dealing with the philosophy of
picture making.
Heraldic
Pertaining to a design or emblem symbolizing or identifying a family or a
profession, especially a coat of arms.
Herm
A rectangular block or slab of stone having a head carved at the top, used as a
dedication to a god, or as a grave marker.
Hickey
In graphics, an undesirable mark or imperfection in printing, caused by dirt in
the ink or on the press.
Hide glue
An adhesive made from the hides of animals, rabbit, calf and others.
Hieroglyphics
Pertaining to picture characters, (signs or symbols) in Egyptian and other
early writings; any emblematic markings.
High key painting
The use of upper values on the value scale in a composition, creating a light,
sometimes pale picture.
Highliner
A square-tipped, long or extra long lettering brush, the best being red sable.
HMP
Handmade paper; the pattern is more random, therefore will not tear as easily as
mold-made paper.
Hogarth's line
See Line of Beauty.
Hog hair
See Bristle.
Hokusai, Katsushika
(1760-1849) A Japanese master printmaker, famous for "The great Wave"
and "View of Mt. Fugi", among
others. His sketchbooks are an invaluable source of Japanese life and custom.
Homer, Winslow
(1836-1910) An American illustrator, graphic Artist and Painter. He recorded the Civil
War but is best known for his rural, small town genre paintings, and later for pictures of men and the sea.
Horizon line
In perspective, a straight horizontal line at the line of sight. See
Line of sight.
Horsehair brush
An Oriental painting brush with stiff hairs, originally made with horsehair.
Hot pressed paper
(H.P.) Smooth, dense paper used for drawing and opaque watercolors.
Hudson River Painters
A 19th century group of American romantic landscape Artists who painted mainly in
the Hudson River valley and the Catskill mountains, but some roamed as far west as
the Sierras; famous painter of the early group included Cole, Doughty, Durand,
among others, the second group were called the Luminists and included such
Artists as Church and Bierstadt. See
Luminism.
Humanism
A Renaissance doctrine centered on the potential of mankind, with some rejection
of supernaturalism. In Art, brought a tendency toward secular themes.
Hyalography
Engraving on glass with diamond or emery cutting tools, or with an etching solution.
Hygroscopic
Capable of absorbing moisture from the air; said of paper that changes character and
size with humidity.
Hypro paper fabric
Trade name of a paper that is textured on one side and smooth on the other; versatile
and available in many sizes; even in rolls for murals. Moistened with water, it will
form, drape and sculpt.