Artist's Resources∼Artist's Dictionary I

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I


Icon, Ikon, Eikon   A religious image, particularly of the Eastern orthodox churches; a sacred likeness or representation, often painted on wood.
Ideogram   A sign or symbol representing an object or idea.
Illumination   The Art of decorating manuscripts with fanciful letters, pictures and designs; the earliest known example was found in "The book of the Dead" in Egypt.
Illusionism   See Trompe l'oeil.
Illustration board   A good quality paper mounted to a stiff backing board; available in two thicknesses and two textures; hot pressed and cold pressed; used in a variety of types of ArtWork.
Imbrication   A pattern in which the motifs overlap like shingles on a roof.
imp.   (Latin, abbreviation for "impressit", "he printed it") Same as "exc." See Exc.
Impasto   A thick application of paint on a painting.
Imposition   In printing, the positioning of pages on the press so they will be in proper sequence when printed and folded.
Impression   An imprint made by means of applying pressure.
Impressionism   An Art movement beginning in France in the 1870's, founded by an individualistic group of Artists including Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley and Camille Pissarro; all concerned themselves mainly with the components of light and the immediate visual impression of a scene using unconnected colors that were to be mixed by the eye; bright colors and bold brushwork were often used to acheive these impressions. See also Pointillism, Postimpressionism.
Inc.   (Latin, "indicit", or "he cut it") Found on a print as credit for the engraver or etcher when different than the Artist.
India ink   A dark black liquid ink, available in what is called waterproof or nonwaterproof formulas.
India oil stone   A stone used to sharpen knives, burins and scrapers.
Inkless intaglio   See Embossed print.
Innes, George   (1825-1894) An American romantic landscape painter who developed without formal training. His early paintings were influenced by the Works of the Barbizon School, but his later Works were done in a more intimate manner of unpicturesque subjects.
Insert frame   See Liner.
In situ   (Latin, "in position") On the spot, said of a painting when painted on location.
Instant Mount sheets   Double-faced adhesive sheets (20"x25") used where heat, glue or wax may damage the Art Work.
Intaglio   1. In sculpture, hollow or concave relief. See "Cavo rilievo". 2. In printmaking, design or lettering cut below the surface of a plate, with ink left only in the depressions, as in etching, drypoint, aquatint, photogravure and line drawing.
Intaglio relief plate   A plate that has been inked on the surface rather than in the lines.
Intarsia   Inlay work, usually wood inlaid with contrasting wood, but may be ivory, mother of pearl, or other material. See also Marquetry.
Interference Colors   Pastels made with two different colors in one stick.
International reply coupon   A form purchased at the Post Office and enclosed with ArtWork sent to a foreign country; used to cover return postage.
Interpret   In Art, to represent or illustrate in light of the Artists' belief; not necessarily a literal copy of real things.
In the round   See Sculpture in the round.
Intimism   A style of painting concerned with intimate domestic settings; major Artists were Pierre Bonnard and Edouard Vuillard.
Intutitive painting   Painting from a subjective, or personal frame of reference.
inv.   (Latin, abbreviation for "invenit" or "he invented it") Credit given on a print to the one who designed it.
Investment casting   See Lost wax method.
Iridescence   Delicate tints of rainbow colors caused by a diffraction of light.
Iron gall ink   An ink made from tannin or gallotannic acid, which comes from oak galls, used in the Dark Ages.
Irregular curve   See French curve.
Isometric projection   A form of axonometric projection used in mechanical drawing which has equality of foreshortening of the 3 planes of an object, with the height, width, and depth drawn on the same scale; horizontal lines are usually all drawn at 30 degrees to base, and verticals perpendicular to base; distortion is evident; first used by East Indian and Persian Artists.
Italian earth   Pigment, an old name for Sienna.
Ives Color Wheel   The red, yellow, blue color wheel introduced by Herbert Ives, an American, (1882-1953)red was called achlor, yellow was zanth and blue turquoise was cyan.