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Tableau painting
(French) A painting which is produced in an unexpected or dramatic way; example: a layered
glass painting, three, four, or five layers of glass with a portion of the picture
painted on each glass, placed one on top of the other, creating a three-dimensional
picture.
Table easel
See
Easel. There you will find a
complete list of all types of easels available.
br /
Tabouret
A stand to hold an Artists' palette, paints and accessories, drawers and
compartments are underneath it.
Taches
Effective touches of impast paint.
Tachisme
(French, "tacher", "to stain or blot".) An offshoot in the 1950's of abstract expressionism
closely associated with activism; an unplanned pattern of splotches and dabs of
paint, the emotional impact of which results from the outburst of the Artists'
spirit while working; exponents of this approach were Jean Atlan, Camille Bryan, Alfred
Wols, Georges Mathieu and others.
Tacking iron
A box heated by electricity, used to tack pictures, photographs or papers to cardboard
by a dry mounting effect.
Tagboard
Cardboard used for posters, tickets, flash cards, etc, available in white and colors.
Tallpiece
An illustration used at the end of a page or end of a book.
Talc
A fine-grained mineral used as a filler, sometimes called "French chalk".
Talent
A natural gift or ability of superior quality.
Tangent
Touching or meeting, as of lines or forms.
Tanka
(Tibetian) A religious painting mounted on brocade cloth, used as a
processional banner.
T'ao-t'tieh
In design, a heraldic animal mask. See
devils' mask.
Tapestry
In textile design. 1. A scenic fabric wall hanging, originally used for
insulation and warmth as well as decoration.
2. A colorful, durable fabric.
Tariatan
A strong, white absorbent cloth used for wiping inked plates.
Tatlinism
A constructivist Art style named for one of the earliest constructivilists. See
Constructivism.
Tatersall
In textile design, a large plaid design at one time used on blankets worn by
horses at the auction rooms in London, where the auction market was owned by a
man named Tatersall.
Tau
See
Tree of life.
Tear sheet
A published page showing an Artists' illustrations, designs, photographs, or
other Artwork, or a copy of that page.
Technical pen
A drawing pen with a finepoint and an ink supply cartridge; available in different
point sizes.
Tectiform
A term applied to certain abstract forms/signs which accompany paleolithic wall
engravings.
Tectonic
In sculptural forms, relating to the simple mass rather than extended shapes and
forms.
Tempura
Originally a pigment ground with egg emulsion, properly called egg tempera. Dries hard
and quickly and is very permanent; while egg tempera is still used, in general;
the term now refers to gouache, poster colors and other opaque watercolors. See
Egg tempura.
temperature
In color, the relative "warmth" or "coolness" warm colors being in the red-yellow
range, while cool colors would include blues and greens.
Template
1. A plastic or metal guide for drawing circles, squares, triangles and
other shapes and symbols.
2. A full scale drawing that can then be cut out and applied to
other mediums for cutout, then to be re-assembled in the new medium.
Ten, the
Ten American Artists who exhibited together in 1898 and thereafter. Frank W. Benson,
Joesph R. DeCamp, Thomas W. Dewing, Childe Hassam, Willard L. Metcalf, Robert Reid,
Edward Simmons, Edward C. Tarbell, John H. Twachtman and J. Alden Weir; after Twachtman
died in 1902, William M. Chase became a member, all were influenced by French
impressionism.
Ten chi Jim
(Chinese, "Heaven, earth and man") A Buddhist concept in all Art;
in a painting, refers to the three elements: main subject, complementary addition,
and auxillary details.
Tenebrism
(Italian, "tenebrosco" "dark and gloomy") The empahsis is on chiaroscuro to acheive
dark, dramatic effects, the picture often being illuminated by a streak of light;
the approach is reminescent of the style made famous by Caravaggio; Georges de LaTour
is often referred to as the great French tenebrist.
Tension
In composition, the visula feeling of strain or pull, the dynamic
relationship between any of the elements.
Terra merita
1. Pigment, a yello lake, fugitive and obsolete.
2. In sculpture and pottery a hard, fired unglazed clay.
Tertiary colors
In contemporary usage, the intermediate colors are considered tertiaries, yellow-orange,
red-violet, blue violet, blue green, and yellow-green. In early color theory,
the mixture of the secondary colors created a tertiary, as the green mixed with the
orange, orange mixed with the violet, and violet mixed with the green.
Tetrads
Color harmonics based on four colors, using every fourth color, the tetrads on the
Prang color wheel: yellow orange, red, blue violet and green, ornage, red violet, blue and yellow-green, and
red orange, violet, blue-green and yellow.
Theme
The most important idea or subject in a composition, the subject for a Work of
Art, sometimes with a number of phrases or variations, for example Cezanne used
La Montagne Sainte-Victoire as a theme in many of his paintings.
Theorem painting
An early American decorative Art using stencils and oil paint on velvet cloth.
Thermography
Process for making raised printing used for business cards, letterheads, etc.,
made with ordinary type, but while the ink is still wet a special resinous powder
is sprinkled on it, it is then heated, and the fused resin rises to produce the
raised lettering, giving a general appearance of engraving.
Thin
Oil color diluted with turpentine rather than an oil medium, it creates a matte finish,
also called "Lean".
Thinner
A liquid used to reduce the thickness of a pigment, as water for watercolors,
gouache, acrylics and casein, and turpentine for oils.
Thirsty brush
A watercolor term meaning a brush that has been wet and then squeezed dry; if then
touched into a wet area, it will pick up moisture.
Three-point perspective
Represtations drawn in perspective so as to show height, width and depth, necessary
when the scene is seen either froma "birds eye view" or a "worms eye view".
Thumbnail sketch
A rough, very small sketch.
Tickling up
Making small, fussy adjustments on Art Work.
Tight
Said of a drawing or painting that is exact, carefully detailed through the use
of small brushes or other precise tools.
Tight hand
The ability to draw or paint with precision.
Tin leaf
Used in the Middle Ages in place of silver leaf because it did not tarnish; also
used with yellow color or yellow varnish as a top coat, to imitate gold leaf.
Tinsel painting
The craft of painting on glass with transparent oil paints backed with aluminum
foil, sometimes called crystal painting.
Tip-in
In photography, the process of developing a direct positive image on a lightweight
metal plate, popular until the late 19th century; also called ferrotype.
Tissue overlay
A transparent paper used to keep Art Work clean, for instructions, and for making
corrections.
Tjanting needle
A tool used to apply liquid wax to cloth for batik.
Toile de Jouy
In textile design, a one-color design depicting scenes pertinent to the 18th century
or Oriental scenes.
Tole
Painted tinware, a decorative folk Art of painting on tin trays, lamps and other
household itmes with designs, borders, etc.
Tonalists
A term applied to some Artists in the period from 1880-1919, who tried to
capture realistic qualities in nature; Inness, LaFarge and Whistler were among the
Artists in this group.
Tondo
A painting in circular form, or a sculptured medallion.
Toner
1. In silkscreen, a concentrated ink mixed with a color to make it
transparent, not to be used alone.
2. A synthetic organic color in a highly concentrated form that
is stronger than a lake.
Tonking
A process of using blotting paper to remove excess oil paint from an area while
still leaving pigment in the hollows of the canvas; name derived from Henry Tonker,
a professor at the Slade Art School in England.
Tormented
Said of Artwork that has been overworked.
Tortillion
A rolled heavy paper stump, pointed on one end, used to soften and tone pencil,
charcoal and pastel drawings. Similar to a stump.
Tosa School
Japanese School of Painting in the 15th to late 17th centuries, started by Tosa
Motomitsu; the main subjects were court scenes, bobles, and ceremonies of the court.
Totentanz
See
Dance of Death
Tracery
In design, curved and/or foilated design, common in Gothic Art.
Tracing cloth
A thin, sturdy starched transparent cotton cloth that is used for ink tracing;
available in rolls.
Tracing paper
Transparent paper used over a drawing in order to copy (trace) it; also used for
layout and planning Work.
Tracing wheel 
See
Pouncing.
Traditional
Conforming to established procedures and principles handed down from the past.
Trail/Traile/Trayle
A running carved design of a continuous vine.
Transfer paper
See
Pressure-sensitive letters.
Transparency
A photographic positive film such as a color slide or; sheet or roll film used by
commercial photographers.
Transparent base
In silk screen; an extender that reduces the opaque paint to transparency, improves
the screening and does not change the color or viscosity.
Transparenting fluid
Any of several types of fluids that can be used to make papers more transparent;
often used when painting from old drawings, available through drafting supply stores.
Transparent oxide of chromium
Pigment, viridian, a transparent dark green, permanent.
Trash Paper
A very thin, transparent sketch paper used by architects, it is possible to see
through several layers.
Tree of life
A symbol in the shape of a tree, usually with fruit or leaves, the Greek letter
"tau" a "T" is also considered the tree of life.
Trefoil
(Latin, "three-leaved") A motif with three leaves, often found in
Gothic ornamental work.
Trial proofs
In graphic Arts, proofs that are pulled to work out the requirements for the choice
of paper, color, pressure, etc.
Trimetal plate
Plate made with three layers of metal, chromium on top of copper, on a base of
aluminum or stainless steel.
Trim size
The size of a final printed piece will measure; the measurement to which the
printed sheet will be cut.
Tripoli
A cutting compound used to remove tiny scratches on metal.
Triptych
A panel painting in three parts, a middle section with two wings, often used for
altar pieces.
Trite
Said of Art Work that is ordinary, has little meaning, lacks interest and
orginality.
Triton
In design, a creature with the body of a man and a dolphins' tail.
Trois crayons, a
(French, "with three chalk crayons") A drawing on toned paper,
usually with black, red and white crayons or chalk.
Trompe l'oeil
(French, "Deception of the eye") Painting rendered with
photographic realism, so realistic it can fool the viewer into thinking the
subjects are real rather than painted, often done in mural size. Also called
Illusionism.
Trucage
A painting forgery.
Truck
In newspaper printing, each page of type, illustrations, etc.; put together
on a small moveable table called a truck. Each truck holding just one page,
the system is now obsolete.
Truquer
An Art Forger.
Try-outs
In animated cartooning, a series of rough animated drawings that are photographed
on a film strip, then analyzed or criticized.
T-square
A drawing tool shaped like a "T" with exact 90 degree angles at the
crossbar; used to draw accurate lines and to check squareness of Art and copy,
often in conjunction with a triangle.
Tsuketate
A traditional Japanese ink painting in which sumi or color is used for the masses;
no outlines are employed.
Tube colors
1. Pigments packaged in tubes, as opposed to pans or cakes.
2. Color straight from the tube, without additions or alterations.
Tube wringer
A tool to help squeeze all remaining paint from the tube.
Tudor Rose
In design, five open petals in a rose shape.
Turk's florentine medium
Trade name for an oil medium used on textiles.
Turner, Joesph Mallord William
(1775-1851) British painter, known for his atmospheric land and seascapes which sometimes
bordered on abstraction. He was a major influence on impressionism.
Turnsole
A blue or violet dye used in medieval manuscripts.
Turpenoid
Trade name for an odorless turpentine product used in place of turpentine.
Turpentine
A natual solvent distilled from pine trees, used as a thinner in oils and alkyds
and for cleaning brushes.
Tusche
A fluid used to paint the design in lithography and silk screening.
Twenty, The
See Vingt, les.
Twinstick
Trade name for a tape that is sticky on both sides.
Two-point perspective
The type of perspective in which objects in a picture viewed on an angle will have
two vanishing points, with verticals remaining parallel to the sides of the
picture plane, also called "Angular perspective".
Tympan
1. In lithography, a greased fiber board or zinc sheet used to protect the paper
and allow the scraper bar to move easily.
2. In architecture, the space between
the arch and the lintel of a building.
Typography
The study, practice and Art of using or designing with movable type.