Crafts. Glossary of Terms 2
Source:
http://www.vintageimagecraft.com/craft_glossary.html
Crafts.Glossary of Terms 2
Blue links will take you to related articles on this site, or to
online sources. If you have additions or corrections for this
glossary, please
contact us and we'll be grateful for your help.
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
Acid-free
paper: Paper with a neutral or basic pH level (7.0 to 9.0),
is less prone to yellowing or deterioration, and will not harm
photographs that are attached to it. During production, the
paper is treated with a mild base (calcium carbonate or
magnesium bicarbonate) that neutralizes the natural acids in the
wood pulp. This extends the life of the paper, reduces the
production expense, and makes it more easily recycled. Acid-free
paper may be identified by the 'infinity' symbol.
Acrylic paint: A fast-drying,
water-soluble paint containing pigment suspended in an acrylic
polymer emulsion. It can be diluted with water or other mediums,
and becomes flexible and water-resistant when dry.
Adhesive: A bonding agent (glue, to the
rest of us) used to affix one item to another. For crafters,
adhesive choices include tape, glue, epoxy, glue sticks, hot
glue, rubber cement, and spray adhesives, depending on the
materials to be joined and the strength of the bond that is
needed. (See Craft Glossary entries for each type of adhesive)
Adobe Photoshop™, or Photoshop™: A
software program for editing photographs and graphics. Its many
functions include cropping, re-sizing, rotating, drawing,
erasing and colorizing. Available in most computer stores and at
www.adobe.com.
Altered Book: A found book, embellished
through collaging, stamping, or other decoration to express an
artistic idea or narrative.
Appliqué:
An added decorative element, as in needlework, made by cutting
pieces of one material and applying them to another.
Archival paper: An especially permanent,
durable acid-free paper, used primarily for publications of high
legal, historical, or significant value.
Art deco: A style of design and decoration
popular in the 1920's and 1930's characterized by designs that
are geometric and use highly intense colors, to reflect the rise
of commerce, industry and mass production.
Art nouveau: A decorative art
movement that emerged in the late nineteenth century,
characterized by dense asymmetrical ornamentation in sinuous
forms, it is often symbolic and strangely erotic.
Back to top^
Basecoat: The first layer of paint
applied, usually a neutral color to provide a consistent
background.
Base Line: In lettering or text printing,
the line on which the main part of a letter (excluding ascender
and descender) rests.
Batik: A technique for dyeing fabric by
which the parts of the fabric are covered with removable wax to
prevent absorption of the dye.
Beading: Ornamenting an item or fabric
with ion with beads. Also called beadwork.
Beading pins:
Straight pins with enlarged heads, used for securing beads to a
surface.
Binding: Attaching printed materials
between covers, as in a book.
Bleed: In printing or painting, a
feathery effect caused by ink or paint spreading from the image
into the paper.
Blender Pen: A felt-tip
marker filled with a clear solvent, used to soften or blend
colors on a surface. There is a water-based version used for
blending water-soluble paints and inks (like stamp-pad inks).
See
Craft Recipes for a home-made refill. Then there is the
nearly-lethal Xylene-based version, used for blending
felt-markers and for transferring photocopy images or newsprint
(it dissolves the toner).
Blotting: Gently pressing a brush against
a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
BMP: In computer graphics, BMP stands for
bit map, a file format for an image made up of dots or
pixels. More common image file formats today are JPEG, TIFF, PNG
and GIFF, because they can be manipulated with less distortion.
Bone Folder or
Burnisher: A flat piece
of plastic or Teflon (yes, you can still buy them made from
bone), round at one end and pointed at the other. It is used for
scoring and folding paper, and burnishing.
Brayer: A small rubber "rolling pin" used
to smooth surfaces, flatten paper, or apply paints or inks.
Bristol board: A high quality
heavy weight drawing paper, sometimes made with cotton fiber
prepared or glued together, usually with a caliper thickness of
0.006" and up, used for many types of two-dimensional artwork.
Burnish: To rub or polish to a smooth,
glossy finish.
Back to top^
Caliper: A tool for measuring the
distance between two opposing sides of an object or objects. In
crafts, it is used to measure the thickness of paper, in
thousandths of an inch.
Calligraphy: The art of creating
beautiful or elegant handwriting.
Capital: Upper-case letter, also known as
a majuscule. (See Craft Glossary entries for serif and
sans-serif)
Card Stock: A sturdy paper, available in
a variety of weights, colors and textures.
Casein: Colored pigment with a milk-based
binder, which can be applied opaque or as a thin glaze.
Casting Resin: A clear, polyurethane
liquid that hardens to a clear solid plastic when mixed with a
chemical catalyst. It is used to embed objects in a molded
shape, or to add a thick protective coating to a surface.
CD-ROM: Short for Compact Disc-Read Only
Memory. Originally designed for music storage and playback, they
are now used for all forms of binary data. CD-ROMs can hold a
lot of information - the equivalent of about 300,000 pages of
text - which makes them ideal for storing or transporting large
files like images. They are not "read-only" anymore, and CD-ROMs
can be purchased with reading and writing capability.
Ceramic paint:
Solvent-based opaque color for crockery, glass, metal and other
non-porous surfaces.
Clay: A naturally occurring material,
composed primarily of fine-grained minerals such as hydrated
silicates of aluminum, which is malleable for sculpting and
hardens when dried or fired.
Clip Art: Generally refers to simple,
line-art or illustrations that can be used for a variety of
decorative purposes. For an exhausting history of the term,
visit Wikipedia.
Cloisonné:
Decorative metal work in which metal filaments are fused to the
surface of an object to outline a design that is then filled in
with enamel paste.
Cold Pressed: A paper with slight surface
texture produced by pressing the finished sheet between cold
cylinders.
Collage: Papers, found objects or other
ephemera glued to a flat surface.
Complementary Color: Each primary color
(red, blue, yellow) has a complementary (opposite) color made by
mixing the other two (red and blue mix to purple, which is the
complementary color to yellow, for example).
Construction Paper: An economical, coarse
and sturdy paper that comes in a variety of sizes and colors.
Contact Paper or Adhesive Vinyl: A
sturdy, self-adhesive plastic film, sold in rolls or by the
foot. There are many colors and patterns, but the clear version
is excellent for laminating and protecting paper. Con-tact
Paper™ is the brand name of the product first introduced by the
Kittrich Corporation in the 1950s.
Crackle Finish: A three-step painting
process that results in an aged, weathered appearance. There are
kits commercially available at craft or hardware stores. If you
are adventuresome, try making your own crackle medium from our
Craft Recipes.
Craquelure:
The pattern of fine cracks that appear in varnish over time. The
effect can be imitated to give a surface an aged appearance.
Craquelure varnish kits are available in craft stores. Or you
can make your own. See our
Craft Recipes for more information.
Craft knife: A short, sharp cutting blade
mounted on a pen-like metal handle. Many types and sizes of
blades and handles are available. Also known by the name of its
primary manufacturer, the
X-Acto Knife.
Crimper:
A tool that operates much like a mangle or clothes wringer, that
wrinkles paper into a corrugated texture.
Crop: To trim away the unwanted parts of
an image. With a printed image, you can manually crop with a
pair of scissors, paper cutter, or craft knife. With a digital
image on your computer, you can crop using the tools in an image
editing program such as Corel, Kodak or Adobe Photoshop (See
Glossary for Adobe Photoshop).
Back to top^
Decorative-edge Scissors: Scissors with
patterned blades for cutting paper or fabric. Many designs are
available, from somewhat random deckle-edges to scallops and
zig-zags. (See Craft Glossary entry for Deckle Edge)
Deckle Edge: The feathery, uncut edges of
paper, often used for books printed on hand-made paper,
invitations and stationary.
Decoupage: The Victorian craft of cutting
out images or motifs from paper, gluing them to a surface, and
covering them with a protective coating such as varnish.
Die Cut: A method for punching out shapes
from paper or fabric, by using a metal form that is called a
die.
Digital Image: An electronic photograph
taken with a digital camera or scanned from an original
document. It is composed of pixels, the smallest units displayed
by computer monitors. Each pixel is assigned a tonal value
(black, white, a shade of gray, or color) and is stored in
binary code (zeros and ones).
Dimensional Paint: Thick acrylic paint
traditionally used on fabric but sticks well to most surfaces.
It usually comes in squeeze bottles and is available in many
colors and styles, including glitter and glow-in-the-dark. Also
Known As: fabric paint, puffy paint or foam paint.
DPI or PPI: (dots per inch, or
pixels per inch) Measures the resolution of a scanner, printer,
or image. The higher the DPI, the more dots (or pixels) per
inch, the sharper the image. Images used for magazines and other
print media typically have a high resolution, such as 300 dpi,
versus a low-resolution image on the Internet of 72 dpi.
Dry Embossing or Relief Embossing:
Achieving a raised image on paper by placing the paper over a
stencil, and rubbing with a stylus. The decorative effect is
caused by the subtle shadows of the raised or relief design on
the paper.
Back to top^
Embossing Gun: A heating tool that
directs hot air to a specific area. The hot air melts embossing
powder, creating a slightly raised surface on the design.
Embossing Powder: A quick-melting,
colored powder used to create a raised design in
rubber-stamping. It is sprinkled on a wet, inked design, and
then heated with a hot-air embossing gun which bonds the powder
to the surface. Available in many colors and granulations.
Encaustic Painting or hot wax painting:
Using heated beeswax infused with colored pigments. The
resulting paste is then applied to a surface such as wood or
canvas, where it can be sculpted with metal tools, brushes and
heating tools. Other materials can be layered in the wax for a
collage design.
Ephemera: Ephemera is anything
short-lived. In crafting, it means paper materials that were
created for a single practical purpose, with no thought that
they would be saved or preserved. Artists may use ephemera, such
as vintage postcards, stamps, advertising, or other illustrated
material, in their collages or other artwork.
Epoxy: An adhesive composed of two
liquids, a resin and a hardener, that when mixed together,
harden to form a strong bond. Epoxy is suitable for bonding
porous and non-porous materials.
Exemplar: Something that serves as a
model to be copied. In crafting, an exemplar is most often an
alphabet in a decorative lettering style.
Extender or Retarder: A product
added to paint to slow its drying time or vary its transparency.
Eyelet: A small metal ring, designed to
reinforce a hole in paper or fabric. (See Craft Glossary entry
for Grommet)
Back to top^
Faux Finish: A decorative painting that
imitates the look of a natural material such as marble, wood or
yak hide.
Felt: A heavy, non-fraying, fabric
generally made from wool with other manufactured fibers. The
fibers are locked together in a process utilizing heat,
moisture, and pressure to form a compact material.
Felt Side: The top side of the paper,
usually providing the best printing results.
Fixative: A sprayed-on sealer, like
lacquer, used over pastels, charcoal and watercolors to prevent
smudging.
Foam Core or Foam Board: A
stiff, resilient and lightweight board of polystyrene foam
laminated with paper on both of its sides. It is manufactured in
several thicknesses (3/16" is most common) and many colors.
Fonts or Typefaces: Designs for
alphabetic and numeric characters. Unusual fonts can enliven
your journals, scrapbook pages and other artwork. You can choose
different fonts in your word processing program, order special
fonts on CD-ROMs or download them off of the Internet.
Found Objects or : Common items
that an artist or crafter collects in daily life for using in
craft projects. (See Craft Glossary entry for Ephemera)
Fused Glass: A decorative glass created
by stacking thin sheets of glass and fusing them together in a
kiln (1100 degrees to 1500 degrees).
Back to top^
Gel Medium or Polymer Medium: A
thick, colorless liquid, used as a paint additive, protective
finish, or adhesive.
Gesso: A thick white fluid, made from
chalk or plaster and glue. It is used to prepare surfaces for
painting or gilding.
GIF: A computer file format used for
images, short for graphic interchange format. Usually pronounced
"jiff," GIF is widely used to format images that appear on Web
pages because they compress the image data for faster
downloading. GIFs only allow for 256 colors, so they are most
often used for illustrations rather than color photos. See also
JPEG and TIFF.
Gilding: Applying a thin metallic foil,
like gold leaf, to a surface. This usually requires an adhesive
called size which is applied and left to dry until it is tacky.
Glassine: A smooth, semi-transparent
paper.
Glaze: A transparent, diluted layer of paint used to
accentuate textures or modify the overall color.
Gold leaf: An extremely thin
sheet of gold (or composite metal) used for gilding. It is
commonly applied to a surface with a liquid adhesive called gold
size.
Gold leaf wax:
Non-tarnishing metallic dust suspended in a soft paste wax.
Apply with a finger, brush or cloth to any surface and buff with
a soft cloth. It can be thinned with turpentine.
Gloss: A reflective, shiny, surface. In
crafting, it can be achieved through the choice of materials or
the addition of glossy coatings such as varnish.
Glue Gun: An electric tool for heating
and applying adhesive. Several adhesives are available in the
form of solid sticks of glue. Once cool, these adhesives are
very strong and are suitable for bonding heavy objects.
Gouache: An opaque, water-soluble paint
usually made from Gum Arabic and pigments.
Grommet: A ring or eyelet of metal, often
used to reinforce a hole. (See Craft Glossary entry for Eyelet)
Gum Arabic: A water-soluble, glossy,
pigmentable medium derived from the Acacia tree. It improves the
bonding qualities of inks and watercolors.
Back to top^
Handmade Paper: Paper made by spreading
wet wood or paper pulp on a porous screen in a mold, pressing
and drying the resulting mat.
Hot Glue Gun:
(See Craft Glossary entry for Glue Gun)
HTML: Short for Hyper Text Mark-up
Language, a set of universal codes used to create the layout and
content, text and graphics in website displays. The coding is
written between left and right arrow symbols (< and >), which
are not visible in the resulting web display.
Back to top^
Ink-jet printer: Computer printers that
spray ink onto the paper, as opposed to a laser printer which
fuses powder (toner) onto the paper with heat. Ink-jet printers
are generally less expensive, but the inks are not always
waterproof or long-lasting.
Ink: Colored pigment suspended in soluble
or insoluble binders, used for printing, writing or drawing.
Back to top^
Joss Paper: Gold and silver paper burned
by the Chinese in spiritual ceremonies.
JPEG or JPG: A type of computer
file format used for photographs and other images. An acronym
for Joint Photographic Expert Group, JPEGs are the most widely
used format for digital images because they are compressed for
easier transmission and storage.
Back to top^
Kraft paper: Strong and relatively
coarse, Kraft paper is usually a brown color but can be bleached
white. It is used for paper grocery bags, corrugated cardboard,
large envelopes and other packaging.
Back to top^
Laid Paper: Paper with a grid texture and
strong grain running in the direction of the sheet.
Laminator: A tool or machine that bonds a
thin sheet of plastic (laminate) to paper or fabric,
creating a protective, glossy surface.
Layout: The arrangement of heading, text,
and artwork on a page.
Light Box or
Light Table: A tool for
viewing transparencies or for tracing images. It is a box
containing a light source (usually sunlight fluorescent) and a
translucent glass or plastic surface.
Lightfastness: The speed at which
pigments in inks, paints or materials fade in strong light.
Back to top^
Majuscule: Capital or upper-case letters.
Marble Paper: Paper that has been marbled
or marbleized, a process involving submerging the paper in a
water solution containing non-soluble inks or paints (grated oil
pastels will work, too) floating on the surface which stick to
the paper in marble patterns when the paper is removed from the
water.
Marker, Marking Pen or
Felt-Tipped Pen: A writing instrument that delivers ink
through a porous felt tip.
Masking Tape: Adhesive tape made of paper
backed with a relatively weak adhesive. It is used often in
painting, to protect unpainted areas.
Matte finish or Flat finish: A
surface or coating that is dull or non-glossy.
Medium: The component of paint in which the
pigment is dispersed.
Mineral spirits: An inexpensive
paint thinner which cleans brushes, thins paint, cleans
furniture, and removes wax often used as a substitute for
turpentine.
Metal Embossing or Repoussage:
Creating a raised design on thin metal sheets by hammering or
pressing from the reverse side.
Metal Scriber:
A tool for marking lines on metal, or for embossing.
Metallic Paint: Tiny metal flakes
suspended in a translucent paint or other an aqueous binder.
Metallic paint can be subject to tarnishing, so it should be
coated with a protective gel medium.
Methyl Cellulose or wallpaper paste:
A thick, spreadable adhesive which dries clear. It is used for
archival mounting and paper mache.
Mixed Media: The craft technique of using
several different media, such as paint, paper, rubber stamps or
inks on a single surface.
Mod Podge™: Brand name for PVA (Polyvinyl
Acetate, the base of white craft glue) gel medium, specially
formulated for use in decoupaging. It is available in gloss or
matte finish, as well as an acid-free version.
Montage: A collage made of photographs or
illustrations.
Mosaic: An art medium in which
small pieces of colored glass, stone, or ceramic tile called
tessera are embedded in a background material such as plaster or
mortar.
Mylar: Transparent or opaque polyester
film often used as a protective covering for photos and album
pages.
Back to top^
Nap: A soft or fuzzy textured surface on
fabric or paper. Also, a pleasurable period of unconsciousness
after a particularly intense afternoon of crafting.
Nib: The tapered or sharpened writing tip
of a pen or quill.
Back to top^
Opaque: A non-transparent or
non-translucent surface or coating.
Ox Gall Liquid: A transparent extender
for watercolors which improves flow with a pen or brush.
Back to top^
Pantone Matching System (PMS): An
internationally recognized system of over 3000 pre-mixed colors
representing shades on both coated or uncoated stock, along with
the precise printing formulas to achieve each color.
Paper maché:
A craft construction material consisting of small pieces of
absorbent paper (like newsprint) stuck together with a wet paste
like glue, starch, wheat paste or wallpaper paste. The crafted
object becomes solid when the paste dries.
Paper Tole: The art of
handcrafting three-dimensional pictures using layered elements
from multiple, identical flat prints. The most intricate
application of this technique involves layering and shaping the
paper pieces to achieve depth and shadow.
Parchment or vellum: A hard
finished paper that resembles animal skin, used for documents,
such as awards. A favorite of calligraphers because of its
smooth, buttery texture.
Pastel: A chalk-like art medium in the
form of a stick, made from powdered pigment and a binder. A
fixative, like lacquer, must be applied to the finished artwork
prevent smudging. The word pastel is also used to indicate a
pale tint of a color.
Paste-up: Assembling the individual
elements of a final print layout. (See Craft Glossary entry for
Layout)
Patina: A film, often blue/green, that
forms on copper and bronze as a result of the oxidation of the
copper due to weathering. Various chemical treatments will
induce colored patinas on new metal work, and it is often
imitated in antiquing and painting techniques. We've assembled
instructions for a few patina concoctions on our
craft recipes page.
pH: A measure of the concentration of
acidity or alkalinity in paper, calibrated from 1 pH (high acid
content) to 14 pH (high alkaline content). Buffered papers range
from 7 to 9 pH.
Pixels: The smallest picture elements of
a digital image. Each pixel, or dot, image has a specific color
and intensity level. The more pixels or dots per inch (ppi or
dpi), the higher the resolution.
Ply: A single layer of paper.
Polymer Clay: Malleable modeling clay
that is hardened by baking.
Polymer Medium: A protective acrylic
liquid used as an adhesive for light- to middle-weight papers or
as a varnish for decoupage. It is available in gloss and matte
finishes.
Pounce, Pouncing or Stippling:
Creating the effect of texture by lightly and randomly applying
paint with a brush or sponge, allowing background color to show
through. In calligraphy, pounce is a fine powder used to absorb
grease from paper.
Primer: The initial coating or color,
prior to final painting that provides the surface with the right
absorbency and color. (See Craft Glossary entry for Base Coat)
PVA or Polyvinyl acetate: The
chemical base of archival white glue that dries transparent.
Mixed with gel medium, it becomes water resistant. It is
commonly used as an adhesive and also coating for decoupage.
(See Craft Glossary entry for Mod Podge)
Back to top^
Quadrille Paper or Graph Paper:
Paper that is printed with a faint grid pattern, used for design
layouts and embroidery patterns.
Quilt Binding: A strip of fabric that is
sewn on the edges of a quilt to cover the raw edges of the quilt
top, batting, and backing.
Quilting: The craft of assembling two
layers of cloth filled with a plush material and binding them
together with stitched designs.
Back to top^
Rag Paper: Paper made from 50% to 100%
cotton or linen fiber.
Recycled Paper: Paper made from
post-consumer waste paper which as been chemically processed,
bleached, and reduced to pulp.
Ream: 500 sheets of paper.
Repoussage: (See Craft Glossary entry for
Metal Embossing)
RGB: Stands for Red, Green,
Blue. In web design and design for computer monitors, colors are
defined in terms of a combination of these three basic additive
colors.
Ribbon: A narrow strip of woven fabric, often silk, used
as a decorative trimming on clothing, packages and crafts. There
are several varieties of ribbon:
- Brocade:
heavyweight silk, usually patterned.
- Chiffon:
lightweight, gauzy taffeta.
-
Grosgrain: ribbed crosswise.
-
Jacquard: a weave with an intricate, variegated
pattern.
- Moiré:
a weave with a subtle luster or water effect.
- Ombré:
blended stripes of color that give a two-toned or
multi-colored effect.
- Organdy:
lightweight, translucent, of silk, cotton or rayon.
- Satin:
glossy, close-woven silk.
- Taffeta:lightweight,
smooth silk.
- Velvet:
silk, with a short, close nap of erect threads resulting in
a soft texture. Sometimes woven on a cotton backing.
- Wired:
wire is woven into the outside edges of the ribbon so the
ribbon will hold a shape for bows and twists.
Rice Paper: Any of several lightweight
Oriental papers. It can possibly contain rice straw or rice
starch.
Rubber Stamping: Imprinting a design or
text on a surface using ink applied to a piece of rubber or
similar material that is carved or molded into a relief of the
design. Rubber stamps may be purchased, or you can carve your
own design into stamp material such as soft vinyl eraser-like
substances.
Back to top^
Sans-Serif: Letters without a serif
(foot), such as Helvetica. (See illustration)
Scanner: Computer equipment that operates
much as a photocopier, capturing images in a digital format of
pixels. The resulting computer files can be seen and manipulated
with an editing program such as Adobe Photoshop™ or Corel
PaintShop Pro™. (See Craft Glossary entry for Adobe Photoshop)
Scrapbooking: Preserving pictures,
clippings, or other mementos in an artistic manner by mounting
them in books.
Scumbling: Semi-opaque or thinned colors
loosely sponged or brushed over a surface so that some of the
color beneath shows through.
Sealer: A protective coating applied to
surface before and after painting which prevents chemical
reactions between the paints and the surfaces
Sequin: A small shiny disk of plastic,
often sewn on cloth in mass quantities as decoration.
Serif: The foot on a letterform, such as
found in typefaces like Times New Roman. (See Craft Glossary
illustration for Sans-serif)
Shade: A darker color made by adding
black.
Silicone rubber
sealant or adhesive:
Strong adhesive that can also be used to create raised, embossed
texture to a surface.
Sizing: A liquid additive during
paper-making or applied to paper after it has been formed, which
conditions the paper surface and controls the paper’s ink
absorbency. Sizing materials include rosin, glue, gelatin, or
starch. In gold leafing, size is the adhesive used for applying
the leaf.
Stamp Positioner: A tool like a T-square,
used for positioning rubber stamp images.
Stencil: A template made by cutting a
design in a stiff material like paper, plastic, cardboard, or
metal. It is affixed to a surface and paint or ink is brushed or
pounced over the stencil to create the design on the surface
below.
Stippling: A drawing technique consisting
of many small dots or flecks to construct the image; technique
of using small dots to simulate varying degrees of solidity or
shading; to paint, engrave, or draw by means of dots or small
touches of the brush, pen, or other tool. (See Craft Glossary
entry for pounce).
Back to top^
Tagboard or Posterboard: A
lightweight cardboard that comes in a variety of colors and
sizes.
Tea dyeing:
Imitating the look of aged, yellowed paper or fabric by soaking
it in strong tea for an hour, drying and pressing it. Darker
spots can be created by letting the tea bag sit on the paper for
15 minutes. Scented teas like herbal or spice teas will leave a
lingering aroma.
Tempera: Egg tempera is an ancient paint
formula of pigments, water, and organic gum (egg yolk) or glue,
which delivered a luminous matte finish on frescoes and wood.
Modern tempera, also known as poster paint, is an opaque,
water-based paint that is water soluble even after drying. (See
Craft Glossary entry for Gouache)
Template: A pattern or gauge use for
reproducing a design or cut.
TIFF: An uncompressed file format for
images. TIFF files are large, but are good for intricate images
or photographs.
Tint: A lighter color made by adding
white.
Tissue Paper: A lightweight, translucent
paper.
Tracing paper: A lightweight, translucent
paper, heavier than tissue paper, used for transferring designs
by tracing.
Transfer medium
or transfer solution: A
powerful solvent that reactivates the ink in toner-based
photocopies, enabling the image to be transferred to paper,
fabric or a hard surface.
Translucent: Between transparent and
opaque; objects can be seen through it but without clarity.
Transparent Tape: A strip of clear
plastic film backed with a pressure sensitive adhesive --
basically, Scotch Tape™.
Trompe l'oeil: French for "fool the eye."
A two-dimensional representation that is so naturalistic that it
looks actual or real (three-dimensional). This form of painting
was first used by the Romans thousands of years ago in frescoes
and murals.
Typography: The arrangement and
appearance of characters in printed matter.
Tyvek fabric:
Sheets of bonded spun polythene fibers. It will bubble and
distort when heated, resulting in an alligator-skin texture.
Back to top^
Unryu or Dragon Paper: A strong,
lightweight acid-free paper with a swirled texture, used in
origami and paper crafting.
Upper Case: Capital letter or majuscule.
Back to top^
Varnish: A protective coating used over a
finished painting or object. Varnishes are available in
water-base or oil base varieties, as well as glossy or matte
finishes. (See Craft Glossary entry for Craquelure)
Vellum: A heavy weight, translucent
drawing or crafting paper. (See Crafting Glossary entry for
Parchment)
Verdigris: (See Craft
Glossary entry for Patina)
Victorian: Belonging to the highly
ornamented style of decoration popular in 19th Century England,
during the 64-year reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901).
Back to top^
Walnut Ink: Derived from walnut shells,
this ink is available as a liquid or a crystalline colorant to
be mixed with water.
Wash:
A thin layer of diluted paint or ink.
Watercolor: A water-based, translucent
paint usually made from pigments, gum Arabic, and water.
Watercolor Board: A piece of 100% cotton
rag watercolor paper, stretched and affixed to a rigid ply
board.
Watercolor Paper: A 100% cotton rag paper
that comes in multiple weights and surface textures.
Waterleaf: An absorbent paper, like
blotter paper.
Watermark: The translucent design or name
that is visible when paper is held to the light.
Waterslide Decals: Images that are
printed on a clear film on a backing paper. You soak the decal
in water to release the backing, and you "slide" the image onto
a surface where it dries and adheres. A very popular decoration
in the '40s and '50s.
Wearable Art: Clothing, jewelry an
accessories that have been decorated or embellished.
Wheat Paste or Wallpaper Paste: A
liquid adhesive made from flour and water, and commonly used
book binding, decoupage, collage, and paper maché.
Back to top^
X-acto knife: (See Craft Glossary entry
for Craft Knife)
Back to top^
Zebra: Any of several swift, wild, horselike African
mammals of the genus Equus, having distinctive overall markings
of alternating white and black or brown stripes. Useful in
crafts.