Oil Painting Techniques

Click on an oil painting technique in the list below to see its definition.

• abstract
• alla prima
• atmospheric perspective
• bias
• bravura
• brushwork
• calligraphy
• chiaroscuro
• composition
• color harmony
• color wheel
• comparative measurement
• complementary colors
• concept
• contour drawing
• contraposta
• contrast of saturation
• contrast of temperature
• cross hatching
• dominant temperature
• dominant value
• edge
• expressive
• eye movement
• far music
• flattening values
• focal area
• focal point
• form
• french easel
• gatorboard
• gesso
• glazing
• golden secton
• graceful line
• harmony
• hue
• hue changes on a form
• illusion
• imprimatura
• informal subdivision
• interrelationship of line
• isochromes
• itness
• light plane
• limited palette
• line drawing
• linear compositional sketch
• local color
• lost edge
• luminosity
• mass drawing
• mediums
• modeling
• mono-isochromes
• mop brush
• mud
• Munsell color system
• music
• near music
• negative shape
• Newton color system
• notan
• opaque
• open color
• optical color mixing
• organizational lines
• Otswald color system
• painting support
• palette knife
• pentimenti
• perspective lines
• pigment
• plumb lines
• pochade box
• poetry
• pointillism
• poly-isochromes
• posterizing
• rabatment of the rectangle
• reflected light
• rhythm
• rigger brush
• saturation
• scrubbing
• scumble
• selective rendering
• shade plane
• soft edge
• space division
• spectrum palette
• subject
• suggestion
• tangent avoidance
• tonal painting
• transparent colors
• triangulation
• two-value statement
• unequal space division
• unity and variety
• value
• warm/cool
• wet-in-wet