Maharashtra SSC Drawing and Painting Divyang flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Eye level in still life

The horizontal line at the viewer's eye height. Objects below it reveal top surfaces, objects above reveal undersides, and objects at eye level show neither.

Cylinder ellipse rule

The elliptical top of a cylinder looks flatter near eye level and rounder as it moves farther above or below eye level.

Cast shadow direction

A cast shadow falls opposite the light source. Lower light sources produce longer shadows, and shadow edges are sharpest close to the object.

Negative space check

The background shapes between objects. Drawing them deliberately exposes proportion and placement errors that object outlines alone can hide.

Pencil measurement method

Hold a pencil at full arm's length, align its tip with one edge, mark the other with the thumb, and compare all measurements to one unit.

Aerial perspective

Distant forms lose contrast and saturation, shift toward the sky's colour, and show softer edges than foreground forms, creating depth.

One-point perspective

Receding parallel lines converge at a single vanishing point on the horizon when the object's front face is parallel to the picture plane.

Water reflection rule

A reflection is vertically inverted, shortened by the viewing angle, and lower in contrast and saturation than the object it mirrors.

Landscape value plan

Foreground carries the darkest darks and sharpest edges, middle ground is intermediate, and background is lightest and softest in contrast.

Rule of thirds

Divide the picture into a 3x3 grid and place the centre of interest near a grid intersection rather than at the exact centre.

Pyramidal composition

Figures or objects arranged in a triangular group with the widest base at the bottom, producing a stable, settled and monumental effect.

Tangent in composition

Two edges that touch or nearly touch, creating an unresolved distracting point. Overlap or separate the shapes to remove it.

Line of action

An imaginary line running from the pit of the neck through the spine to the weight-bearing foot, capturing the pose's gesture.

Head-unit proportion

An adult figure is about 7.5 heads tall. The pubic bone falls near the midpoint, and the elbow sits at waist level.

Contrapposto

When weight rests on one leg, the hip on that side rises while the shoulder on the same side drops, creating opposing tilts.

Facial proportion rule

Eyes sit at the vertical midpoint of the head, the nose base at about two-thirds down, and the ear spans brow line to nose base.

Foreshortening

A limb pointing toward the viewer appears shorter, and its cross-sections look more circular, indicating that it comes forward in space.

Complementary colours

Pairs opposite on the colour wheel: red-green, blue-orange, yellow-violet. Side by side they intensify; mixed they neutralize toward grey.

Tint, shade and tone

A tint is colour plus white, a shade is colour plus black, and a tone is colour plus grey or its complement.

Simultaneous contrast

A colour looks lighter against a dark ground and darker against a light ground, so judge a mixed colour against its final surround.

Warm and cool advance

Warm colours such as red, orange and yellow appear to advance, while cool colours such as blue, green and violet appear to recede.

Local colour

An object's own hue under neutral light. The lit side shifts toward the light source's hue and shadows shift toward the complement.

Motif

The single repeated unit of a pattern. Motifs must be simple enough to tile without gaps and read clearly when small.

Radial balance

A design arrangement in which elements radiate from a central point, giving equal visual weight in all directions around that centre.

Poster hierarchy

One dominant image or headline comes first, supporting text second, fine detail last, so the message reads clearly from a distance.

Logo scalability

A logo must stay recognisable when reduced to a small size, enlarged greatly, and reproduced in a single colour without losing clarity.

Graphite grade scale

H pencils are hard and light, with 9H hardest; B pencils are soft and dark, with 9B softest; HB sits between the two.

Fat over lean

In oil painting each later layer must contain more oil than the layer beneath, preventing cracking as the paint film dries.

Wet-on-wet watercolour

Applying wet paint onto a wet surface, producing soft blended edges and diffused shapes rather than sharp, controlled boundaries.

Watercolour transparency

Light comes from the paper. Work from light to dark and reserve bare paper for highlights instead of adding opaque white paint.

Poster colour opacity

An opaque water-based medium applied flat for design work. Lighter areas are painted over darker ones once the layer has dried.

Kneaded eraser

A soft, pliable eraser that lifts graphite or charcoal without abrading the paper, used to create highlights and soften edges.