Punjab PSEB Senior Secondary Drawing and Painting key terms

Any of the basic visual components used to build an artwork: line, shape, form, space, value, colour and texture. Artists combine these elements to create images and to organise visual experience.

A guiding rule for arranging elements of art effectively, such as balance, rhythm, emphasis, proportion, unity, variety, contrast and movement. Principles describe how parts are organised rather than what the parts are.

A mark made by a moving point, having length but negligible width. Lines may be straight, curved, thick, thin, broken or implied, and they define edges, suggest direction and express mood.

The relative lightness or darkness of a colour or tone, ranging from white through greys to black. Value creates the illusion of light, volume and depth and is central to shading and modelling.

The surface quality of an object or artwork, either actual (how it physically feels) or simulated (how it appears to feel). Texture may be rough, smooth, soft, hard or patterned.

A line that traces the outer edge and significant inner ridges of a form, describing its shape without shading. Contour drawing trains close observation and accurate placement of edges.

A rapid, loose drawing that captures the action, pose and energy of a subject rather than its detailed outline. Strokes are quick and broad, often completed in under a minute.

The gradual application of darker values to indicate shadow, curvature and depth on a drawn form. Techniques include hatching, cross-hatching, stippling, blending and smudging with graphite or charcoal.

A shading method in which sets of parallel lines are crossed by other sets at differing angles. Denser and more layered crossings produce darker values, building tone and volume.

A painting technique in which thick layers of paint are applied so that brush or palette-knife marks stand out from the surface. It adds texture and expressive weight to the paint layer.

A thin, fluid layer of diluted pigment spread over a surface, common in watercolour and ink work. Washes build transparent tone gradually and can be graded wet-in-wet or laid flat.

The arrangement of elements within the boundaries of an artwork so that they form a coherent whole. Good composition directs the viewer's eye, balances masses and unifies subject, space and format.

A compositional guideline that divides the picture plane into a three-by-three grid and places key elements near the intersections or along the lines, producing a livelier arrangement than dead-centre placement.

The area of an artwork that first attracts and holds attention, created through contrast, isolation, placement, detail or colour intensity. It anchors the viewer's eye before it travels through the rest of the image.

The distribution of visual weight in a composition so that no part overwhelms another. Balance may be symmetrical (mirror-like), asymmetrical (differing but equally weighted masses) or radial (arranged around a centre).

The sense that all parts of an artwork belong together and form a single harmonious whole. Unity is achieved through repetition, proximity, alignment, colour harmony and consistent handling of medium.

The deliberate strengthening of one area or element so that it dominates the viewer's attention. Emphasis is created by contrast, scale, placement, sharp detail or saturated colour.

A system for representing three-dimensional space on a flat surface so that objects appear to recede and diminish with distance, using horizon line, vanishing points and converging lines.

The point on the horizon line where parallel receding lines appear to converge in linear perspective. A one-point setup has a single vanishing point; two-point setups use two on the same horizon.

The horizontal line in a perspective drawing that marks the viewer's eye level. It determines how high or low objects appear and is the line on which vanishing points are placed.

The use of paler values, cooler and less saturated colours, softer edges and reduced detail to suggest distant forms. Also called atmospheric perspective, it deepens the illusion of receding space.

The visual compression of a form that extends toward the viewer, so that its nearer parts appear larger and its length appears shortened. It is essential in convincing figure and still-life drawing.

A circular diagram arranging hues in spectral order to show relationships. It typically displays primary, secondary and tertiary colours and is the basis for analysing harmony and contrast.

A hue that cannot be mixed from other pigments. In traditional painter's practice the primaries are red, yellow and blue; in additive light they are red, green and blue.

A hue made by mixing two primary colours in pigment: orange from red and yellow, green from yellow and blue, violet from blue and red. Secondaries sit between primaries on the colour wheel.

A hue produced by mixing a primary with an adjacent secondary, such as red-orange, yellow-green or blue-violet. Tertiaries fill the remaining positions on a twelve-part colour wheel.

Pairs of hues lying opposite each other on the colour wheel, such as red and green or blue and orange. Placed together they produce maximum contrast; mixed they neutralise toward grey or brown.

A pleasing relationship among the colours in an artwork, often built from analogous, complementary, split-complementary or triadic schemes. Harmony depends on balance of area, value and saturation as much as hue.

Hues that sit next to each other on the colour wheel, such as yellow, yellow-green and green. Such schemes feel unified and calm but offer less hue contrast than complementary schemes.

A tint is a colour lightened by adding white; a shade is a colour darkened by adding black. Both change value while broadly retaining hue, though tints cool and shades can dull intensity.

The purity or intensity of a colour, describing how vivid or muted it appears. Saturation falls when a hue is mixed with its complement, grey or earth colours.

A composition of inanimate objects such as fruit, vessels, drapery and flowers arranged for study. It develops observation of form, proportion, light, texture and the arrangement of shapes on a surface.

An on-site drawing or painting of natural scenery that records landforms, vegetation, sky, light and atmosphere. Studies are usually rapid and focus on capturing spatial depth and changing outdoor light.

Painting or drawing done outdoors, directly from the motif, rather than in the studio. It trains the artist to record transient light, weather and colour relationships quickly and accurately.

The drawing of the human body from observation, studying proportion, anatomy, pose, weight and foreshortening. It is the foundation for portraiture, illustration and narrative composition.

The size relationship between parts of a form and between those parts and the whole. In figure work, proportion is measured against head units and checked with vertical and horizontal alignments.

The dramatic use of strong light and deep shadow to model forms and heighten mood. Developed in the Renaissance and Baroque, it gives painted volumes a sense of solidity and theatrical depth.

A wall-painting technique in which pigments in water are applied to freshly laid lime plaster, so the image becomes part of the wall. Ajanta and many Indian temple murals use this method.

A small, finely detailed painting on paper, cloth or ivory, often using opaque watercolour and gold. Indian schools such as Mughal, Rajasthani and Pahari miniatures excel in this form.

A courtly miniature tradition that flourished from the sixteenth century, known for naturalistic portraits, court scenes, hunting subjects and refined colour. It blended Persian conventions with Indian observation.

A group of Rajput court styles, including Mewar, Marwar and Kishangarh, marked by bold colour, flat profile figures and devotional or poetic themes such as Krishna and the ragamala.

A late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century movement led by Abanindranath Tagore that revived Indian themes, wash technique and Mughal and Ajanta-inspired imagery in reaction to colonial academic art.

A European movement from roughly the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries that revived classical learning and saw major advances in anatomy, linear perspective, oil painting and naturalistic representation.

A French movement of the 1870s that painted outdoors in broken touches of pure colour to capture fleeting light and atmosphere, loosening brushwork and abandoning smooth academic finish.

A broad term for artists working after Impressionism who pushed colour and form toward greater structure or expression, as in the work of Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin and Seurat.

Design work made for practical use, such as posters, book covers, packaging, textiles and typography. It joins aesthetic judgement with communication and function rather than pure expression.

The creation of a simple, distinctive and reproducible symbol or wordmark that identifies a brand. Effective logos work in one colour, scale cleanly and remain legible at small sizes.

The planned placement of text and images on a page or screen, governing margins, columns, hierarchy and white space. It controls reading order and visual balance in printed and digital design.

A curated collection of an artist's work showing range, skill and development. A strong portfolio is organised, labelled, consistent in presentation and includes observational studies alongside creative pieces.