brushwork
Artist's stroke style
Brushwork is the characteristic way a painter applies paint to a surface—the visible strokes, textures, and techniques that distinguish one artist's hand from another's.
Art critics and historians analyze brushwork to identify artists, date paintings, or assess authenticity: The bold brushwork is unmistakably Van Gogh's.
The term can also describe the quality of painting technique generally: Her brushwork has become more confident.
Heavily applied pigment technique
- stipplingDot-based shading technique
- glazingGlossy protective coating
- chiaroscuroContrast technique in painting
- crosshatchingIntersecting parallel lines for tone
wash · wet-on-wet · feathering · blending · layering · underpainting · grisaille · encaustic
Showing feelings outwardly
- looseNot firmly secured
- tightFirmly stretched or fitting
- boldCourageous and daring
- delicateEasily broken or harmed
gestural · controlled · spontaneous · refined · vigorous · fluid · precise · painterly
impasto
Heavily applied pigment technique
- stipplingDot-based shading technique
- glazingGlossy protective coating
- chiaroscuroContrast technique in painting
crosshatching · wash · wet-on-wet · feathering · blending · layering · underpainting · grisaille · encaustic · tempera
expressive
Showing feelings outwardly
delicate · gestural · controlled · spontaneous · refined · vigorous · fluid · precise · painterly · calligraphic
sweep
Brush clean with broom
mark · gesture · line · trace · contour · scribble · smudge · glide · sketch · squiggle
impasto
Heavily applied pigment technique
blended · layered · thick · thin · transparent · opaque · matte · glossy · tactile · buildup
- ExpressionismEdvard Munch, The Scream, Der Blaue Reiter, German Expressionism, woodcuts
- Japanese Artukiyo-e, sumi-e, woodblock prints, handscrolls, scroll painting
- artfine art, Renaissance, painters, masterpieces, paint
- Chinese cultureConfucianism, Chinese calligraphy, Beijing, Chinese New Year, Daoism
- paintingoil painting, watercolor, acrylic paint, oils, oil paints
- art educationart classes, art schools, art curriculum, art teacher, art school
brushworkfinger painting
Art using digits directly
pouring · stenciling · knife work · impasto · spray painting
brushworkcolor choice
Picking a hue
palette · composition · subject matter · color theory · tonal values
work, brush, worker, broom, brushing, brushed, bristle, brushes, toothbrush