Content Vocabulary

Hue - A color or shade. For example, Red, Green, Purple.

Color Scheme - An arrangement or combination of colors used in various artistic and design contexts.

Color Wheel - A visual representation of colors arranged according to their chromatic (Color) relationship.

Primary Colors - Think First Level. Colors at their basic essence; these colors that cannot be created by mixing others and they are used to make all other colors. They are Red, Blue and Yellow.

Secondary Colors - Think Second Level. These colors are achieved by a mixture of two primaries. Red+Blue = Purple; Blue+Yellow = Green; Yellow+Red = Orange.

Tertiary Colors - Think Third Level. These colors are achieved by a mixture of primary and secondary hues. Examples are Red-Orange, Yellow-Green, Blue-Violet.

Neutral Colors - Colors that are unsaturated or appear to be without color. For example: white, beige, brown, grey, and black.

Monochromatic - These are all the colors of a single hue. Monochromatic color schemes are derived from a single base hue and extended using its shades, tones and tints.

Analogous - These colors are located in a row or right next to each other on a color wheel.

Complementary - These colors are located opposite each other on a color wheel. When used side by side they make each other pop more and look good. When mixed together, they make a shade of Brown.

Triadic - A color scheme that uses 3 colors that are equally spaced on the color wheel.

Split Complementary - A color scheme that uses one color and then instead of using it's complimentary color, you use the colors on the right and left of the complementary color. For example Red with Yellow-Green and Blue-Green.

Tint - What it's called when you add white to a color to lighten it.

Shade - What it's called when you add black or grey to a color to darken it.

White Talc Clay - A type of Low Fire Earthenware clay that is usually grey or cream when wet and fires to white.

Terra Cotta Clay - A type of Low Fire Earthenware clay that comes in colors of rich red-brown and orange.

Texture - The tactile (ability to be felt) quality of the surface of a work of art. Texture can be real as in something you can feel OR implied as in a drawing that is shaded to look like it has texture.

Glaze - An impervious layer or coating of a vitreous (glass like) substance which has been fused to a ceramic body through firing. Glaze can serve to color, decorate or waterproof an item. Glazing renders earthenware vessels suitable for holding liquids, sealing the inherent porosity of un-glazed biscuit (fired) earthenware.

Underglaze - A method of decorating pottery in which painted decoration is applied to the surface before it is covered with a transparent ceramic glaze and fired in a kiln. Think of it like the ceramic version of paint. They tend to be highly pigmented for strong colors and stay where you put them on the clay, meaning they won't flow OR melt like a glaze will. They are typically applied to un-fired clay or greenware.

Paint Brush - The tool we will use to apply Glaze and Underglaze.

Decorative - Some that is meant to be used or useful.

Functional - Some that is meant to be used or useful.

Vessel - a hollow container used to hold things.

Foot - The bottom or base of a ceramic vessel.

Body - The widest part of the ceramic vessel.

Lip - The top edge or opening of the ceramic vessel.