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Taking your first steps into higher education
Taking your first steps into higher education

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Glossary

Form
the shape, configuration and structure of an artwork, including elements such as medium and colour
Installation
a type of three-dimensional artwork; it usually consists of many parts and is created for a specific gallery space or outdoor site, to be viewed as an entire whole
Palette
is used when describing the number of different colours that are present in an artwork
Colour value
the lightness or darkness of a colour
Medium
the substance used to make a particular artwork
Oil paint
a slow-drying paint comprising pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed
Tempera
a medium bound with emulsions, combined with dry pigments and water; emulsions might include egg yolk (egg tempera) and milk proteins (casein tempera)
Watercolour
a paint comprising pigment suspended in a water-soluble vehicle; the addition of water adds to the paint’s transparency
Found object
a natural or an artificially made object used in an artwork, but which has not been designed for that purpose
Ceramics
art objects such as figures and tableware made from clay and other raw materials using the process of pottery
Acrylic
a fast-drying synthetic paint