What is a Line of Action?
An imaginary line that you can draw along the character's pose/movement. A character's body posture flows along this imaginary line of action.
What is Gesamtkunstwerk?
Literally a "total work of art" in German; an artwork, design, or creative process that makes use of all/many art forms/ strives to do so.
What is a Memento Mori?
Literally 'Remember you must die' in Latin; symbolic still life artwork of mortality w. skull/hour glass/clock/extinguished candle/fruit/flowers.
What is Chiaroscuro?
Literally means 'light-dark' in Italian; the effect of light lights + dark darks (shadows) in drawing and painting.
What are Vanitas?
Referencing the Book of Ecclesiastes, Vanitas still life compositions are symbolic reminders of the worthlessness of worldly luxuries + fleeting pleasures.
How many heads tall is an average human figure/body?
7 - 7.5 heads tall.
What is the half tone technique used in comics + silkscreening?
Reprographic technique that simulates continuous-tone imagery through the use of dots, varying in size/spacing, thus generating a gradient-like effect.
How does Contrapposto evoke movement, reaction + emotion in the human figure?
Literally "counterpoise" in Italian; the human figure stands w. most of its weight on 1 foot, shifting hip + shoulder angles to produce a relaxed curve in body.
What is Hatching?
A row of lines, all facing the same direction.
What is a Still Life?
A Western Art genre (subject matter) depicting mostly inanimate, commonplace objects which are either natural or man-made.
What is Crosshatching?
The engraving/drawing of fine lines close together in 2/more directions to give an effect of shading/patterning.
What is the Golden Ratio/Fibonacci Sequence/φ Greek letter phi?
Divine proportion/special number (equal to about 1.618) that appears many times in geometry/art/architecture creating a pleasing aesthetic (fractal)
What is a Fashion Croquis and how many heads tall is it?
Literally "Sketch" of a fashion figure in French; usually elongated to 9 heads tall to accentuate and showcase clothes on the stylized form.
What is Foreshortening?
The technique of depicting an object/human body in a picture so as to produce an illusion of projection/extension in space.
What is a Contour Drawing?
Defining the outline of a form, as well as interior structure in lines, instead of shading.
What is Scumbling?
Tiny, squiggly, circular lines; "controlled scribbling."
What is Stippling?
Many, many dots.