Glossary

modeling clay

A non-hardening substance used for modeling sculptures-- for sketches, models for casting, and by students. It is plastic (in the sense of being workable). It cannot be used for permanent work (unlike ceramic, water-based clays, it is never fired or glazed). Although it becomes less useful as its oil either dries or is absorbed from it (making it brittle) or as it picks up impurities, but it can be reused for many years if kept relatively clean. Even new it can vary greatly in quality. Most common varieties are made of clay mixed with petroleum greases, oils (typically linseed oil), and a pigment. It softens as it is modeled by the hands (because of their warmth), pieces joined to each other by pressing them together and blending with fingertips. Equipment that might be used with modeling clay includes modeling tools and armature. Molds can be made from modeling clay. There are numerous commercially produced types, including the brand named Plasticine. (Hint: before washing it off of hands and other surfaces, scrub with a dry paper towel.) It is sometimes called model clay.

ukiyo-e

Japanese for 'pictures of the floating world'. Ukiyo-e were popular in the seventeenth to nineteenth-centuries, and depicted kabuki actors, landscapes, and folk tales.

Example: Kitagawa Utamaro's Five Kinds of Ink from the Northern Provinces, early 1790's

ultramarine

Blue pigment originally made from ground lapis lazuli. French ultramarine is an artificial substitute.

undercut

Carving to create an overhang; a recess or awkward angle in the surface or form of a three-dimensional object which would prevent easy removal of a cast from a mold. Molds should be designed to eliminate this problem. Ways to cast objects with overhangs include using piece molds and waste molds.

underdrawing

Drawing preliminary to other work, and incorporated into it, thus deprived of independent artistic value. An example is the underdrawing in fresco and panel painting, such as sinopia and abbozzo.

underpainting

The layer or layers of color on a painting surface applied before the overpainting, or final coat. There are many types of underpainting. One type is an all-over tinting of a white ground. Another is a blocked out image in diluted oil colors that serves as a guide for the painter while developing the composition and color effects.

See Also: abbozzo, sinopia (or sinopie), grisaille

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