Comic Art Vocabulary
burst:
explosive shape around lettering or in the background
character:
person, animal or object representing a person
climax:
high point or inciting incident in a story arc
column:
panel(s) arranged in a vertical line
comic:
sequential narrative art, often combining images, text, and humor
credits:
byline listing comic author(s) and artist(s)
gutter:
blank space between panels and scenes, which represents the passage of time
halftone pattern:
dots indicating tone or color
inker:
artist who creates the clean line work for a comic
layout:
arrangement of images on a page
lettering:
text in a comic
narrative:
story
painter:
artist who creates the color for a comic
panel:
a single image often defined by a border, which indicates a moment in time
penciler:
artist who creates the rough drawings for a comic
row:
panel(s) arranged side-by-side in a horizontal line
scene:
narrative taking place in one location
sequence:
series of scenes
speech balloon:
framing element for a character's spoken words
splash balloon:
jagged or explosive outline around lettering
thought balloon and bubbles:
framing element for a character's thoughts
title:
name of the story
Pottery Vocabulary
body:
the part of a ceramic vessel that holds the contents
burnish:
a form of pottery treatment in which the surface of the pot is polished, using a hard smooth surface such as a wooden or bone spatula, smooth stones, plastic, or even glass bulbs, while it still is in a leathery state, before firing
ceramic:
an object made from clay and hardened by heat
clay:
a fine-grained rock which, when crushed and pulverized, becomes plastic when wet; leather-hard when dried; and when fired, is converted to a permanent rock-like mass
foot:
the base of a ceramic piece
incise:
decorating technique where a design is formed by cutting or carving shallow lines in clay surface
knead:
when preparing clay for shaping, this is the technique of manipulating of the clay into a uniform mixture by hand (like kneading dough for bread)
mold:
technique that uses a permanent form (such as a semi-spherical stone mold) into or over which clay is impressed to shape a vessel
neck:
part of a restricted vessel (such as a jug or pitcher) between the body and rim from which the contents of the vessel flow
score:
the process of incising the surface of wet or leather-hard clay in crosshatch patterns before applying the slurry and joining pieces
slip:
a suspension of clay, clay body or glaze in water
rib:
wide, flat handheld tool used to shape, smooth, and/or scrape clay surfaces (made of stone, wood, rubber, plastic, or metal, either rigid or flexible, with straight, curved, or profiled edge)
trim:
when the clay becomes leather hard, this is the technique of removing excess clay from the piece using a cutting tool
vessel:
a container (such as a jug, pitcher, cup, or bowl) for holding something
Archaeology Vocabulary
anthropomorphic:
a nonhuman object with human characteristics
archaeological meter scale:
a one-meter long measuring stick used to measure large objects and features of an archaeological site
biomorphic:
an object resembling the form(s) of living organisms
diameter:
the length of a straight line through the center of an object or space
height:
the vertical measurement from base to top
in-situ:
an object found in its original place
length:
the horizontal measurement from end to end
measure:
the dimensions, capacity, or amount of something
north arrow:
a marker indicating the direction north
photo scale:
a twenty-millimeter long measuring stick with standardized lengths of repeating color bars used to compare and photograph the sizes of small objects
width:
the horizontal measurement from side to side
Bibliography
Lee, Stan and John Buscema. 1978. How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Mattison, Steve. 2003. The Complete Potter. The complete reference to tools, materials, and techniques for all potters and ceramicists. London: Quarto Inc.
McCloud, Scott. 1993. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Techniques for shaping, decorating, and finishing ceramics have been passed down through history, and knowledge from past generations is continually being added to with fresh insights and technical developments.
Steve Mattison, Ceramic Artist
England
