Art Terms

Etching
To produce, as figures or designs, on mental, glass, or the like, by means of lines or strokes eaten in or corroded by means of some strong acid on a plate. The plate is first covered with varnish, or some other ground capable of resisting the acid, and this is then scored or scratched with a needle, or similar instrument, so as to form the drawing; the plate is then covered with acid, which corrodes the metal in the lines to create the art.

Foreshortening
To shorten the lines of (an object) in a drawing or other representation so as to produce an illusion of projection or extension in space. Foreshortening refers to the depiction of a single object, whereas "perspective" depicts an entire scene.

Fresco
In the fine arts, fresco is the art of painting on freshly spread plaster, before it dries. Murals can also be created with watercolors on wet plaster.