Painting and Drawing
Akvarell, staffli, komposition — the vocabulary of a Swedish art class.
A painter's working vocabulary: tools and media, colour mixing, composition rules, the fleeting Nordic light, kroki nights — and the hardest skill of all, knowing when to stop.
- 1
teckna
to draw
Tip: lit. the same.
- 2
måla
to paint
Tip: lit. the same.
- 3
en skiss
a sketch
Tip: lit. the same.
- 4
en skissbok
a sketchbook
Tip: lit. the same.
- 5
en blyertspenna
a pencil
Tip: lit. the same.
- 6
kol
charcoal
Tip: lit. the same.
- 7
ett suddgummi
an eraser
Tip: lit. the same.
- 8
en pensel
a brush
Tip: lit. the same.
- 9
ett staffli
an easel
Tip: lit. the same.
- 10
en duk
a canvas
Tip: lit. 'a cloth'.
- 11
en uppspänd duk
a stretched canvas
Tip: lit. the same.
- 12
akvarell
watercolour
Tip: lit. the same.
- 13
oljefärg
oil paint
Tip: lit. the same.
- 14
akryl
acrylic
Tip: lit. the same.
- 15
gouache
gouache
Tip: lit. the same.
- 16
en palett
a palette
Tip: lit. the same.
- 17
blanda en färg
to mix a colour
Tip: lit. the same.
- 18
exakt den gröna man vill ha
the exact green you want
Tip: lit. the same — and never twice.
- 19
en primärfärg
a primary colour
Tip: lit. the same.
- 20
en komplementfärg
a complementary colour
Tip: lit. the same.
- 21
en varm ton
a warm tone
Tip: lit. the same.
- 22
en kall ton
a cool tone
Tip: lit. the same.
- 23
en lasering
a wash
Tip: lit. the same.
- 24
vått i vått
wet on wet
Tip: lit. the same.
- 25
lämna papperet vitt
to leave the paper white
Tip: lit. the same — the hardest discipline in watercolour.
- 26
komposition
composition
Tip: lit. the same.
- 27
tredjedelsregeln
the rule of thirds
Tip: lit. the same.
- 28
en blickpunkt
a focal point
Tip: lit. the same.
- 29
negativt utrymme
negative space
Tip: lit. the same.
- 30
perspektiv
perspective
Tip: lit. the same.
- 31
en flyktpunkt
a vanishing point
Tip: lit. the same.
- 32
proportion
proportion
Tip: lit. the same.
- 33
mäta med pennan
to measure with the pencil
Tip: lit. the same — arm outstretched.
- 34
ljus och skugga
light and shadow
Tip: lit. the same.
- 35
en slagskugga
a cast shadow
Tip: lit. the same.
- 36
det nordiska ljuset
the northern light
Tip: lit. the same — flat, long, and painters love it.
- 37
måla ute
to paint outdoors
Tip: lit. the same.
- 38
ljuset ändras på en timme
the light changes in an hour
Tip: lit. the same — so work fast.
- 39
ett stilleben
a still life
Tip: lit. the same.
- 40
ett porträtt
a portrait
Tip: lit. the same.
- 41
ett självporträtt
a self-portrait
Tip: lit. the same.
- 42
ett landskap
a landscape
Tip: lit. the same.
- 43
en kroki
a life drawing class
Tip: lit. the same — the standard Swedish word.
- 44
tvåminuterspositioner
two-minute poses
Tip: lit. the same.
- 45
lossa upp handen
to loosen up the hand
Tip: lit. the same.
- 46
överarbeta en målning
to overwork a painting
Tip: lit. the same — the commonest mistake.
- 47
veta när man ska sluta
to know when to stop
Tip: lit. the same — the rarest skill.
- 48
vända den mot väggen
to turn it to the wall
Tip: lit. the same — and look again tomorrow.
- 49
börja om på ett nytt blad
to start again on a fresh sheet
Tip: lit. the same.
- 50
vilket alltid är billigare än förtvivlan
which is always cheaper than despair
Tip: lit. the same.