ArtSpeak is what I call the pretentious vocabulary of artists. In my drawing lessons, and among my students, we have our own vocabulary.
I’ve recently begun using the word “embiggen”, simply because it makes me smile. One of my students asked if she should “smallen” something recently, and then another one said she needed to “outen” an edge.
Another student brought in a snow scene from an overcast day that she wants to do in colored pencil. We discussed the values (which is ArtSpeak for darks and lights). Usually we reserve paper color for the lightest areas, but the brightest snow isn’t going to be in sunlight on this drawing so paper color will be too white. I suggested that she keep it paper color, because by the end of the project, all the other colors will have “grubbified” the snow to the right color.
And don’t forget the time I explained to a student that she needed to “horizontalize her verticals.”
The most fun part is that we completely understand one another!
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See? You can make up words, too!
The origin of Godspeed: 1250–1300; Middle English, from the phrase God spede you (“God prosper you”).
And if it’s on the Internet, it must be true! No, actually, I looked up several sources and they all agree. Which hardly ever happens, you know!
Sharon, you are my official researcher and word explainer. Thank you! And I’d like a little spedeness in my life.
I love it, Jana. The best of language–making it totally unseclusive and understandable.
Louise, did you really mean “unseclusive”? That is a brilliant word, completely self-explanatory!
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