DICTIONARY (alphabetic)

Acrylic paint: A fast-drying paint containing pigment suspended in an acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint is diluted (with water) or modified with acrylic gels, mediums, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolour or an oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics not attainable with the other media.

Canvas: A heavy, coarse, closely woven fabric of cotton, hemp, or flax, used for oil paintings.

Gouache: (Also referred to as Bodycolour by art historians). A type of paint pigment suspended in water just as watercolours, but with the important differences that the particles are larger and the ratio of pigment to water is much higher. Chalk is also present which renders Gouache more opaque and with greater reflective qualities.

Illustration board: A board made by mounting good drawing paper on a stiff backing, usually a filled pulpboard; surfaces vary from smooth to rough. Textured surfaces of cold press boards allows the medium to be applied without fast absorption. This permits smooth and even blending of washes.

Illustration paper: Thin and bright white paper ideal for inks and colours.

Masonite: A trademarked wood product normally with a thickness of circa 7mm (.25"). It is a very dense type of fiberboard generally dark brown in colour. It has a smooth side and a rough (or so-called pebbled) side. Barks preferred to paint on Masonite especially in the later years, because its smooth surface allowed him to put in very delicate details.

Oil paint: A pigmented substance in which the vehicle is a drying oil. It dries relatively slowly. Barks once explained: I prefer to paint in oil. Acrylics dry too fast. With oil you can go back after three to four hours.

Pebbled Masonite: In painter's terms this means that the painting is made on the Masonite's rough side rendering the results quite coarse and without details.

Watercolour: A water-soluble, dry colouring pigment. It is mixed with water before use.

THE EASEL

From 1955 to 2001 Barks used the same wooden easel (depicted to the left) in his painting studio. It measures 230 centimeters (7.50') in height, and 75 centimeters (2.50') in width.
In his last years Barks made some Gearloosean inventions aimed to help him with his paintwork; he had his easel fastened to the floor and roof so that it became both easily adjustable and able to swivel and he made a special stick with a soft end (technically referred to as a mahl stick). The end could rest upon the surface material (canvas or Masonite) while he was holding it with one hand and then he could rest his working hand with the brush against the stick in order to steady it.

THE MATERIALS

Barks - as well as other painters - used a broad variety of materials needed in constructing a painting. Primers, pencils, matte mediums, art masking fluids, retouching varnishes, cobalt driers, reproduction whites, brushes, and paints are examples.
The photos show a few of Barks' own authentic materials used in his work. To the left a variety of brushes and fluids, and to the right his own 'fishing tackle' box filled with various tubes of oil paint.