Term: Glazing

A glaze is a layer of transparent or translucent paint. In oil painting, the simplest form of a glaze is a thin, oily, transparent layer of paint spread over the top of dried paint. The paint is made thin by mixing it with a medium. The act of applying a glaze is referred to as "glazing".

Glazes are used to alter existing colors to give them added depth or beauty. This occurs as light travels through the glaze and is reflected back off of the opaque layer below. This can cause a glowing effect similar to looking at a brightly lit white wall behind a film of colored cellophane.