Simple Online Photographic Dictionary

Chalk is a soft, white rock that can be used to draw with on rough surfaces. Chalk is usually sold in small coloured sticks, for drawing on blackboards and sidewalks.

Photo by OddHarmonic

Charcoal is a soft black substance that is left after something is burnt. You can use charcoal to draw with, like in the picture. Charcoal is messy, and you have to be careful not to get black fingerprints on everything when you are working with it.

Charcoal is also used as the name for a color that is very dark grey, almost black.

Photo by Freeparking

Crayons are brightly coloured things you can draw pictures with. They are made of wax with colour added. Unlike pencils there is no wooden coating over the crayon, just a paper label.

Photo by John Morgan

Drawing is a way of putting a picture you have in your head (or something you can see) onto a piece of paper, using your hands and a pen or pencil. Drawing is different to writing, as you are putting down a literal picture of what you are thinking about instead of writing the words to describe it letter-by-letter.

Photo by Crystl

An envelope is a special paper container that you put letters into to send them to other people. It costs money to send a letter. You have to buy a stamp to put on it to send it.

Photo by SludgeGulper

An eraser is a piece of soft rubber or plastic that is used to rub out mistakes you make with lead pencil.

Photo by D Sharon Pruitt

Felt is a fabric that predates weaving and knitting. Felt is made by rubbing wet fibres until they stick together in a thin, matted layer. Felt is often made from wool or hairs from an animal like a rabbit or beaver.

Photo by Andreadg

Glue is a sticky substance that can be used to hold two or more surfaces together. There are lots of different kinds of glue, for sticking different things together. There is wood glue, plastic glue, construction adhesive, and many other special kinds of glue.

Photo by L. Marie

Ink is a coloured liquid that is used to paint or draw on something with. Ink comes in lots of colours, but the colours used most for writing are black and blue.

Photo by Houseoftext

A marker, marking pen, felt-tip pen or branded as a Texta or Sharpie in some countries, is something you use to draw or write with.

Markers have their own source of ink, and a soft tip. There are lots of different kinds of marker, for writing on whiteboards, overhead transparencies, paper, glass, and of course permanent markers versus erasable markers.

Photo by Iwan Gabovitch