Material Research — Reference
Material Terms Glossary
KO ↔ EN
A bilingual reference for specialist terms in natural dye, Korean traditional painting, biomaterials, and alternative photography — collected from workshops, residencies, and studio practice across 12 countries.
Binders & Glue
Animal glue / hide glue — protein binder from animal collagen
Glue sizing — diluted glue solution applied to paper or silk before painting to control absorbency
Pearl/bead hide glue — same as agyo in bead form, dissolves more easily
Plate/stick hide glue — standard block form of animal glue
Fish glue — stronger than standard hide glue; use at lower concentration
Yellow corvina swim bladder glue — highest-quality traditional Korean glue; used in document restoration and fine gold work
Green glue — traditional glue for gold ink (금니) application in Buddhist manuscript painting
Peach tree resin glue — plant-based adhesive from wounded peach trees
Plant-based glue — vegetable alternative to animal glue
Alum — potassium aluminium sulfate; used in agyo-bansu sizing and as natural dye mordant. Always dissolve in cold water.
Pigments
Stone pigment — ground mineral rock, numbered 1–15 by particle coarseness (1=sand, 15=flour). Requires agyo binder.
Powdered pigment — very finely ground mineral pigment; soft, matte, 뽀송한 (fluffy) texture
Stick pigment — pre-compressed pigment stick; ground with a few drops of water and optional agyo
Shell white — ground oyster or clam shell aged 15+ years to neutralize salt content. Warm, matte white ground for silk painting.
Shell white balls — hobun formed into small balls to increase adhesive quality
Traditional Korean green — malachite-based pigment; characteristic soft, slightly greyed green of Korean traditional painting
Earth pigment — ground mineral earth used as colourant in Korean traditional painting; region-specific (고성, 보령)
Yellow ochre clay — iron-rich yellow earth; 고성 (Goseong) and 보령 (Boryeong) varieties prized in Korean painting
Lead white — lead carbonate; warm white for fine line work. Toxic (lead). Used sparingly for detailed linework.
Minium / red lead — lead tetroxide; orange-red pigment used in 단청 (traditional architectural painting). Toxic.
Titanium white — modern non-toxic white pigment; can be mixed with tochae (earth pigment) for warm whites
Sappan wood / Brazilian wood — red-pink to violet dye from Haematoxylum brasiletto heartwood; same plant as Palo de Brasil
등황deunghwang藤黃
연지yeonji
송연songyeon松煙
유연yuyeon
Paper & Silk
한지hanji韓紙
순지sunji
장지jangji
Silk — traditional painting substrate; requires agyo-bansu sizing before use
배접붓baejeop-but
Technique
Back-coating technique — applying pigment or hobun to the reverse side of silk; builds depth visible through the front
발임barim
담채damchae淡彩
진채jinchae眞彩
갈필galpil
Scouring — cleaning fibre before dyeing to remove oils, waxes, and other contaminants. Cotton: 1% soap + 1% soda ash. Silk: warm water 40°C.
Natural Dye
Mordanting — treating fibre with mineral salt to permanently bond dye to fibre; choice of mordant changes colour
Pre-mordanting — mordanting the fibre before dyeing; most common method
Simultaneous mordanting — adding mordant and dye in the same bath; faster but less controlled
Post-mordanting — mordanting after dyeing; used to shift or darken colour (especially iron "saddening")
Korean indigo — natural indigo pigment; same chemical (indigotin) as Indigofera tinctoria
자초jacho紫草
치자chija梔子
Sappan wood — red-pink to violet dye (same as Palo de Brasil / Brazilian wood)
Theory
Situated knowledge — Donna Haraway's concept that all knowledge is produced from a specific place, body, and context
Cosmovision — indigenous and non-Western frameworks for understanding the origin and structure of the universe
Terms are added continuously as research develops. Missing a term? Reach out.