National Gallery of Art NGAkids Tissot 5

Sometimes when light hits shiny objects, a reflection can be seen. In a painting, a reflection is made with a light-colored paint such as white. Some objects, such as this blue-and-white china lamp, are hard to the touch. To show its hard surface, Tissot painted sharp, clear outlines. Other objects, like the brown fur in the painting (below, left), are much softer to the touch. The artist painted these surfaces with blurry, fuzzy outlines. Compare that to the smoothness of the toy ball (below, right).