Artistic information

PAINTING MEDIUMS

Though there are many styles of painting art, there are also many different mediums through which artists express themselves. Depending on the technique and effect required, different mediums can be used to heighten the artist's vision. Here are some of the most popular types of painting mediums you’ll find in the modern day.

 

OIL

Oil paintings are one of the oldest forms of painting and remain one of the most popular medium types to this day. When painting in oils, it is easy to blend colors, but can be difficult to erase mistakes meaning it can be a difficult medium to master. Some of the worlds most famous paintings were painted in oils, with portraits being a particular specialty of many artists who work in this medium.

 

WATERCOLOUR

Watercolor paints tend to be inexpensive to purchase but, similar to oil paints, difficult to master. Paints are diluted with water meaning they can go a long way from a singular tube, but once the paints are on the canvas there is little that can be done to correct mistakes. Watercolor paintings work beautifully with light and are often used to paint landscapes.

 

ACRYLIC

Only dating back to the 1940s, Acrylic is a relatively new painting medium. It dries quickly, is versatile, and can be very durable. If you make a mistake using acrylic paints, you can even scrape them off if you act quickly. Many pop artists used acrylic in their works, with the famous Campbell soup can being an example of this.

 

PASTEL

Pastels differ from many of the other types of painting art mediums in some key ways. Most pastels come in the form of a stick of powdered pigment which is then pressed onto the canvas to apply the color, with several different varieties available. When using pastels, you’ll get strong colors that are close to the natural pigmentation inside the pastel, and with few barriers to creating art, it is possible to get a canvas and some pastels and get creating quickly.

 

 

 

ARTISTIC STYLES

ABSTRACT 

Abstract art does not attempt to represent an accurate depiction of a visual reality but instead uses shapes, colors, forms and gestural marks, often with shocking displays of color and form to dizzy the senses, to achieve its effect, leaving the interpretation up to the viewer.

 

MODERN 

Modern Art is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of experimentation. Particularly denoting the styles and philosophies of art produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s.

 

 FINE ART 

Fine Art is usually created through the use of line and shadow primarily for aesthetic purposes, wanting to be judged for its beauty and meaningfulness.

 

FIGURATIVE 

Figurative or representational art will be clearly derived from real object sources retaining strong references to the real world and particularly to the human figure.

 

EXPRESSIONISM 

Expressionism does not concern itself with realism choosing to convey emotion and meaning rather than reality. Quite often images and scenes are distorted or painted with vivid colors that don’t match up with reality. The focus is on ideas or even the artist's feelings expressed through the medium of art in order to present the world from a subjective, sometimes distorted, perspective for emotional effect to evoke moods or ideas.

 

REALISM 

Realism attempts to represent subject matter painted from everyday life, in a truthful naturalistic manner.

 

PORTRAITURE 

Portraiture is the recording of an individual's appearance and personality.