Painting Media

Asma NazFine Arts Department

DA College for Women Phase VIII

Introduction

One of the most important decisions an artist will make is what art medium to use. A medium of art is a material used to create a work of art. Paint is one medium. Pencil, crayon, and marker are others. When referring to more than one medium at a time, the plural term media is used.

Paints

All paint is made of the same three basic ingredients:

Pigment: a finely ground, colored powder that gives paint its color.

Binder: a liquid that holds together the grains of pigment in paint.

Solvent: a material used to thin a paint’s binder.

Painting media

Every painting medium has its own unique look. Among the most commonly used painting media are:

Oil paint Tempera Watercolor Acrylic

Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil.

Tempera paint is a mixture of pigment, egg yolk, and water.

Painting media

Watercolor is named for its solvent, water. Its binder, gum arabic, is a gummy plant matter. It is a transparent media.

Acrylic is a quick-drying water-based paint and are easy to use, offers the artist a wide range of hues.