Painting is an artistic medium consisting of pigment and binding agent (usually oil or egg), and filler (such as sand or clay). The early human beings used pigments made from natural materials, such as wood, rocks, and shells, but now most paints use artificial coloring. Modern paints contain various additives, making them easier to use and more durable. Painting mediums vary in thickness and consistency, and can be applied in many ways. Most artists use canvas or board, but they can also paint on wood or board.
Painting with pastels, a stick form of paint, has been popular for centuries. The main benefit of this type of painting is that you don’t need to wait for it to dry. Pastels are also often water-soluble, creating a watercolor effect. These pastels should be framed under glass to avoid lifting the pigment. If you are unsure whether pastels are right for you, try one or two before committing to a more complex project.
Realism: The style of painting that most closely resembles the real thing is referred to as realism. Artists working in this style of painting use a combination of colors, textures, and composition to create a realistic illusion. Pablo Picasso, for example, reduced a subject to its simplest shapes and colors. The artist also used perspective and lighting to make the subject appear more real than it actually is. In contrast, Georgia O’Keeffe often painted her subject against a background that was composed entirely of color and light.
In terms of colour, high blue hues appear cooler than high yellow and red hues. This difference is dependent on the range of colours within a design. For example, if the colour green is surrounded by bright yellow, it will appear warm and cool, and the reverse is true for blue-green. Painters in Asia and Europe have taken advantage of this optical tendency. A painting can be interpreted as a symbol of something or an idea and it must be viewed in that light.
The process of encaustic painting can be traced back to ancient Egypt. This technique involves applying colored pigments to a hot beeswax paste, which is applied to prepared wood or canvas. Artists use special tools to shape the encaustic liquid, and sometimes heat guns are used to extend the working life of the paint. While the process is laborious, it can produce paintings with tremendous color and dimension. You must be patient in order to master this art.
Oil paint is the most versatile of all painting mediums. It uses a pigment mixed with linseed oil as a vehicle. While oil paint is believed to have originated in Europe during the fifteenth century, it was widely used in the first two centuries of the 21st century. Oil-based paints were used in caves in Afghanistan as far back as the 7th century. It has been the favorite medium for artists for centuries, and commercially available oil paint became available in the 1840s.