Painting with various artist media
So you want to create a piece of art do you, and your deciding on the best choice of art materials to use? There are so many to choose from. Some standard media you can utilize are pastel, ink, and oil paints which are the basics of many an artist’s tool box (along with many, many paper towels to clean up the mess). These can paint on board, paper, canvas and wood which are all traditional types of materials artists throughout the ages have painted on.
However there are difficulties which each one. Indian ink has an excellent texture and can be used to create images with some nice calligraphy. It is all in the way it is placed on the paper. Once can design a very precise image using a calligraphy pen and ink or a more contemporary image via using splotches of ink and applying the ink with a brush or sponge to create various textures.
Pastel chalk have an excellent texture and come in a variety of colors. One can make a full color image or a grayscale/monochrome one. It is always best to outline the image to begin with charcoal, spray with fixative (so the charcoal doesn’t mix with the color) and then apply the pastel. I find a charcoal pencil is good for this as the charcoal sticks can be messy. The pastel chalk has a tendency to get everywhere too. Best to be prepared to get your hands messy here. After the image is completed one should spray with an artists fixative. This helps to keep the image and chalky deposits in place. I have heard hairspray can also be used as a fixative which is a cheap alternative most may have on hand.
Oil paints have been used throughout the ages and today instead of having to mix your own colors they come in an exotic variety of colors. You can choose from cadmium yellow to blue ochre and even metallics such as silver, gold and bronze. However if your just starting out and don’t want to have to purchase lots of unnecessary colors, especially as good oil paints can be expensive you can mix your own from the standard five. These are white and black (to darken and lighten) and the junior colors red, yellow and blue.
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