Medium and Technique

Medium and Technique

Medium comes from the Latin
word medium, denotes the
means by which an artist
communicates his idea.
• The architect uses wood, bamboo, bricks ,
stone, concrete and various building
materials.
• The painter uses pigments on wood or
canvas to recreate reality of nature.
• A sculptor uses steel, marble , bronze, metal
and wood.
Visual arts are those whose mediums can be
seen and which occupy space.
-Two Classes of Visual Arts-
1. The dimensional or two dimensional which
include painting, drawing, printmaking and
photography
2. Three dimensional arts which include
sculpture, architecture , landscape,
community planning, industrial designs and
crafts like ceramics and furniture
 Auditory Arts
• Are those mediums can be heard and
which are expressed in time. These are
music and literature. The combined arts
are those medium can be both seen and
heard and which exist in both space and
time. These include dance, opera, drama
and film Along the music , these are
known as performing arts
 Auditory Arts
• An art form depicts a significant even and is
presented before an audience.
• All art convey meaning and these may be
enjoyed through either the visual or the
auditory sense or both.
Technique – is the manner in which the artist
controls his medium to achieve the desired
effect. It is the ability with which he fulfills
the technical requirements of his particular
work of art. It has something to do with the
way he manipulates his medium to express
his ideas kin the artwork.
 Mediums of the Visual Art
• Visual art are those arts can be perceived with
our eyes. The most common visual arts are
painting , sculpture , and architecture.
 Painting
• Painting is the art of
creating meaningful
effects on a flat surface
by the use of pigments.
Different mediums are
used in painting. These
mediums applied to wet
plaster, canvas, wood or
paper
 Watercolor
• Watercolor is difficult to handle because
producing warm and rich tones using this
medium proves to be a challenge. On the
contrary, water color pigments invite brilliance
and variety of hues. Simple and clear
spontaneity is its principal essence.
 Fresco
• Fresco is a painting method done on a moist
plaster surface with colors ground in water or
limewater mixture. Fresco must be done
quickly because it is an exacting medium- the
moment the paint is applied to the surface,
the color dry into plaster and the painting
becomes an integral part of the wall.
“ The Creation of Adam” by
Michelangelo
 Tempera
Tempera paints are mineral pigments mixed
with egg yolk or egg white and ore. This
egg based emulsion binds the pigment to
the surface. Tempera is characterized by
its film-forming properties and rapid drying
rate. It requires a more deliberate
technique than oil because it does not
possess the flexibility of oil.
 Pastel
• Pastel is a stick of dried paste made pigment
ground with chalk and compounded with gum
water. It is very flexible medium whose colors
are luminous . In spite of the richness and
varied effects it yields, pastels are less popular
than the other mediums because it is difficult
to preserve the finished product in its original
state.
 Encaustic
• Encaustic is one of the early mediums used by
the Egyptians for painting portraits on
mummy cases. This is done by applyimg wax
colors fixed with heat . Painting with wax
produces luster and radiance , making
subjects appear at their best in portraits.