UNIT 3

Materials and Techniques as Applied

to Contemporary Arts
Lesson 3 : Painting
Painting is an art form that began many, many years
ago. The earliest paintings recorded were found on walls
ceilings of caves. These prehistoric paintings made used
of crushed rocks mixed with animal fat or blood for
paint.MAGURA CAVE CUEVA DE LAS MANOS
 Painting is the application of color to a
surface through the use of tools such as
brushes, a painting knife, a roller or even
the fingers (this is not recommend for
some paints are toxic). The surface or
the support is the material to which the
paint is applied. This may be canvas,
paper or wood.
All paints are basically of three
components :
 1. Pigments – colored part of the paint. It may
be sourced from organic (plants) or inorganic
materials (rocks and metallic oxides).
 2. Binder – The material that holds together the
grains of pigment and allows it to stick to the
painting surface. (egg yolks mixed with water)
 3. Solvent – The liquid that controls the
thickness or thinness of the paint (viscosity). It
is also used to clean paint brushes and other
tools the artist may have use during the
painting project
 Different Kinds of Paints :

1. Oil-based Paints
 This was first used in the 1400s and costly.
 Consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying
oil, commonly linseed oil.
 it still is a popular medium of painting today.
 Best known brands available locally are : Pebeo, Da
Vinci, Holbein, Winsor and Newton.
 Basic Techniques for Painting with
Oils :
 The following materials are needed for those interested to being
painting using oil paints :
 Oil paints
 Solvent

 Brushes

 Palette and Palette Knife

 Canvas

 Easel

 Space
Basic Steps in Oil Painting :
o Start with a simple sketch
o Plan your design
o Find the light source
o Look closely at your composition and consider the actual colors
being used
o Work in layers
o Check for movement in your subject
o Determine what painting technique to use
o It takes 3 days for a layer of paint to dry and 3 days to rework or
correct any mistakes
o Clean your brushes and wash your hands
2. Water-Soluble Paints
 Watercolor is the most
popular of all water-based
paint media.
 Made of pigments suspended
in a water-based solution.
 The water used in watercolor
painting should be clean.
Two Approaches to Transparent
watercolor Painting :
Wet-on-Dry
 This technique involves the
limited use of water. The
support is dry and the
watercolor is applied usually
through the use of the brush.
When the painting process
has begun, enough time is
given for the fresh layer of
paint to dry
Wet-on-Wet
 This technique involves
keeping the support and the
pigment mixture in wet
conditions. The work
produced is soft and diffused.
The plasticity of watercolor is
seen in these wet conditions.
3. Gouache
 Gouache is another water soluble
paint which is a mixture of
transparent water with water
soluble white pigment.
 It is not resistant to water after
drying, it has the advantage of
giving transparent and opaque
effects. If thickly applied, gouache
paints tend to crack and chip.
4. Tempera
 Another water-based paint. It is
neither transparent nor opaque, its
effects depends upon the layer of
semi-opaque colors. Each layer of
paint serves as a tinted undercoat
for the next layers.
 The egg in tempera has low
malleability which is improved by
adding water. To make the yolk less
greasy, vinegar or acetic acid may
be added.
5. Acrylic paint
 This medium is a fast-drying
paint containing pigment
suspended in acrylic polymer
emulsion.
 Acrylic paints are water-soluble
and becomes water resistant
when dry.
 A finished acrylic painting can
resemble oil or water color or it
can have its own characteristic.
Kinds of Acrylics :
1.) Professional Acrylics – type
of acrylic paint resists chemical
reactions from exposure to water,
ultraviolet light and oxygen.
- Higher carbon content which
allows for more manipulation and
minor changes in color.
2.) Student acrylics – has
lower pigment
concentration and smaller
range of colors
3.) Scholastic Acrylics –
The pigment content is
less expensive and
includes dyes in the
formulation. The range of
colors is also limited to
primary and secondary
colors.
Thank you
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