The materials, medium and techniques

The choices a designer or artist can make are determined by the characteristics of the materials used,
and the techniques applied to those materials. The combination of materials and techniques used are
also referred to as the medium used.

The materials and techniques selected define the forms of visual expression the artist or designer can
develop in their work. The various media offer both distinctive limitations and opportunities for the
artist/designer

The media we will discuss are:

Painting and Related Techniques

Drawing

Printmaking

Textiles

Metal

Wood

Ceramics

Painting involves applying color to a surface. The colors were traditionally earth pigments which were
ground into a fine powder and then mixed with a medium, usually a liquid, so they can be applied to a
surface. Today there are also some artificial compounds used as pigments. The choice of the medium
and the method by which the color is applied have important effects on the characteristics of the
finished work, since each medium has its own limitations and potentials.

We will discuss many different painting related media:

Encaustic

Fresco secco

Fresco

Egg tempera
Mosaic

Oil paint

Watercolor

Acrylic paints

Collage

The oldest examples of painting date to more than 20,000 B.C, and can be found in the caves in
southern France. The best known of these caves is at Lascaux, although there are many others. These
portraits of animals and hunters were probably done with a mixture of minerals such as ochre, with
animal fat used as the medium. Rock paintings in this technique can be seen in many parts of the world.
Encaustic

In the technique known as encaustic, the medium for the powdered color is hot wax which is painted
onto a wood surface with a brush. It is then smoothed with a metal instrument resembling a spoon, and
then blended and set over a flame to soften and set the colors into the wood. This method produces
durable colors and permits sculptural modeling of the paint surface. Because of the wax medium, the
colors are semi-translucent and look fresh and lively. This technique is rare today, but it was practiced in
late Roman times; for example, we have burial portraits from Faiyum, Egypt, 2nd century, A.D.

Fresco SeccoIn

Fresco SeccoIn the dry plaster or "fresco secco" technique, pigments are usually mixed with water,
although other substances might also be used. The paint is then applied to a dry plaster wall which has
been wetted down with water. Since the plaster is relatively dry, it is non-absorbent, and the pigment
adheres to the surface of the plaster. This technique differs from true fresco (described below) in several
ways. The colors tend to flake off the surface of the plaster. The colors have a harder and more brilliant
appearance and tend to be lighter in value than those in true fresco. Advantages of the technique are
that the painting can be done more slowly and carefully, and changes can be made simply by over-
painting, since colors are opaque. Examples: Egyptian murals, 2500-1000 B.C.

Fresco

Fresco, also known as Buon Fresco or True Fresco, entails painting on freshly spread, moist plaster. First,
layers of plaster are applied to the surface. While the final layer is still wet, the artist applies the colors,
which are earth pigments mixed with water. The colors penetrate the wet plaster and combine
chemically with it, producing a painted surface which does not peel when exposed to moisture. As the
paint must be painted on wet plaster, the amount of plaster which may be put down at one time is
limited to what can be painted at one sitting. Often lines can be seen in frescos around an area which
was one day's work. The painting must be done rapidly and without mistakes. It produces a mat surface
with fairly desaturated colors. This technique was perfected in Renaissance Italy. Examples include
Roman wall paintings at Pompeii, 1st century A.D ; Giotto's Arena Chapel at Padua, 14th C.;
Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling, 16th C
Egg Tempera

In this method, the pigment is mixed with egg yolk or both the yolk and white of an egg. It is thinned
with water and applied to a gesso ground (plaster mixed with a binding) on a panel. It was also used on
parchment or paper to illustrate or embellish books in the era before the 15th century development of
the printing press. This type of painting dries very quickly and produces an opaque, matte surface. The
colors tend to dry to a lighter value than they appear when wet. The colors produced are bright and
saturated. Modeling is achieved by hatching. Egg tempera was used for panel painting until the 15th
century. Examples of artists that worked in egg tempera include Cimabue (14th C.); Duccio (14th C.);
Andrew Wyeth (20th C.) Islamic and Medieval miniature paintings in books and manuscripts are another
important class of egg tempera paintings; the celtic Book of Kells is a well-known early example, as is the
Book of Hours commissioned by the Duc du Berry in the 14th century.

Mosaic

The design is created by small pieces of colored glass, stone, or ceramic (called Tesserae), embedded in
wet mortar which has been spread over the surface to be decorated. Their slightly irregular placement
on a surface creates a very lively, reflective surface when viewed at a distance. This was often used to
decorate walls, floors, and ceilings. This link takes you to an gallery of Byzantine mosaics.