Painting Media Notes

Painting Media

Introduction to Painting

  • Painting is a prominent fine art form, evidenced by its prevalence in museums.
  • Paintings are durable and retain their original appearance over long periods.
  • Painting is popular due to its vibrant and eye-catching colors.
Objectives
  • Describe the components of painting media.
  • Discuss painting techniques used by artists.
  • Define the three main types of painting media.
Key Terms
  • Painting media
  • Pigment
  • Vehicle
  • Binder
  • Fresco
  • Gouache
  • Tempera
  • Oil
  • Watercolor

Components of Painting Media

  • Painting media consists of pigment, vehicle, and binder.
Pigment
  • Ground-up solids that create the color's hue (e.g., cadmium, ochre, burnt umber).
  • Can be natural or synthetic.
  • Good oil paints contain more pigments than less expensive ones.
Vehicle
  • Liquid in which the pigment is suspended, facilitating application to the ground.
  • Adjusts the viscosity of the paint.
  • Often water, except for oil-based paints, which use solvents.
Binder
  • Liquid substance that binds pigment particles together and adheres the paint to the surface.
  • The binder or resin is the film component of the paint.
Vehicle and Binder Relationship

  • In some paints like acrylics:

    • The vehicle (e.g., water) reduces viscosity for easier application.
    • The binder is a chemical substance ensuring adherence to the surface.

  • Sometimes vehicle and binder are separate, and their proportions can be adjusted for different effects.

Painting Techniques

Fresco
  • Ancient technique typically used on walls.
  • Pigments are mixed with wet plaster directly on the surface.
  • The painting becomes part of the wall as the plaster dries.
  • Requires quick execution, as the plaster dries rapidly.
  • Artists often use cartoon drawings to plan the arrangement of figures and shapes.
  • Walls are completed in sections.
  • Fresco: Where pigments are mixed with water and then applied to a plaster support, usually a wall or a ceiling.
  • \The Last Supper\ by Leonardo da Vinci is an example of a fresco.
Gouache
  • Similar to watercolor but with added white pigments.
  • Gives a washed-out or tinted feel and a smooth finish.
  • Usually comes in tubes with pigment and binder already mixed.
  • Water is added as a vehicle.
  • Gouache, a type of watercolor in which white pigment is added creating a duller effect and a tinted feel.
  • Gouache tends to dry a different value than when it is wet.

Types of Painting Media

Tempera
  • Very old medium made by blending egg yolks with water, pigments, and sometimes other materials for cohesion.
  • Relatively inexpensive and dries quickly.
  • Common in historical examples and art classes.
  • Tempra, a water based painting medium made with egg yolk often used to paint frescoes and panels.
  • The tempera paints had a distinct vibrancy to them.
Oil Paint
  • Pigments are suspended in a slow-drying oil base (usually linseed oil).
  • The oil base contains oil and binder; added to the oil medium for application.
  • Dries slowly, allowing for on-canvas mixing and special effects.
  • Very long-lasting with bright, vibrant colors.
  • Example: Mary Cassatt's painting remains vibrant after nearly a century.
  • Oil. Painting medium where pigments are binded using oils, usually linseed oil.
  • Oil paint takes longer than most other paints to completely dry.
Watercolor
  • Pigments mixed with gum arabic and applied to paper.
  • Requires layering due to the effect of water content on lightness.
  • Lighter colors are applied first, followed by deeper hues and darker values.
  • Overpainting is difficult; green painted over with yellow will not produce the same effect as with oils, acrylics, or tempera.
  • Produces a desirable finish.
  • Example: Winslow Homer's \Adirondack Guide.
  • Watercolor. Pigments that is mixed Arabic and gum and mostly water before it is applied to the paper.
  • Wet on wet and wet on dry are two watercolor painting techniques.

Review

  • Components of painting media: pigment, vehicle, and binder.
  • Techniques: fresco (painting on wet plaster), gouache (watercolor with added pigments).
  • Main types of painting media: tempera, oil paint, and watercolor.
Conclusion
  • The combination of painting media and techniques creates an artist's unique style.
  • Example: Jan Vermeer's consistent application of similar techniques across his paintings.
  • The choice of painting media and its application defines an artist's identity.