Medium of Joy

It is this media of paints that actually transfer one’s thoughts on the blank surface to create a fine piece of art bringing sheer joy. I wish to introduce you to a brief description of common painting media. Paints are basically color pigments suspended in various kinds of binders. Though there are more than ten types of media, this note covers only those with which I have worked. They are watercolor, oil, acrylic, pastels. Not having in depth practical knowledge about others like guache, egg tempera, enamel, ink, water-miscible paints have not been addressed. 

Water color:

This is probably the most popular medium for painting right from childhood. Perhaps for two reasons, one that it is easily washable and not very messy, the other is the easy availability of its solvent which is water. These are water soluble pigments dried and preserved. It is usually mixed with water and applied over special papers. As the paper gets warped easily with the use of water colors, the paper has to be strong enough to bear this exercise.  Some kinds of paper need to be stretched before using. There are number of techniques involved in handling water colors like ‘wet on wet’, dry brush, ‘wet on dry’, ‘dry on wet’ etc. Framing is inevitable as the paper is delicate. Hence the artwork tends to be heavier and fragile for handling. Water color pencils are also available. These are useful to draw thin lines and painting while traveling.

Oil color: 

It is by far the most accepted and appreciated media from ancient times. Here the pigments are bound to a medium of drying oil. Paints come in pasty consistency. It is usually mixed with oils like linseed oil, walnut oil or mineral oil. The painting dries slowly by the process of oxidation. There is a practice of varnishing the work to prevent degradation after ensuring complete dryness. This medium is a friendly and most forgiving but for associated messiness with slow drying. It is usually worked layer by layer when the previous layer dries. The succeeding layer should be oilier than the previous layer called in painting lexicon; ‘fat over lean’ to prevent cracking of painting over the years.  There are also various techniques involved in this like, Grisaille, Alla prima, etc.

Acrylics:

This medium is gaining popularity in recent times as it supports rapid completion of the work. These are fast drying painting medium where pigments are suspended in acrylic polymers. Depending on the way it is used, the final work may resemble ‘water color’ or oil painting. It can be diluted with water but when dries, becomes water resistant. One has to be extremely quick on the toes while working with Acrylics. It is advantageous to an extent that the work can be finished at a faster pace. It also has the disadvantage of being rigid and plastic.

Pastels:

Pastels come in the form of sticks like wax crayons having pure pigments with binders. Color saturation is high with pastels as against other media. Painting with pastels is extremely a delicate and daunting task as it is soft and smudges easily. Hence the work has to be preserved under a fixative and glass frame. When preserved, they are said be very durable as they contain pure pigments.

Hope you enjoyed meeting some of my painting pals!