The Media of Art

What is a medium of art? A medium of art is a material used to

create a work of art.

Artists work in both 2D media and 3D media.

2D Media - Drawing

Drawing media include pencils, charcoal, chalk, ink, and pastel.

Drawing is used to make art, but it is also used to planning projects and sketching.

2D Media - Drawing

Mary Cassatt, Pastel Henri Matisse, Charcoal

Leonardo da Vinci, Ink

2D Media - Drawing

Frank Lloyd Wright, Pencil

Sir Thomas Lawrence, Chalk

2D Media - Painting

Painters usually paint on either canvas, fabric, or paper.

Paint includes three things: Pigment – Finely ground, colored powder

that gives ever paint its color. Pigments can be natural or synthetic.

Binder – A liquid that holds together the grains of pigment and makes it stick to a surface.

Solvent – A material used to thin a paint’s binder.

2D Media - Painting There are many different types of paint. The most

common include: Oil paint – this paint takes its name from its binder,

which is usually linseed oil. Because oil paint dries slowly, it can be blended directly on the canvas.

Tempera – uses egg and water as a binder. The tempera we use now is also called poster paint, and its binder is a glue-based.

Watercolor – Watercolor is named for its solvent. The binder in watercolor is gum arabic, which is a gummy plant matter.

Acrylic – A fast drying water-based paint made with synthetic binders and sometimes synthetic pigments.

2D Media - Painting

Vincent van Gogh, oil on canvas Duccio, tempera on wood

2D Media - Painting

John Singer Sargent, watercolor

Roy Lichtenstein, Acrylic

2D Media - Printmaking

Printmaking – a technique in which an inked image from a prepared surface is transferred onto another surface, such as paper or fabric.

http://www.moma.org/interactives/projects/2001/whatisaprint/print.html

2D Media – Computer Art Computer art –

artwork in which computers play a role in the making or display of artwork.

Artists use special programs which create or make the computer create artwork.

2D Media – Mixed Media

Mixed media – artwork that is made with more than one medium.

Romare Bearden, collage

3D Media - Sculpture

Sculpture – art that is made to stand out in space. Freestanding sculpture – sculpture that is

surrounded on all sides by space (also known as sculpture-in-the-round).

Relief sculpture – sculpture that is only partly enclosed by space.

3D Media - Sculpture

Types of Sculpture Carving – cutting or chipping a shape

from a mass. Casting – a melted down metal or other

liquid is poured into a mold to harden. Modeling – a soft or workable material

(such as clay) is built up and shaped. Assembling – gathering and joining

different kinds of materials.

3D Media - Sculpture

Auguste Rodin, bronze casting

Egyptian relief carving

3D Media - Sculpture

Marilyn Levine, modeled clay Louise Nevelson,

assemblage

3D Media - Architecture Architecture –

the planning and creation of buildings

3D Media - Crafts

Crafts – artwork made by hand that often requires a specialized skill. Pottery – the making of functional objects

with clay. Fiber arts – art which uses textiles such as

fabric, yarn, and other fibers. Glassblowing – the shaping of melted glass

into objects. Woodworking – the art of making objects

with wood.

3D Art - Crafts

Native American woven blanketGreek pottery

3D Media – Crafts

Eric Fransen, woodworkingDale Chihuly, glassblowing