A Basic Guide to Art Materials

Artists need to use a multitude of different tools to create their works.

Amidst the many paper-scented corners of your favorite bookstore, there is one section that is both appealing and yet intimidating at the same time: art materials.

For artists, the art section is a sanctuary where they can stay for hours. But for the less artsy crowd, discussing art materials seems tantamount to speaking a foreign language.

Artists need to use a multitude of different tools to create their works, and even for them, learning about art materials is not an easy task. Gaining even a basic understanding can help people appreciate the work that goes into artmaking more and maybe even encourage them to try a little artmaking themselves. 

Here’s a quick overview on the basics of art materials.

Essentially, an artwork will have two basic foundations: the medium and the support. The medium refers to the material that creates all the marks and colors that make up the work. Mediums can be dry and used as is, or wet and require either water or other solvents. The support is the surface where an artist applies the medium. Knowing the characteristics of both your medium and your support are important in helping you understand how to better work with them. 

1. Dry Mediums

The most common dry medium is graphite. Graphite is typically combined with clay and encased in wood in what is otherwise known as a lead pencil. Pencils are incredibly versatile. They come in different grades, from H to B, meaning they produce different qualities of marks, with the B grades creating the darkest. Some artists use graphite in pure stick forms so they can sketch in even more expressive ways.

Another dry medium is charcoal. Charcoal is made from charred wood. Its most discernible feature as a drawing medium is its messiness. Charcoal smudges very easily and leaves black powder everywhere. However, it is this very messiness that attracts many artists to it. Charcoal is easier to manipulate than graphite and can be used for anything from refined, realistic renderings to quick, haphazard sketches.

As for the coloring mediums, we have pastels. There are two kinds of pastels: chalk pastel and oil pastel. Like charcoal, chalk pastels can be powdery and messy but are great for producing pigmented strokes. Oil pastels consist of a pigment and binding substance combined with oil. They are more permanent on a surface, and the oil allows colors to blend smoothly.

2. Papers

The standard support for dry mediums is paper. The best way to determine the most ideal medium for a specific paper is to check the quality of its surface texture, also known as its tooth. Graphite works best on papers with a smooth surface and thus less tooth. Softer dry mediums, like charcoal and pastel, need more tooth to hold on to, as the roughness allows them to adhere to the surface better.

Another factor to take into account when choosing paper is the weight. Weight is measured in grams per square meter (gsm). Fine art papers are usually twice as heavy and thick as normal bond paper. Heavier paper is more absorbent and durable and is less likely to get damaged.

3. Watercolor

Many who want to try painting for the first time look to watercolor. Watercolor is a simple yet exciting painting medium to work with. Watercolor paint consists of a pigment held together by a binder known as gum arabic. They are sold in trays of hardened cakes that dissolve and come to life when mixed with water. 

Watercolor paint goes on watercolor paper. Watercolor requires a heavier gsm than dry mediums to withstand the wetness and to prevent the paper from warping while painting. A semi-rough tooth is a good surface for watercolor works. 

The tricky part about watercolor is that once you begin painting, you are at the mercy of the water. This is what causes the unpredictable and mutating nature of watercolor strokes and also what makes it such a favorite medium for a lot of painters. 

A good brush is the key to getting a hold on watercolor. Watercolor brushes need to be soft and absorbent to hold a lot of water and paint, and yet be gentle on the surface of the paper. Sable brushes are an ideal high-quality option, but synthetic or nylon brushes do the trick as well. 

4. Acrylic and oil

Oil paint is one of the oldest painting mediums, dating back to 15^th century Europe. Straight from the tube, oil paint is very viscous and needs another solution, known as a vehicle, to dilute it. The most common vehicle for oil paint is linseed oil. Linseed oil allows the paint to blend smoothly and gives it that glossy finish. 

One of the defining features of oil is its slow drying time. Working on even a small piece can often take several days, as an artist has to wait for each layer to dry before working on the next ones.

Bristle brushes are typically used for oil. These are more rigid, as they need to hold considerable amounts of paint and yet be durable enough to withstand the use of the brush against the support. 

Acrylic is a more modern medium compared to oil, first used in the mid-20^th century. Like watercolor, acrylic uses water as its vehicle, but its added viscosity makes it easier to handle than watercolor. It possesses several of the characteristics of oil paint but will dry to the touch within minutes, making it relatively simple to use.

The best brushes to use for acrylic are synthetic brushes. They are versatile enough to handle different applications, and since brushes for acrylic paint wear out faster than watercolor brushes, they are the more cost-effective option. 

5. Canvas

A canvas is a cloth that artists use as a painting support. Canvas cloths are stretched into rectangular or square shapes using wooden stretchers. Artists also stretch canvases over plywood, creating canvas panels. Some artists even prefer not to stretch at all, and merely drape their canvas on a flat surface and start painting. 

Canvas surfaces need to be primed before being painted on. Priming a canvas helps provide a better surface for painting, and creates a protective layer between the paint and the canvas. The most commonly used canvas primer is gesso, which has been used to prepare painting surfaces as far back as the early Renaissance.

There are still plenty more art materials to learn about. This is only a quick overview of some of the most commonly used materials. Hopefully that art materials section will now be a little less confusing.

Contemporary art today is developing at such a rate that the very definition of the phrase “art material” has evolved. Now, instead of just plain oil on canvas, artists use trash, clothes, scrap metal, used papers, and even their own bodies. The materials we use are a reflection of our own creativity, and these basic materials continue to help artists churn out the most amazing artworks.