Meduims and Supplies

I have covered most of the tools used for drawing. I will now be moving on to painting media. Painting is a tactile and visual experience. All good art displays the dialogue between the subject and the way the paint is applied and manipulated to express the subject. Whether you prefer watercolors, oils, acrylic, gouache or the intricacy of tempera, the experience of working with different painting media will give you the opportunity to widen your artistic expression. New mate

Unless you’re an exceptional artist, you will probably need erasers for your drawings. One of the best things about drawing media is that you need very few accessories. Two essential tools in any artist’s tool kit are erasers and fixatives. All the drawing aids I describe here are all easily purchased and inexpensive. Erasers Erasers are not only useful for getting rid of unwanted marks, they can also be a useful tool in their own right, drawing lighter marks into darker expa

The ink I’m writing about is known as “drawing ink”. This generally describes a fluid medium that comes in colors and is used with pens or brushes to draw or write with. Sepia and blue-blacks continue to have their own appeal, and all of them can be diluted with water to create a range of light-to-dark tones. Drawing inks are versatile and have been used for millennia. Their popularity endures today. Ink is usually made of water and a coloring agent, plus a binderlike gum. Th

There are three types of pastels (unless you include pastel pencils as a fourth): soft, hard and oil. Soft and hard pastels come in...

Pen and ink have been popular as an artist’s medium for millennia. With just a few simple art tools, you can produce a wide range of...

Charcoal and chalk are two of the oldest known drawing materials. Ancient artists would use soot and sticks of charred wood from the fire...

One of the quickest ways to get started with using color in your drawings and on the canvas is to use colored pencils. Seriousness in...

This week we’ll begin to dive into surfaces, starting with canvas. The canvas you choose can have an important impact on the finished...

Starting with the most basic of the creative techniques: drawing. Last week I discussed the different kinds of pencils that can be used...

Of all the mediums to chose from, graphite pencil is probably the most basic. That said, it’s equally capable of producing quick sketches...