The use of paint as a medium, including methods for mixing colors, applying paint to a surface, and creating different textures and effects.
Color Theory: Understanding the principles of color theory is critical to creating harmonious color combinations in your artwork.
Composition: Composition refers to the arrangement of elements within a painting, be it shapes, colors, or forms, to achieve visual balance and harmony.
Light and Shadow: Understanding how light interacts with objects and the resulting shadows it creates is key to creating realistic paintings.
Brush Control: Knowing how to handle your paintbrush allows you to achieve finer details in your artwork and make subtle brushstrokes.
Painting Techniques: Acquiring prowess in various painting techniques like glazing, impasto, scumbling, underpainting, and washes will enable you to achieve a range of effects and textures in your painting.
Material Knowledge: A thorough understanding of painting materials such as paint types, mediums, and brushes, as well as how they work together, is important in producing quality artwork.
Layering Techniques: Layering techniques include painting in multiples layers—starting with foundational layers and building up towards detail—to create depth and dimension in your artwork.
Mixing Pigments: Mixing pigments is fundamental to creating unique colors and hues, and learning which pigments work well together is critical in achieving the results you're looking for.
Texture: Techniques like sgraffito, pallet knife, and impasto can be used to create different textures in your painting.
Framing, Displaying, and Storing Art: Knowing how to protect, display, and store your artwork correctly will help ensure its longevity, so it remains in pristine condition for years to come.
Oil Painting: A technique that involves using oil paint on canvas or other materials.
Acrylic Painting: A type of fast-drying paint made from pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion.
Watercolor Painting: A technique that involves using watercolor paints on watercolor paper.
Gouache Painting: A type of watercolor with a higher concentration of pigments, creating a more opaque finish.
Encaustic Painting: A technique that involves using melted wax as a medium.
Fresco Painting: A technique that involves painting on wet plaster.
Tempera Painting: A technique that involves mixing pigments with a water-soluble binder, such as egg yolk or glue.
Pastel Painting: A type of dry medium made from pigment and binder, applied to a textured surface such as pastel paper.
Spray Painting: A technique that involves using aerosol spray cans to apply color to a surface.
Mural Painting: A large-scale painting created directly on a wall or other flat surface.
Tiling Painting: Painting on ceramic, glass, stones or other materials.
Reverse Glass Painting: A technique that involves painting on the back of a glass surface.
Sand Painting: A technique that involves creating images by pouring colored sand onto a surface.
Mixed Media Painting: A technique that combines different materials and techniques, such as painting and collage.
Digital Painting: A type of painting created with digital tools, such as a tablet and stylus.