Republic of the Philippines

UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN PHILIPPINES

University Town, Catarman, Northern Samar
Web:http://uep.edu.ph, Email: uepnsofficial@gmail.com

ART APPRECIATION
MODULE 3. MEDIUMS IN VARIOUS FORMS OF ART

Jan Niño U. Acebuche

MODULE 3
MEDIUMS IN VARIOUS FORMS OF ART

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

✓ Identify the medium in various forms of art (visual, auditory, and combined)

✓ Define an artist’s or artisan’s medium and techniques

✓ Define the role of managers, curators, buyers, collectors, art dealers in the art world

✓ Differentiate between artists and artisans work as an end in itself and the artist’s work
is a means to an end

Mediums of Visual Arts

Medium which comes from the Latin word medium means by which an artist
communicates his idea. These are the materials which are used by an artist to interpret his
feelings or thoughts. Many mediums have been used in creating different works of art. The
architect uses wood, bamboo, bricks, stone concrete, and various building materials. The painter
used pigments on wood or canvas to recreate reality of nature. A sculpture uses steel, marble,
bronze, metal and wood. A musician uses instruments to produce and communicate a message
and a literary writer uses words. Thus, medium is very essentials in arts.
On the basis of medium, the arts are primarily classified as visual and auditory. Visual arts
are those mediums can be seen and which occupy space. These are grouped into two classes:
(1) the dimensional or two dimensional arts which include painting, drawing, printmaking and
photography and (2) the three dimensional arts which include sculpture, architecture,
landscape, community planning, industrial designs, and crafts like ceramics and furniture.
Visual arts are those arts that can be perceived with our eyes. The most common visual
arts are painting, sculpture, and architecture. Their mediums are discussed as follows.

Painting
Painting is the art of creating meaningful effects on a flat surface by the Use of pigments.
Different mediums are used in painting. Each medium exerts pronounced effect on the finished
product, is determines its own stroke. These mediums capable. of varied treatment and are
applied to wet plaster, canvas, wood, or paper.

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Watercolor
Watercolor is difficult to handle because producing warm
proves to be a and rich tones using this medium challenge. On
the contrary, watercolor pigments invite brilliance and a variety of
hues. Simple and clear spontaneity is its principal essence. While
changes may be made once the paint has been applied, such
changes normally tend to make the color less luminous. These
effects are rendered by watercolor artists through some
techniques. An example of such technique is the method of
gouache, an opaque watercolor painting the major effects of
which are caused by the whitepaper itself. The gouache is done
by mixing zine white with the regular watercolor paints to tone
them down, giving the sobriety suitable for dramatic purposes.

Boy in a Red Vest by Paul Cezanne, c.

Tempera 1890. Watercolor on paper.

Tempera paints are mineral pigments mixed with egg yolk

or egg white and ore. The egg-based emulsion binds the pigment
to the surface. Tempera is characterized by it film-forming
properties and rapid drying rate. It requires a more deliberate
technique than oil because it does not possess the flexibility of oil.
Throughout the Middle Ages and early Renaissance,
tempera was one of the favorite mediums of many painters before
oil was adopted. Tempera painting is usually done on wooden
panel made very smooth with plaster called “gesso” (chalk and
gum).
Since this medium dry quickly, correction are difficult to
make. Thus, the artist must be precise and exact in his work. It is
well-designed medium for careful detail. One distinguishing
advantage of tempera is its luminous tone - colors being clear and
beautiful.
The Crevole Madonna by Duccio, c.
1280. Tempera on board. Can be seen
in Siena, Italy.
Fresco
Fresco is painting method done on a moist plaster surface with colors ground in water or
limewater water mixture. Fresco must be done quickly because it is an exacting medium - the
moment the paint is applied to the surface, the color dry into the plaster and the painting becomes

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an integral part of the wall. The image
becomes permanently fixed and almost
impossible to remove. An example of fresco
painting is Micheangelo’s The Creation of
Adam in the Sistine Chapel ceiling and Da
Vinci’s The Last Supperin the Chuch of Santa
Maria delle Grazie, Milan.

The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci, 1495-98, dry

Pastel fresco on plaster. Can be seen in Milan, Italy.

Pastel is a stick of dried paste made of pigment ground with chalk compounded with gum
water. It is very flexible medium whose colors are luminous. In spite of the richness and varied
effects it yields. Pastels are less popular than the other mediums because it is difficult to preserve
the finished product in its original state. Some artists use a fixing medium or a protecting surface
such as glass, but when the chalk rubs off, the image loses some of its brilliance.

Encaustic
Encaustic is one of the early mediums used by Egyptians for painting portraits on mummy
cases. This is done by applying wax colors fixed with heat. Painting with wax produces luster and
radiance, making subjects appear at their best in portraits.

Oil Painting
Oil Painting is one of the most expensive art
activities today because of the prohibition cost of
materials. It is the heaviest of painting mediums. In oil
painting pigments are mixed with linseed oil and applied
to the canvas. One good quality of oil paint as a medium
is its flexibility. The artist may use a brush, palette knife,or
even his bare hands when applying paint on his canvas.
In some cases we do not even notice the artist’s strokes
because the paint is applied very smoothly. One
distinctive characteristic of oil painting may be changed
and worked over for a long period of time. Because of
this, it is possible to apply great deal of corrections
without much difficulty. Painting done in oil appears
glossy and lasts long.

Flowers is a Vase by Jay Brueghel the Elder, 1599.

Acrylic Oil on wood. Can be seen in Wien, Germany.

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 Acrylic is a medium used popularly by contemporary painters because of the transparency
and quick-drying characteristics of watercolor and the flexibility of oil surface of the artwork. Acrylic
paints do not tend to break easily unlike oil paints which turn yellowish or darker over a period of
time.

Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of putting together small pieces of colored stones or glass called
“tesserae” to create an image. The tesserae are most often cut into squares and glued on a
surface with plaster or cement. Mosaic is usually classified as painting, although, the museum
used is not strictly pigment.
Mosaic art is important feature of Byzantine churches. A prominent religious artwork in
Manila done in mosaic is found in the altar of Sta. Cruz Church. It shows directly to the tabernacle.

Stained Glass
Stained glass as an artwork is common in Gothic cathedrals and churches. It is made by
combining small pieces of colored glass, held together by bands of lead. It is also a kind of
patchwork. In large windows, the lead is reinforced by heavy iron bars that form heavy black lines
in the picture. The pictures in the stained glass
commonly depict lives of saints and in effect, also
serve as a means of religious instruction among
Christians. Beautiful stained-glass windows
showing religious instruction among Christians.
Beautiful stained-glass windows showing scenes
from the Bible are commonly found in the
Philippine churches.

Tapestry
Tapestry is a fabric produced by hand-
weaving colored threads upon a warp. The woven
designs often end up as pictorials, wall hangings,
and furniture on the walls covering. During the
Middle Ages, they were hung of palaces and in
cathedrals on festive occasions to provide
warmth.

Drawing
Drawing is usually done on paper us ng pencil, pen, and ink, or charcoal. It is the most
fundamental of all skills necessary in arts. Drawing has always been considered as a very good
training for artists because it makes one concentrate on the use of line. Shading can also be and

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realistic. Some of the used to make drawings more life-like world's best-known drawings are by
the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). from animals and birds to ideas for flying
machines. He drew everything

Pencil, Pen and Ink, and Charcoal

Drawing can be done with different kinds of mediums, the most common of which is pencil.
Pencil leads (graphite) are graded in different degrees of hardness or softness. Grades are
chosen depending on the kind of drawing the artist will undertake. For line work, hard pencil lead
is applied. When working on a granular surface, soft pencils are used because they invite effects
of mass and texture of gray. Ink, one the oldest mediums still in use, offers a great variety of
qualities, depending on the tools and techniques used in application. India ink, which comes in
liquid form, is the favorite medium of comic strip illustrators and cartoonists. Chinese ink,
meanwhile, comes on solid sticks that are dissolved in water before they are used.
Charcoal is a carbonaceous material obtained by heating
wood or other organic substances in the absence of oxygen. It is used
in representing broad masses of light and shadow. Like drawing
pencils, soft charcoal produces the darkest value, while the hardest
produces the lightest tone.

Jade
Jade is a fine stone, usually colored green, and is used widely in Ancient China. It is highly
esteemed as an ornamental stone for carving and fashion jewelry. Today it is made into women
as fashion accessories because it carries certain social sign. It is believed to symbolize virtue
such as faithfulness, wisdom, and charity.

Ivory
Ivory which comes from the main parts of tusks of elephants, is the hard-whit substance
used to make carvings and billiard balls. In the home of some well-to-do families in the Philippines,
faces and hands of saints are made in ivory. The bodies are made of carved painted wood.

Metals
Metals include any of a class of elementary substances such as
gold, silver, or copper, all of which are cystalline when solid and many of
which are characterized by capacity, ductility, conductivity, and peculiar
luster when freshly fractured. Being ductile, metals can be transformed into
fine wires or threads. They can be shaped or deformed under great pressure
without breaking. Traditionally, the metal used as mediums for sculpture are
copper, bronze, gold, silver, and lead. Aluminum is recent addition to the
list.

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 Bronze is one of the oldest alloy of metals composed chiefly of copper and tin with color.
It is one of the most popular metals for cast sculpture. Bronze as a metal material is strong,
durable, and resistant to any atmosphere corrosion.
Brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, is not popularly used by contemporary artists because
of its limitation as a medium.
Plaster
Plaster is composed of lime, sand and water. It is worked on an armature of metal wires
and rods in addition to various materials and fibers. It is applied on walls and ceilings and allowed
to harden and dry. This medium is used extensively in making manikins, models, molds,
architectural decorations and other indoor sculpture.

Clay
Clay is natural earthy material that is plastic when wet. It consists essentially of hydrated
silicates of aluminum and is used for making bricks and ceramics. Clay is generally fragile so it
becomes necessary to cast it in another durable material.

Glass
Glass is a medium that is hard, brittle, non-crystalline, more or less transparent substance
produced by fusion, usually consisting of mutually dissolved silica and silicates and contains soda
and lime. It can be molded in various colors and shapes. It is used to make beautiful but fragile
figurines.

Bistre
Bistre is a brown pigment from the soot of wood, and often used in pen and wash drawings.

Crayons
Crayons are pigments bound by wax and compressed into painted sticks used for drawing.
It is especially popular among children in the elementary grades. Crayons adhere better on paper
surface.

Silverpoint
The artist uses a silver stylus to produce a thin grayish on specially prepared paper. Silver
point drawings were popular during the Renaissance period.

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 Materials in Nature

These materials are direct products of nature given as gift to man. Often the materials may
be used directly without preliminary work of any kind, only requiring shaping and at the same time,
minor conditioning. Examples of these materials are stone (granite, marble, limestone) and wood.

1. Stone is one of the oldest and perhaps most permanent building materials. It is used in most
of the great architectures of the world. Concrete is a building material made of sand and gravel
mixed with cement. Like stone, it has high comprehensive strength. It doesn’t easily crumble or
break down when subjected to heavy weight. It does not rot or corrode and is fire resistant. For
stronger structures, ferro-concrete is used. It is concrete reinforced with steel.
2. Wood is not a permanent material but with proper care, it can last for a century. It is common
building material before the 90s. It owes its popularity to its abundance, relative durability, and
high tensile and compression strength. However, it can easily be destroyed by moisture, insects,
and fire when unprotected. A new material, plywood, has greatly improved the structural
possibilities of wood. Plywood, which come thin sheets is stronger than the other wood products.
It is also cheap and readily available.
Mediums of Auditory Arts

Auditory arts are those whose mediums can be heard and which are expressed in time.
The mediums of auditory arts are:
◆ Motion pictures, films, movies.
◆ Theater (a place for viewing)
◆ Television or TV for short
◆

Mediums of Combined Arts (Mixed Media)

◆ Doing a charcoal sketch before painting

◆ Doing a pencil sketch before painting
◆ Combining watercolor with pastel in landscape painting

Arts and Artisans

Artists are the creators of tangible or intangible products (work of art) as an expression
of creativity and imagination for purely aesthetic reasons.

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 Artisans (craftsman) are the makers of products of crafts, not only for aesthetic value or
for decorative purposes but for practical value, such as for business purposes.

Art Manager

An art manager has the following duties and responsibilities

1. S/he plans, directs and coordinates all activities in the art department.
2. S/he executes the marketing objectives, specifications and concepts in design, advertising,
media, print, and campaign materials.
3. S/he monitors the department projects.
4. S/he prepares the department reports that track and analyze productivity trends and other
factors that impact costs.
5. S/he evaluates the staff and other employees of the department.
6. S/he selects any additional staff as the need arises.
Technique in Arts

Artists differ from one another in technique even if they use the same mediums. A
musician’s technique is his ability to make music sound the way he wants it. For instance, a
pianist, may sound different from another pianist even as they handle the same instrument and
play the same musical composition.
Technique differs in the various arts. An arts and technique in one medium will be quite
different from his technique in another. A painter may have a fine technique in watercolor but a
poor one in oil. The distinction between an art and a craft may be made on the basis of the
technique used. For an artist, technique is not the end but the means, while a craftsman’s
technique is the end. The making of a piece of sculpture for example, is not the same as the
making of a chair. While both require technique, knowledge, and competence, creativity comes
to play in the work of a sculptor. Technique, thus, is an important aspect that distinguish an art
from a craft.

Some techniques of Visual Art

• Blowing technique • Printing transfer design

• Tinkering, splattering • Throwing coloring

• Flowing • Cutting

• Scratched etched • Stencil process

• Relief painting

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Some techniques in auditory arts
• Sound in music • Speech • Signaling with instruments

Some techniques in combined arts

Items attached to painting might include:
• Photographic images • Clothing • Newspaper clippings

Technique Approaches in Visual Auditory Arts and Combined Arts

According to Katherine Brooks, there are nine (9) techniques that anyone can do in
approaching creativity in arts;

1. Paint an object from your home or office.

Always draw from life, and not from photographs and not necessarily a model. Simple
convex objects like apples, pots, opaque bottles, or smooth rock or seashells are tremendous
subjects of study.
“train the mind to see form and understand how it sees form, and the hand to represent
that understanding, is the start to gaining visual artist’s tools of expression,” Brooks added.

2. Perfectly frame an architectural photograph.

“It is good to study a photographic scene slowly and carefully, observing how objects
interact in space. To do this, you have to shift your angle in space in relation to your subject that
can make or break the dynamism of a photograph (Doskow, 2011).
Doskow also pointed “Start out at a central point, then walk five feet to the left, five feet to
the right, and keep photographing, observing how the spatial relationships shift with every step.
Before you know it, you’ll discover the ‘sweet spot; from which to take your photograph”.

3. Design a whimsical collage

Picasso who originally invented the collage is a simple technique that artists and anyone
can do it. In preparing a collage, use assorted printer paper, which is the altered and rearranged
by cutting, shaping, and then gluing to construct something entirely different form the original one.
An attractive advantage to constructing a collage is that ability to draw is helpful, but not at all

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necessary, as collage is design-oriented; allowing the artist to ‘sketch’ by manipulating glued bits
of paper together to create both abstract and narrative composition of art.

4. Craft a metal sculpture from thin steel

Anyone can mane a metal sculptures and small steel objects by cutting, folding and
pasting them, as in proper, board.

5. Make a fabric masterpiece

In making a quick and easy way pf making a fabric masterpiece with great results:
1. Mix gel medium with a small amount of water to create a more liquid consistency;
2. Apply mixture to the surface of the base object using the paintbrush
3. Cut the fabric and arrange the pieces onto the object as desired.
4. Apply another coat of the gel medium on top of the fabric to ensure that it remains in
place.
5. Cover the entire object and you are done

6.Turn your camera on the clouds

Take pictures in outdoor settings, especially when taking of the landscapes. Use the
natural elements that work for your advantage. They all provide “dram, depth, and uniqueness to
your shots” taking pictures of the is very enjoyable and attractive but too cumbersome.

7.Turn your journal into a visual diary

Try a journal that focuses one of these things, using the material that pertains to the
subject like accumulated project. Install these journal pieces in groupings of about 50 at a time
attached to a wall with sewing pins.

8.Fingerpaint
Fingerpainting is still the most gloriously direct way of applying paint. This procedure is
still enjoyable because the touch and feel upon the surface of the object is sensual. Visceral and
delightfully messy.

9.Doodle like a Traditional Animator

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 The basic of traditional animation can be applied to one’s personal concept, story or
abstract ideas. In the process of animation, you can use drawing. Start drawing on paper and
create a personal stylistic approach by making drawings that move, a flow of story, design,
animation principles, expressionistic style and content.
In conclusion, there is no such thing as good or bad art it show you create an art based
on your technique approach, be it visual, auditory or combined arts.

New Trends in Art Forms

The development of new art forms has led to new trends in arts, especially visual arts.
Because of this impact of technological advancements, our lives have changed and even in the
way we perceive and represent art. As a consequence technological advancements, art forms
have broadened tremendously taking beyond the frame of canvas and paper.
Artists too began experimenting and stretching their limits of creativity. New mediums in
visual art have been emerged such as computer paintings, graphics, installation, video
installation, land art, body art, street paintings, mask making, digital photography, mixed
mediums, and installation art being explored. According to Ms. Guneeta Chudha of India, artists
are doing new experiments with all the kinds of waste materials to create new and interesting
works of arts.
In the Philippines, lantern, belen, and children’s toys are made of waste materials which
should have been thrown away but are still useful in the production of art.
The present digital technology has brought the buyer and seller virtually face to face.
Anyone can view art in any place setting from their desk.
The contemporary art being revolutionized and being “re-defined” with the help of new age
technology.

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 ACTIVITY 3.1
1. What is more important, the artist or the artwork? Justify your answer.
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2. If you are given a chance or an opportunity to be involved in an artwork,
what particular medium of art are you interested in? Visual, auditory, or
combined? Explain your interest.
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ACTIVITY 3.2 – PERFORMANCE TASK

Choose and do only ONE (1) of the following:
- Draw an object that you see every day. Just make it simple, it’s okay if
you don’t or can’t put color on them.
- Go outside and take a picture of a landscape using your phone camera.
After you have done one of the options, describe the artwork you have just done.

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