• Art 101- Know Your Art Mediums

    Yosi Gol Art Gallery and Publishing is one of the leading art galleries in the world. Our gallery reviews hundreds of works of art when deciding what to collect. While purchasing art, it is necessary to know exactly what you are buying and how much it worth. Many people are not familiar with the differences between the art mediums, so we decided to write an article explaining the common mediums and techniques. 

    In fine art, a medium refers to the art supplies and art materials that were used to create a work of art.

    Intaglio Techniques

    Etching

    Salvador Dali- Judah 72-6 (C)

    Etching is one of the most important technique for old master prints. The image is created by scratching with a pointed etching needle into the ground of a metal plate. The metal is covered with acid-resistant ground. The lines that appear on the exposed metal will be presented in the printed image. 

    Then, the artist apply acid on the image. The longer the metal is exposed to the acid, the deeper the lines become. When the artist is satisfied with the lines, he applies ink into the lines and press it into a moistened paper through a high-pressure printing press. 

    Engraving

    Salvador Dali- L'Ange De La Melancolie 72-5 (D)

    Along with etching, Engraving is the most important technique for old master prints. The image is created by incising lines with sharp tools directly into the surface of metal. When the design is ready, the artist applies ink into the lines and press it against a paper. The primary difference between etching and engraving is that etching is a chemical process and engraving is a physical process. 

    Painting Techniques

    Acrylic

    Patricia Govezensky- Claudia
    Patricia Govezensky- Claudia

    Acrylic mediums are very versatile. It is a paint that binds its pigments with a synthetic resin. Artists like using this art medium because of its fast-drying abilities, making it optimal to play with various effects without waiting too long.

    Oil

    Alexander Astahov- Authentic Fine Art
    Alexander Astahov- Authentic Fine Art

    Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint made with neutral oils that bind its pigments together. It is one of the most common art medium in fine art. Oil paint was widely adopted as an artistic medium since the early 15th century.

    Watercolor

    Patricia Govezensky- Cafe Tel-Aviv
    Patricia Govezensky- Cafe Tel-Aviv

    Watercolor (some call it aquarelle) is a painting method in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-soluble solution. Watercolor is considered to be difficult because it doesn't let the artist make any corrections or changes after the paint is applied.

    Traditional material to which the paint is applied is paper. The whiteness of the paper is usually used to create more effects in the painting. 

    Spray Techniques

    Giclee

    Eugene Poliarush- Entrance To Heaven

    Giclee (gee-clay) is a French noun that means a spray or a spurt of liquid. The Images are generated from high resolution digital scans or photographing and printed with archival quality inks onto various substrates including canvas, wood, and paper. The giclee printing process provides better color accuracy than other means of reproduction.

    When the print is ready, the artist proofs the qualities of the image, makes any modifications and proofs the work again. Only the artist can decide when the print is ready and can repeat the process until satisfied. Sometimes this process can take couple of month until the artist is satisfied with his edition. Then, the artist decides about the edition size and signs each one of the prints. 

    Surface Techniques

    Lithography

    Salvador Dali- One's Identity

    Lithography is a traditional technique used in some fine art printmaking applications. It is based on the principal of oil and water. The image that the artist wants to portray must be created on a stone or metal plate with smooth surface. The image is created on a slab in a reverse way (like looking at the mirror).

    The slab is treated with an image drawn by oil mixed with gum arabic. The drawing on the stone attracts all the grease-based image and repulse the empty area. When the stone is moistened, the artist can apply oil-based ink which would be repelled by the water. This will stick only to the original drawing and transferred to a paper sheet. 

    Serigraphy

    Alexander Borewko-Sweet Morning

    Serigraphy (screen printing) is a fine art method to reproduced art. The image is created on fabric, paper, or some other material by pressing ink through a screen with areas blocked off by a stencil. Each color requires a different stencil. The end result of the image is a beautiful texture created by different layers and sharp colors.

     

    Posted by Din Gol