Common Types of Art Mediums
“Festival Journey” Painted Metal Wall Sculpture by Dorothy Gillespie
Over the centuries, and spanning from prehistoric times to today, there have been many works of art that were deemed “masterpieces”. This includes artwork from ancient times that was carved into rocks, through the periods of oil painting, watercolor painting, clay sculpting, bronze, clay, brass, and an infinite other mediums and art forms. Each one has unique characteristics that art collectors can appreciate. An art “medium” refers the material or materials used to create the art. Below, we explore some of the art mediums that were used in creating many of the masterpieces we cherish today.
Oil Paint
Oil paint is a combination of refined linseed soil and powdered pigment, ground together to create a consistent, smooth paste. The paste if softened with a liquid like turpentine in order to paint with it. Oil paint takes a long time to dry, but it is one of the longest-lasting art mediums in history. As it ages, it develops a patina, and it becomes even more beautiful!
Watercolor Paint
Watercolor has been around for thousands of years, the earliest examples coming from ancient Asia. Watercolor became more prominent in Europe in the Middle Ages through illuminated manuscripts and nature studies and continued to develop as an art medium. Today, you can find watercolor works in a myriad of styles, from abstract to modern realism.
Acrylic Paint
Acrylic paint is the newest art medium, developed in the 1940s. It is similar to oil, except that it is far easier and more convenient for artists to work with. Andy Warhol used acrylic for his famous “Campbell Soup Can” in the 1970s.
Charcoal
Artists create charcoal artworks with graphite pencils and crayons. These works are purely monochromatic and have a vast range of creative possibilities. They are a fantastic material for sketches and for incredibly realistic drawings.
Pastel
Pastels come in oil or chalk-based crayons. Its opaque quality and brilliant colors allow the artist to create simple and complex art pieces alike. Many masterpieces produced over hundreds of years that were created with pastel paints are seen in museums today.
Limited Edition Prints
Limited edition prints are works of art in their own right. Each work is a numbered and hand-signed one-of-a-kind. A serigraph print is a painting created by applying ink over a stencil onto a taut silkscreen canvas. A lithograph print involves the artist applying grease or gum to a canvas before applying ink and rolling it under a limestone block or a similar weight. More than one print can be produced in this way. Serigraph prints tend to have brighter, more opaque colors than lithographs, and serigraphs have more stable and long lasting fade-resistant colors.
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Since 1979 Zimmerman Editions Ltd. has worked closely with many internationally acclaimed artists to execute editions of their most unique images. Collaborating directly with the artists, Zimmerman Editions’ atelier has printed, fabricated, and published many special limited editions of fine art, including both prints and sculptures. All images have been faithfully produced to meet the artists’ most exacting requirements. Many of these high-quality art prints and objets d’art are represented in public and private collections around the world.
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