What Art Medium Should I Use

How to Notice Your Perfect Fine art Medium

When it comes to art mediums, the number one piece of advice I tin give artists is to experiment a lot (every bit in, endeavour everything) and then go with the medium that feels most natural. You tin can make beautiful art with any tools, so you only demand to detect a medium that supports your all-time piece of work. No medium is too simple or too silly if it works for you.

The best way to experiment with mediums is to take classes. I was lucky enough to have oil painting, pastel, colored pencil, and acrylic classes as a child. I found out pretty early which mediums I did and didn't similar. I always gravitated towards colored pencils, markers, and pens because those felt the easiest, until I discovered gouache. Unfortunately, I didn't have any gouache classes as a kid, and then I discovered this medium in my thirties. When I establish gouache, a lightbulb clicked. All the things that were holding me back in the past suddenly weren't an outcome. It made my work that much easier, and I hit the footing running every bit far as the amount of art I was producing. I love how sophisticated and make clean it made my fine art look. Because of gouache, I barbarous in love with my fine art all over once more.

I know gouache isn't everyone's thing, so this postal service is all about how y'all can discover your perfect medium - the medium that makes y'all a better creative person. Looking back, I wish I had some guidance on this topic. If you're nevertheless trying to find your perfect medium, equally most artists are, below are some factors to consider that really helped me out.

Ease of Use

It's hard enough to sit down down and brand art. Don't make information technology more difficult on yourself by choosing a medium that's hard to employ. A peachy instance for me is oil painting. I love the wait, but the fact that it takes two weeks to dry and a big ventilated workspace doesn't work for me. It'south way too complicated. To someone else, this may not sound complicated. It'southward about being honest with yourself every bit to whether a medium is going to irksome you downwardly. When I say ease of use, y'all should also question whether the medium fits your lifestyle. For instance, if you similar to make art while traveling (like I practise), that eliminates a lot of mediums. If you're really unsure where to start, I recommend beginner artists utilise drawing mediums, because they will give you lot the about control. They're likewise very portable, and intuitively easy to utilise because we used them as kids. I don't regret starting with colored pencils, markers and pens. This was necessary in guild for me to succeed with gouache later on. I had to primary colors and forms using mediums that came easy to me, before moving on to the next phase of my work.

Messiness

Does making a mess bother you? Information technology sure bothers me! If not, does your space allow for messes? I used to be very into pastels, merely they're simply as well messy for me. I hate how dust goes everywhere. I work out of a bedroom in my home, so I don't want to trail colorful dust through the firm. To some people, the mess of pastels might be exhilarating. Or maybe you lot accept an industrial workspace that allows yous to make a mess. Pastels are charcoal are the biggest messy offenders. Oil paints can be too. Less messy mediums would be pens, pencils, markers, acrylics, watercolors and gouache. Bonus points for digital art, considering no mess is made there!

Cost

We should all exist making fine art with the mindset that we're forming a lifetime habit. Art fights depression and is a great way to be nowadays in your day - similar to meditation. It should be your happy identify. If the cost of art supplies is stressing you out, it takes the fun out of things. Choose a medium where yous're comfortable with the toll. This applies to what y'all create your art on also. I use paper over canvas, because I like the idea that I can scrap a painting whenever I want at very fiddling cost. Contrary to popular belief, fine art supplies don't have to exist costly. I've seen amazing piece of work created with pencil and paper alone.

Consider Your Cease Product

Are yous selling originals? If so, will you be transporting or mailing your work? If you're selling prints, how does your medium expect scanned in? If you lot're making fine art just for yourself, is your art easy to store? This factor comes back to ease, but besides practicality. For instance, when I was creating my art with colored pencils, the pencil shavings and smudges drove me nuts when I would edit my art prints! It would take me twice as long.

Below I've documented my own experience with the most popular fine art mediums.

Oil Paints

If y'all want the richest colors, this is your best bet. These paints take up to 2 weeks to dry, so you tin can rework your painting until information technology's perfect. Besides, you tin alloy really well, creating a nice softness, because you have this extended dry time. Downside is the extended dry time. If you want to apply a brand new layer, you have to look a very long time. Too, oil paints can be smelly to piece of work with because of the mineral spirits (that you employ to rinse your brushes - y'all can't use water), so you lot need a large ventilated infinite. Not ideal for anyone who is sensitive to smells. As well, you typically work on canvas, which makes things less portable and more expensive. The paints themselves are also pretty expensive, but they will concluding you a while. Oil paints are what all the quondam masters used, and typically what you lot come across in art museums. The beauty of the final production tin can't exist rivaled, simply information technology'southward not the easiest process to get there.

Acrylic Paints

Think oil paints with less smell and a shorter dry time. Much shorter. These are unremarkably cheaper than oil paints, but go through the tubes quicker because the paint dries faster. Unfortunately, you lose some of the richness with oil paints. On the positive side, you can create some really nice layering effects because the pigment dries rapidly. Likewise, you tin can mix the paints with water, and use water to clean your brushes. Just don't wait as well long, until the paint is totally dry. The not bad news is, y'all don't have to worry about spilling on your dry painting. The paint is not water-based so it will stay put. Yous can utilise acrylic on paper or canvas.

Gouache Paints

This is what I apply, then it's my favorite. I like to describe this medium as the perfect mix between acrylic and watercolor. The paint is opaque, and then you can layer nicely like acrylic. It's similar to watercolor, because it's water based. That means you lot can rewet the paint on your palette. You lot can also add varying degrees of h2o to great different looks. You typically employ gouache on mixed media or watercolor paper. The little tubes are pretty expensive, but they are concentrated, and will concluding yous a long time - much longer than acrylic. Negatives are that if you splash water on your painting, it will cause damage because the pigment is water based. Also, the colors aren't completely opaque so you lot have to be careful about layering light colors over dark colors.

Watercolor Paints

Recollect transparent gouache or acrylic. You have a lot less command with this medium, because the water really takes control. A lot of people like the soft, spontaneous look this provides. The paint tubes are small like gouache, and then they're fairly portable. The color in the tubes is really concentrated. You go extremely vibrant colors. These will last y'all even longer than your gouache tubes because you tend to apply more water with them. You typically use watercolor or mixed media newspaper with this medium. Downsides are the same as gouache - careful of water harm to your paintings.

Oil Pastels

Given the name, information technology'southward no surprise these provide the richest color of all drawing mediums- like to oil pigment. Using these feels similar cartoon with a melted crayon. If you want color that goes on thick and bold, this is it. The downside is they tin exist a niggling messy. Also, they don't alloy well, which tin exist a cool wait if you want to testify off your pastel strokes. Considering they tin smudge, you want to be careful when storing your work. You lot probably besides want to use a fixative spray when you're washed working. There are some brands that are pricey, simply for the most part, they are reasonable.

Chalk Pastels

These are completely different than oil pastels, because they're similar drawing with chalk. They blend so nicely, and create a softness that most mediums don't offer. The colors are also really vibrant and rich. I just Honey the wait of chalk pastels, but I don't use them considering they are far too messy for me. Grit goes everywhere. They are relatively inexpensive. You definitely want to utilize a fixative over these, because they smudge hands.

Colored Pencil

I started out using this medium years ago, because information technology felt comfortable. Considering colored pencil strokes are thin, you have a lot of control. Because they are sparse, covering large areas can be irksome. I find this medium works best in conjunction with another medium - whether it exist paint or marker. Colored pencils are nice and portable and pretty inexpensive. They will terminal a while and are easy to maintain, as long as y'all keep a pencil sharpener close past. One negative is that the pencil shavings and dust can be a bit messy, especially when trying to edit a painting.

Markers

Markers are great because there isn't whatever messiness to them. They are probably the most portable medium. If you get the correct brand, y'all volition see some really bold colors. Because the marker tip isn't as sparse, y'all don't have every bit much control. I like using markers with pencil or micron pens, for detail work. At that place isn't really a downside to these, except that they don't really blend. One time the colour is gear up, it's there for good. Prismacolor is a dandy marker brand.

It's important to proceed experimenting with mediums as fourth dimension goes on, fifty-fifty if you think yous've constitute the perfect 1. The dazzler of mediums is that you can use more i at once. When I commencement constitute gouache, I was only using that. At present, I like to layer a petty pencil or pen over my work to create a unique look. Combining different mediums is a great way to uncover your unique manner. The more bizarre the combination of mediums you use, the more interesting your work will look.

And remember, there's no shame in simplicity. At that place is only shame in neglecting your art. I hear so many artists say they feel guilty or junior because they like painting on their iPad. Who cares?! IPads are great, and probably the style of the future! If you're making piece of work regularly, you are accomplishing something virtually people can't.

The last piece of advice I can give when trying a new medium is this - don't buy the sampler packs when trying out a new medium. Also, don't first with besides many colors. I take more than of a minimalist arroyo to art supplies in that I like to endeavour out a few crawly colors, before committing to buying the rainbow. Some great colors to start with in any medium are yellow ochre, cadmium scarlet, and ultramarine.

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Thanks for following along! I'm an illustrator, graphic designer & entrepreneur. I've been a full-time freelancer since 2015. When I'm not doing client piece of work, I'thousand running my print shop or writing articles about inventiveness and running a concern.