Page 18 - Art Attack Gr 9 LB SKU1007

Some of the common painting media:
WATERCOLOUR PAINT:
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Watercolour painting started in England during the 18 century. South Africa has a number of good
watercolourists who have a high technical skill in handling this rather difficult medium. These include
Wallace Hulley, Richard Cheales, Julia Paton and Walter Battis. The term “watercolour” means that the
paint is water-based. This means that you would use water to thin the paint, and water to clean your
brushes and equipment. The paint is applied with soft brushes. A broad sweep across an area with
very watery paint is called a wash. Watercolour paint is quick drying. Most times one paints onto paper
or board. A water-colourist must work sitting down with the paper or board flat; if the paper were vertical
the paint would run down. Watercolour paint is translucent (see through) and most mistakes cannot be
corrected.
THEY HAVING A BAD
HAIR DAY!
1. Put colour on with a large brush.
2. Brush across the page
3. Remember to have the drawing board at an angle.

POSTER PAINT AND GOUACHE:
Poster paint has a number of distinct characteristics, which make
it very different from watercolours. Poster paint comes ready
mixed or in powder form. This paint can be mixed with
water to thin it down therefore it is water-based.
Poster paint is opaque, which means that you
cannot see through it. Mistakes can therefore be
easily corrected by letting the paint dry and then
painting over it again. The more water that is
mixed into the paint, the more translucent it
becomes and therefore it can be used for a wash.
Thick poster paint can be applied with a palette
knife or brush very much like oil paint. Poster paint
can be applied to a variety of papers and boards.
Some varieties become water resistant when dry.

OIL PAINT
Oil paint is still a common media used for painting yet not for illustrations. If you have tried oil paint and
watercolours, you will know that they are very different media with which to work. Oil paint is thick and
does not run on an upright surface. Oil painting is therefore done while standing or sitting at an easel.
This also helps in the evaluation process where the artist will stand back, viewing their work from a
slight distance to see if the painting is turning out the way he/she wants it to. Oil paint is oil based,
which means that it can be made thinner by adding linseed oil or mineral turpentine. In extreme cases,
it can be made to run. Oil paint dries slowly and therefore can take weeks, even months for a painting
to dry completely- that is one of the reasons that its not the preferred medium for illustrations.

Artifact Publications and Training 2015 12