About Painting
Painting uses colored materials applied to a surface. Artists have painted on cave walls, wood, plaster, canvas, paper, silk, buildings, and many other materials. Different binders and pigments create very different effects.
Pigments
Pigments are colored particles mixed with a binder.
Learn MoreFresco
Fresco applies pigment to wet or dry plaster.
Learn MoreOil Paint
Oil paint mixes pigment with drying oils.
Learn MoreWatercolor
Watercolor uses water-soluble binders and transparent washes.
Learn MoreAcrylic
Acrylic paint uses synthetic polymer binders.
Learn MoreComposition
Composition organizes shapes, figures, color, and empty space.
Learn MoreLight and Color
Painters use value and color to suggest light, volume, atmosphere, and emotion.
Learn MoreConservation
Paintings change as materials age.
Learn MorePigments
Historically they came from minerals, plants, insects, charcoal, earth, and later synthetic chemistry.
Fresco
Large wall paintings can survive for centuries when buildings and plaster remain stable.
Oil Paint
Its slow drying time allows blending, glazing, and layered detail.
Watercolor
The white of the paper often becomes part of the final image.
Acrylic
It dries quickly and can imitate transparent watercolor or thicker opaque paint.
Composition
Artists guide attention with contrast, scale, direction, balance, and repetition.
Light and Color
Different periods developed different theories of perspective and color.
Conservation
Museums control light, humidity, temperature, handling, and cleaning to slow deterioration.