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Picking a Drawing Medium

January 19, 2017 By nicole

Pen or pencil?

Although it seems like a simple question, the medium you use to create your art can be very important. Different styles of art require different tools to create them, and it is crucial that you choose the right one.

Lion painting
Paint is the most common medium used for most famous artworks. Using paint can allow your art to be very vibrant and pleasing to the eye, but fine detail is a struggle. Water color paint is even harder. Practice is required to master the art of painting, but a skilled artist will be able to use it to create beautiful masterpieces.

pastel eyeball
Pastels offer a finished product that greatly resembles paint, but they allow for more control and finer detail. The downside is that you  only have a choice of a few colors, while paint lets you mix and match until you get the perfect shade.

Color pencil girl
Colored pencils can be used to create a vibrant and detailed drawing, but often appear to be flatter. Colored pencil drawings also allow for very fine detail, but require a large amount of patience. Rushing through coloring a large section could result in a whole project being ruined.

marker iron manMarkers offer a more bold and eye-catching product, but they often don’t apply evenly, and leave wonky splotches of darker color all over your drawing. They are best for a cartoony style rather than a realistic one.

chalk ballerina Chalk is personally my least favorite drawing medium. It applies very lightly, sounds unpleasant while you draw, and it is very easy to smudge. Chalk can allow for a certain wispy style, but I tend to avoid it.

pen and ink girlThe ability to use pen and ink comes naturally for some artists, but is almost impossible for others. It leaves little room for error, but if you have a certain bold style then pen and ink is the perfect medium.

scratch board catScratch board also leaves little room for error, but it looks incredible with animal fur or very detailed black and white drawings.

 

Links to Art Featured:
Painting  Pastel  Color Pencil  Marker  Chalk  Pen and Ink  Scratch Board

 

Filed Under: Tips Tagged With: chalk, color pencil, drawing, marker, medium, paint, pastel, pen and ink, scratch board, style, tips, tools

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