Many people leave art behind in their elementary school classrooms, and this is unfortunate as creating art has a plethora of benefits for adults! Creating art is important for adults as it can have a positive impact on their mental and emotional well-being. It serves as a form of self-expression and a way to release stress, improve mood, and manage emotions. Engaging in a creative activity like painting, drawing, or sculpting can help adults tap into their inner creativity, stimulate new ideas, and provide a sense of accomplishment and fulfilment. Additionally, creating art can also foster a sense of community as individuals share their work with others and are inspired by the creativity of others.
Many think of art as limited to paints and pencils. However, there are tons of different art forms out there for you to choose from! There is bound to be something for everyone. Read on to discover different art mediums that you could pursue as a way to express yourself and destress.
Acrylic Painting
Acrylic paints are one of the best choices for beginner painters They’re cheap, low in toxicity and water soluble which means it’s easier to clean up any messes. Since acrylic paints dry fairly quickly, you can easily create multiple layers without disturbing the colors underneath. What’s great about acrylic paints is that you can manipulate them to make them behave more like watercolors or oil paints based on your preference. There are several techniques that when applied to acrylic paints can increase their drying time, change their opacity, adjust their thickness, etc. Overall, acrylic paints are incredibly versatile.
Oil Painting
Oil paints have been around since the 7th century CE. They are made by grinding pigments with linseed oil. Typically, oil paints tend to have a richer and more vivid appearance. Due to the oil content, oil paintings naturally display a rather pretty glossy sheen. Additionally, oil paints have a much longer drying time. This gives artists the freedom to play around more as they have more time to carefully blend or manipulate the colors as they desire. Another benefit of oil paints is that unlike acrylic paints, the colors do not reduce in deepness/saturation as they dry. This allows artists to have a clear idea of what the colors and shades in their paintings will look like once completely dry. When creating oil paintings, artists will often use a solvent such as turpentine to thin their paint and to clean their brushes since oil paint is not water-soluble. However, turpentine emits toxic fumes, so one must be very careful when handling it.
Charcoal Sketching and Drawing
Charcoal drawing utilizes sticks of charred wood as a sketching medium. An interesting characteristic of charcoal drawing is that it is impermanent, which means that it can be easily smudged or erased unless you set it with a fixative spray. By just changing the pressure with which you press the stick to the paper, you can create a whole range of different gradations. You can also simply rotate the stick and you’ll find that you’ll be able to create a completely different type of stroke. With charcoal drawing, the grain/texture on the paper being used is really brought to life. It is best to go with a slightly textured and thick paper when drawing with charcoal. Charcoal drawing can be a fun way to practice and improve your overall sketching skills.
Oil Pastels
Oil pastel is a colorful medium that looks a lot like crayons. The sticks are made with a mixture of wax, pigment and oil. Once applied to paper, oil pastels do not stick or adhere and hence they can be pushed around and blended. Through blending, you can create beautiful gradients of color with oil pastels. You can also scrape off layers of your oil pastel drawing to create intricate designs. For instance, if you create a layer of pink and then go on top of it with a layer of brown, you can then use your fingernail or any other tool to scrape the brown layer and this will expose a part of the pink layer underneath. This technique is known as sgraffito. Similar to charcoal drawings, oil pastel drawings are prone to smudging or getting erased unless set using a fixative spray.
Watercolors Painting
You can use watercolor paint to create a variety of effects, from realistic to abstract. The main two techniques are mixing colors and using washes. The first step is to get the right color mixtures for your painting. There are several ways you can achieve this and our teachers will guide you through the different methods and techniques.
Pottery
Pottery is an art form that involves shaping and molding clay into objects using a pottery wheel or hand-building techniques. The clay is then fired in a kiln at high temperatures to harden it and give it its final form. The clay can also be painted using special pottery paints before they are put in the kiln to give the final product a stunning pop of color. Pottery is one of the oldest and most versatile art forms, with a history dating back thousands of years in many cultures across the world. Potters can create a wide range of objects, including functional items such as dishes, vases, and mugs, as well as decorative pieces like sculptures and figurines. Pottery is not only a form of self-expression but also a practical means of creating functional objects that are beautiful and unique.
Resin Art
Resin art is a relatively new and innovative art form that involves the use of resin as a medium to create unique and captivating pieces. Resin is a clear liquid that can be mixed with a variety of additives such as colorful powder pigments, glitters, pressed flowers, gold leaves, beads and much more! Once the resin liquid is mixed with the desired additives, it can then be hardened into a solid object through the addition of a hardening agent. Artists often use resin to encapsulate objects, create texture, and build layers in their work, resulting in striking depth and luminosity. Resin art can be used to make a variety of objects including coasters, sculptures, jewelry, key chains and more. Additionally, you can use resin on top of existing paintings or sculptures to add a decorative layer and breathe new life into an old piece. Resin art has gained popularity and recognition among artists and collectors alike due to its versatility.
Thanks to the internet, you can find a variety of completely free art tutorials on websites like YouTube. There are tutorials geared towards complete beginners as well as those who are already at intermediate or advanced levels. So you can easily teach yourself some basic art skills at home by watching instructional videos!
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Blog post written by Artezaar.com Guest Blogger Shreya Alagramam
