CHAPTER-5

ART MEDIA & APPLICATIONS

Art materials For Drawing and Illustration

The drawing media: Graphite pencils, ink liners, ink pens, Charcoal stick and pencils,
ebony pencils, mechanical lead pencils, ink pens, Regular Ball pens (Black)

The colouring media:

• Dry Media: Colour pencils, Wax crayons , Oil Pastels, Chalk Pastels, Marker
Pens, Colored Ball pens
• Wet Color Media: Water colour pencils, Poster Colours, Inks, Gouache colors,
Acrylics

Other materials:

Paper:

• Paper types - Handmade paper, drawing paper, semi transparent paper, cartridge
paper, general all purpose paper,

Paper sizes

Supporting materials:

• drawing board & clips, adhesive tapes, glue stick , fixative spray
• eraser, sharpener, ruler- metal and plastic,
• paper cutting scissors, pinking scissors, scalpel, cutter,
• palettes, brush holder , brushes, water containers,
• Paper clips, stapler and staple pins, masking tape, Metre inch tape, Correction
fluid, Ear swabs, sponge
Drawing Media – You need to try and test different kinds of pencils to determine
which brand or type of pencil you like (usually based on its lead). Pencils come with
thickand think leads. They are numbered so that it is easy to pick thicker and
thinnerleads. They also give dark and light effects based on the lead and the pressure
used. The alphabet “h” after a number denotes a lighter pencil with a thin lead and the
alphabet “B: after a number denotes a darker pencil with a thicker lead. For example,
8 B is a think lead dark pencil where as 2H is a light thin lead pencil. 2H, Hb, 2B, 4B,
6B, 8B, etc are available in the market. Steadler is the best brand to buy pencils. A
combination of these is usually used for shading. Apart from these, you can also try
out graphite rods (completely made out of graphite with no wooden part like in a
normal pencil), charcoal sticks, mechanical pencils (where you can insert the lead into
the pencil). This can be used for fine detailing as the line quality is very thin.
You can also use pens to draw. There are a variety of pens available. Gel pens are best
suited for drawing compared to ball pens. You have to try and judge a pen based on its
ink flow and its tendency to blot. Some gel pens can be used for fine detailing while
some thicker varieties are also available.

Markers can also be used to draw and render. Explore the range of markers available
and select the one you are most comfortable with based on efficiency and shaped tips.

• Coloring Media
o Dry Media –is the media that can be used to render without the need of
adding water to the material. There are many varieties available. Some of
them are given below:
o Color pencils – Colored pencils can be used for different kinds of
rendering. They can be used to render light weight or heavy textured
fabrics depending on the handling of the material. Some of the color
pencils that are available are water soluble. After rendering an object, a
 slightly wet brush can be used to create a water color effect. The best color
pencils are available in Steadler.
o Wax crayons – Wax crayons have a tendency to create a grainy texture.
They are ideal to create bulky, rugged, raw textures like drawing fur,
boucle yarn, suede, etc. One can also use them on top of a painted picture
to create an interesting effect. Crayola has a wide range of crayons
available. As they contain wax, the crayons can also be melted to create
new textures.
o Oil pastels - There are many brands and varieties of oil pastels available
in the market today. The greater the quality, the higher the ratio of pure
pigments to its oil binder and the finer the quality of ingredients –
allowing for richer colors and finer technique. Oil pastels may look like
crayons but they are smoother, brighter and easier to blend than crayons.
They can be used extensively to create a lot of different textures
depending on the pressure and handling.
o Chalk pastels – Pastels contain pigment and a dry binder. The pastels are
quite delicate and should be handled carefully. They tend to break and
smudge easily. The color effect of the pastels is closer to the natural dry
pigment than any other media. They tend to create hazy lines with fuzzy
effects when rendered. A fixative needs to be sprayed on after used the
chalk pastels as they tend to smudge.
o Marker pens – They come in a larger variety including different
thicknesses and different nib types. Markers tend to blot and bleed, so one
must be careful while using them. They also tend to rub onto the paper
too much so one should avoid over working with a marker. They are ideal
for loose rendering with a hint of the colors of the fabrics. They can be
 enhanced, if used as a base color and another media is used to detail the
illustration.
o Colored gel pens – Gel pens are ideal for student who are afraid to outline
or do the finer details using a brush. They can also be used to create
textures and the highlights on garments and hair. A wide range is available
including a range in rotoring pens and pens with brush tips.
o Wet Media – These pigments usually need water to be added before using
them. Also, one has to wait for layers to dry out before blending in more
colors.
o Poster colors – Poster colors are basically water soluble colors found in
bottles in a thick liquid format. They are not permanent and can get
washed away if water spills on a painting. Poster colors are opaque colors.
They can be used to render fabrics – light or heavy depending on the
handling of the medium.
o Inks – Colored inks are found in a wide range of colors. They create quite
a commercial look and are should be used to create quick illustrations.
They also cannot be easily worked with as once applied, it is difficult to
rectify them.
o Water colors – Water colors are usually found in a cake or a paste format.
Water needs to be added before using them. The major difference between
poster and water colors is that water colors are transparent. They can be
used for lighter fabrics and airy effects. Once applied, they cannot be
rectified.
o Oil paints – Oil paint is a slow drying paint with pigments suspended in
a drying oil, commonly linseed oil is used. The viscosity of the oil can be
modified with the use of a solvent like turpentine or white spirit. Varnish
may be added to increase the glossiness of the dried film. The advantage
 of this media is that the artist can develop a painting leisurely. With oil
based media, rectifications are relatively easy. Oil paints blend well
together to create subtle variations of color which help in the depiction of
light and shadow.
o Acrylic paints - Acrylic paint is fast drying paintcontaining pigment
suspension in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted
with water, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how
much the paint is diluted (with water) or modified with acrylic gels,
media, or pastes, the finished acrylic painting can resemble a watercolor
or an oil painting, or have its own unique characteristics not attainable
with other media.
o Gouache paints – Gouache, the name of which derives from the Italian
guazzo, is a type of paint consisting of pigment suspended in water. A
binding agent, usually gum arabic, is also present, just as in watercolor.
Gouache differs from watercolor in that the particles are larger, the ratio
of pigment to water is much higher, and an additional, inert, white
pigment such as chalk is also present. This makes gouache heavier and
more opaque, with greater reflective qualities.

Other Materials
Paper: Handmade paper - Handmade paper is just that: paper made by hand. People
create handmade paper by sifting pulp onto a screen and letting each individual sheet
of paper dry. They also add dried leaves, flowers and threads to create different
textures. Handmade sheets are lumpy, uneven and tend to blot easily.

Drawing paper – You get drawing paper in different types and different weights.
Gateway sheets – They are semi transparent sheets but thicker than a tracing paper.
Ivory sheets – they are thick white sheets used either for painting with poster colors,
water colors or any other wet media.
Colored paper: Brown paper – They are usually used to cover books but the non-
laminated ones can be used to sketch with colored pencils or dry pastels.
Tracing sheets – They are semi transparent and fragile papers which are majorly used
for tracing. They can also be used for covering art work to protect them.

Cartridge paper: Supporting materials – Drawing board, paper clips, adhesive tapes,
glue stick, fixative spray, eraser, sharpener, ruler, paper cutting scissors, pinking
scissors, scalpel, paper cutter, palette, brushes, water containers, masking tape, ear
swabs, sponge.