Top Painting Facts You Should Know

Avatar of Salma Ihab
Updated on: Educator Review By: Michelle Connolly

Painting art uses colours to create creative art, but what exactly is art? Art is a form of expression in which you create pictures using colours, tones, shapes, lines, and textures to create what is known as an art masterpiece.

Paintings can also refer to a painted work of art. A variety of paints are used to create art. Watercolours, acrylics, and oils are among them. Other artists prefer to work with pencil or chalk, and some prefer to work with charcoal.

Where do people display their artwork? Paintings by professional artists are displayed in museums and galleries such as London’s National Gallery and Paris’s Louvre, which houses one of the world’s most famous paintings, Leonardo DaVinci’s Mona Lisa. However, art does not have to be viewed in a famous gallery. Many cities all over the world have private art galleries.

Let us learn more about the art form known as painting and answer any questions you may have.

What is the difference between drawing and painting?

Many of you may have heard the terms “drawing” and “painting,” which refer to two different types of art.

The first difference between the two is that drawing focuses on lines and shapes, whereas painted art focuses on colour and form.

Drawing

Lines are used to represent an object or to outline a figure, plan, or sketch. Drawings, such as doodles and cartoons, can be used in fashion design, architecture, and interior design. In addition, a drawing can sometimes be used as the basis for any painted art.

Tools used in a drawing: 

  • pencils
  • pen 
  •  ink
  • wax colour 
  • pencils 
  • Crayons
  •  inked brushes
  • charcoal 

Surfaces used in a drawing:

  • Paper
  • Cardboard
  • Canvas

Painting 

It is one of the traditional and oldest forms of art. It applies colour to a solid surface, such as paper or canvas.

Colour pigments used:

  • Paint
  • pastels 
  • watercolour 
  • Acrylic
  • oil
  • fresco 
  • tempera 

Tools used: 

  • brush
  • sponges
  • knives 
  • airbrushes 

Surfaces used:

  • paper
  • wood
  • canvas
  • glass 
  • lacquer 
  • walls
  • pottery
  • leaf
  • Concrete

Different Types of Painting Styles

Here is an interesting list of all the different types of paintings, styles, and techniques that are out there in the art world. Some of them you may recognise, while others may be new to you, but remember that when it comes to art, there is no limit because creativity can never be limited.

7 Types of Paintings:

All paintings are primarily classified into seven categories. Even if all paintings are made and look the same to you, they are all entirely different. The art styles created using various techniques are eventually characterised by their type. So, let’s get to know all seven types.

  1. Portrait

The name says it all. Portrait paintings are all about capturing a character on canvas. Portrait art is the most well-known and widely used type of painted art in the art world. 

A portrait painting’s subject or characters are not limited to humans, nor is it limited to a single character. Portraits can be captured in any art form that the artist sees fit for their masterpiece. Portrait paintings are frequently kept as memories or family records.

 Best known Portrait Artists: Frida Kahlo, Rembrandt, and Leonardo da Vinci.

  1. Landscape

If you guessed correctly, you are a true artist. The landscape is one of the most well-known paintings focusing on capturing greenery on canvas, such as land masses, skies, mountains, rivers, trees, etc.

Landscape paintings can be memory art, such as if the painter went somewhere and loved the scenery or a natural place from their imagination or a picture of a real scene that the artist will copy exactly.

Best-known landscape Artists: Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet, and J.M.W. Turner.

  1. Still Life  

Still-life is known as the “figure of free speech” in the art world, referring to either dead nature or objects. Still-life paintings may appear as boring works of art composed of everyday objects and elements, but they are action-packed, expressive, and full of emotions.

Many famous still-lifes painted art have deep meaning. In addition, still-life art is the type that is an excellent medium for learning about colour, texture, and element composition for artists who want to start making art. 

Best-known Still life Artists: Paul Cezanne, Salvador Dali, and Gorges Braque

  1. Abstract

An abstract is one of history’s most influential movements. An abstract, however, is not your typical art; the goal of this type is to add deep meaning to complete painted art you never thought would have a deep meaning to them. 

Abstract has no rules; it can be as simple as a dot on the canvas or as complex as combining all the colours on one canvas. Although it may appear a meaningless painted art at first glance, most abstract portraits contain a powerful message.

Best-known Abstract Artists: Wassily Kadinsky, Jackson Pollock, and Willem De Kooning

  1. History

The name explains this type of art; historical paintings, also known as history paintings, portray a historical event. The primary goal of these painting types is to include a moral message as a significant element.

 The Declaration of Independence and Caesar’s Death are two major historical events painted on canvas. Most historical paintings portray history from the artist’s perspective.

Best-known Historical Artists: Sir David Wilkie, Paul Delaroche, and Eugène Delacroix

  1. Religious

Religious paintings were primarily spiritual moments from the artist’s beautiful point of view. However, serve a purpose for the artists. Religious paintings portray religious events or mythic creatures. The artist illustrated scenes and creatures with whom he had a special relationship.

Best-known Religious Artists: Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci

  1. Allegory

Allegory represents the subject of the paintings in a way that conveys spiritual significance and morals. This style implements subjects or objects to portray emotions such as grief, love, lust, hatred, and joy. 

One of the characteristics of this painting’s style is its ability to represent complicated concepts quickly. Since ancient times, allegory has been used in all kinds of art. However, modern art now defines allegory as an art style in which one story represents another.

10 Types of Painting Techniques

When it comes to talking about art, it is a very broad topic because it is all about infinite creativity. However, one thing you should know about art is that it is divided into three categories: type, style, and technique. 

Paint techniques are the most important aspect of understanding art to have a complete picture. It’s such a long list that you’d never guess art had so many techniques, but all of this information will help you expand your artistic knowledge.

  1. Acrylic

Acrylic is the most well-known type of paint. It is a fast-drying colour to create a lovely art piece. 

The magic of using acrylic paint is that it can include the textures of watercolour and the glossiness of oil paint. Furthermore, although acrylic paint is dissolved in water, it becomes water-resistant when dry. 

  1. Collage

A brilliant type of art involves creating artwork by gathering various materials. 

A collage is made from: 

  • magazine pages
  • papers 
  • paints
  • newspapers 
  • ribbons 
  • photographs
  •  scraps of other artwork

To create a colourful collage masterpiece, you must glue the different materials together on a flat surface.

  1. Glass Painting

The art of painting on a glass surface is known as glass paint. In ancient Europe, glass art was one of the most important types of art. Gesso, enamel, and acrylic paints are used to create glass paintings. 

This technique allows you to create beautiful artwork on glass that reflects when the sun or any other light source shines on it.

  1. Gouache

Gouache is a water-based paint made of natural dyes, water, powder, and absorbent material that produces a visible light effect. 

Acrylic gouache paint is also available, with an acrylic binding material that provides a matte finish to the final art piece. Using this type of paint to create art looks vibrant.

  1. Ink Painting

Traditional Chinese art techniques include ink painting. Ink is used to create layers out of ink. Therefore, one of the techniques and styles, such as ink density and brush management, is important in achieving tonality and shading in your paintings.

It can produce different ink grades by differing the style and position of the tip within a single brushstroke. Using different ink colours in paintings can result in multi-coloured artwork.

  1. Oil Paint

The most common art style used by most artists is oil paint.

 Pigments are combined with drying oils such as:

  •  poppy seed oil
  • walnut oil
  • linseed oil
  • safflower oil 

Oil paint allows you to achieve a wide range of gloss and sharpness in your art piece. In addition, it enables you to create layers of different colours and blend them to create a beautiful piece of art.

  1. Panel Painting

The panel is a type of painting that is done on wood or metal rather than canvas. Since the panel has no texture, creating artwork produces a smooth surface of the paint.

The most commonly used woods for panel paintings are:

  •  Oak
  • Beech
  •  Cedar
  •  Chestnut
  • Firs
  • Larch
  • Linden
  • white poplar
  • Mahogany
  • Olive
  • dark walnut
  1. Pastel Paint

Pastel is a style of painting that uses pastel sticks made of powdered pigment and a binder. The pastel style creates paintings with a bright and smooth texture. 

Pastel varieties include 

  • Soft
  • Hard
  • Oil
  • Water-soluble
  • pan pastels
  1. Watercolour Paint

Watercolour paintings are a popular art style. Watercolours are highly soluble in water and are made by combining pigments and binders. One of the most enjoyable parts of watercolour paintings is achieving transparency and brightness by simply adding layers. 

The question is it true that Watercolor pencils exist? The answer is yes; these pencils replicate the look of watercolour paints!

  1. Impasto

 It is a technique that mainly uses thick layers of acrylic or oil paint to make the brush strokes visible in the finished piece. When the masterpiece is displayed, it appears as if the paint is poking out from the canvas.

 This technique allows you to experiment with the painting’s light, texture, expression, and tone.

5 Reasons Why Paintings Are Important

Paintings have different meanings and importance to each person; for example, one artistic canvas may remind someone of their childhood, while another may teach us about history, and so on. Nevertheless, paintings have produced some of history’s most famous works of art. 

Take into account “Mona Lisa,” “Starry Night,” or “The Kiss.” People come from around the world to see paintings. Why paintings are so important is the real question. Here are five reasons:

Help people learn about the history

The study of paintings from various eras shines a light on the points of view of the time. Many paintings portray particular incidents as well as important people. 

Studying and reliving history through the eyes of an artist is completely different from reading a textbook; if reading is not your thing, you can look at beautiful art. 

Allows you to express your emotions

It cannot be easy to express your emotions. Expressing your emotions through art is particularly true for difficult emotions like grief and anger. Trauma is also challenging to express. Therefore, many psychologists recommend their patients engage in art therapy. It allows you to express yourself without using words.

Viewing paintings and learning about artists struggling with emotions can also be beneficial. It’s therapeutic to see emotional representations on canvas.

Increases creativity

When you paint, you use both sides of your brain. However, some experts believe that people are either on one side of the brain, which is “right-brained” or “left-brained,” with the right side being the more creative side.

While walking your dog, you may be inspired by something and decide to go back and paint. Once you start, another idea comes to mind, and the creativity begins to flow.

Help you to focus better

Art therapy can help people with ADHD with various issues, including difficulty focusing and staying engaged. This is because paintings stimulate the parts of your brain responsible for concentration and memory.

It is best to start to paint with as few interruptions as possible to boost your brain’s ability to focus. 

Can boost self-esteem

According to research, when children participate in the arts, they gain confidence and self-esteem because they get to choose their favourite colours and begin messing around with colours, coming up with anything from their imagination, creating a masterpiece while also expressing their feelings. 

When it comes to painted art, it is always best to never limit your child; instead, let them express themselves and make a creative mess. They don’t even have to be particularly talented painters.

The First Step in Starting Your Painting Journey

After reading everything, there is to know about the beautiful world of art. Hopefully, you will be inspired to start making painted art and expressing yourself through a beautiful art piece, but the real question is, which technique will you use to paint your next masterpiece?

Why not subscribe for as little as £1.99 per month to access over 1000 fun educational videos?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *