This week I intend to introduce some traditional methods for artistic creation and begin a discussion regarding artistic media. The objectives of this lesson are as follows:
There are entirely too many artistic processes to summarize in a week. Classical methods of creation include drawing in various media as previously discussed, along with artistic processes typically categorized under the following: printmaking, painting, photography and time-based media, and sculpture. In this module, I will briefly introduce each of these categories and provide some video demonstrations of artists at work on these specific processes. The goal will not be to provide an exhaustive resource, rather to demonstrate the technical skills involved in artistic production. It must also be understood that each process is often undertaken by different artists in different ways. Mastery of any of these processes is often a life-long pursuit merging the technical with the artistic.
Printmaking is a process that often allows for multiple impressions to be formed from an original artistic production. Printmaking is a longstanding tradition that dates before even the printing press as artists would create images, and sometimes typography, on carved wood. These wood plates would then be inked and pressed onto a parchment surface much like a stamp. With the invention of the printing press and Guttenberg's moveable type in the Fifteenth century, printing became even more popular as manuscripts were more widely reproduced and distributed. The traditions of manuscript illumination also allowed for artists to become involved with the printing revolution as the desire remained for beautiful illustrations to accompany the texts.
Printmaking takes on many forms other than the early woodblock print techniques. Under printmaking, we have techniques such as linocut, drypoint, etching, intaglio, lithography, silkscreening, and even monotypes to name a few. Chuck Close demonstrates many of these processes as well as others in an exhbition: Chuck Close: Prints, Process, and Collaboration" where he works closely with printmakers in a variety of processes to reproduce his original artworks. In the link provided, you will also come across several videos of the artist describing this process and his thoughts regarding printmaking.
Painting has a long tradition in art and is typically viewed as one of the highest capital "A" "Art" forms. Painting requires that an artist mix, layer, and blend pigment on a surface binding it with some sort of medium. There are various types of painting medium used to adhere the pigment to the surface. Among some of the more common are tempra, oil, and acrylic. Though these may be common, other techniques such as encaustic, watercolor, fresco, and gouache have been used for centuries as well. In the modern design era, artists and critics began to question the definition of painting, and mixed media elements widely became a part of the final product as well.