Module 6-9 Art and

Artisans:
Production Process, Medium,
Technique, Curation
At the end of this module you are expected to:

1.Value the true meaning of Arts Medium and

Techniques
2.Enumerate the basis of medium
3.Enumerate the mediums of visual arts,
sculpture, and music
 Definition of Medium

• The word medium, which comes from the Latin

word medium, denotes the means by which an
artist communicates his idea.
• It is the stuff out of which he creates a work of
art.
 Definition of Medium

• These are the materials which the artist uses to translate

his feelings or thought into a beautiful reality.
• This may be pigment in painting, stone, wood brick,
concrete and various building materials in architecture,
steel, marble, bronze, and wood in sculpture, sound in
music and words in literature.
 On the basis of medium, the arts
are primarily classified as:
• Visual
• Auditory
 Visual
• The visual or spaces are those whose mediums can be seen and
which occupy space.
• These are grouped into two classes.
• The first is the dimensional or two dimensional arts which
include painting, drawing printmaking, and photography.
• The community planning, industrial design and the crafts like
ceramics and furniture making.
 Auditory
• Auditory- or time arts are those mediums that can
be heard and which are expressed in time.
• These are music and literature.
• The combined arts are those whose mediums can
be both seen and heard, and these exist in both
space and time.
 The Artist and His Mediums
• The artist thinks feels and gives shape to his vision
in terms of his mediums.
• When an artist chooses his medium, he believes that
this can best express the idea he wants t convey.
Most often an artist employs more than one
medium to give meaning to his creative production
 The Artist and His Mediums
• The distinctive character of the medium determines
the way it can be worked on and turned into a work
of art.
• The nature of each medium determines how a work
of art may be realized.
 Definition of Technique
• Technique is the manner in which the artist controls
his medium to achieve the desired effect.
• It is the ability with which he fulfills the technical
requirement s of his particular work of art.
 Definition of Technique
• It has to do with the way he manipulates the work
of art.
• It has to do with the way he manipulates his
medium to express his ideas.
 The Mediums of Visual Arts
• Watercolor Oil Drawing
• Fresco Acrylic Bistre
• Tempra Mosaic Crayons
• Pastel Stained Glass Charcoal
• Encaustic Printmaking
• Tapestry Silverpoint
 Watercolor
• As a medium is difficult to handle because it is difficult to
produce warm and rich tones. While changes may be made
once the paint has been applied such changes normally
tend to make the color less luminous.
• This defect however are rendered by watercolor artists
through some techniques
 Fresco
• This is the painting on a moist plaster surface with colors
ground in water or a limewater mixture.
• The colors dry into plaster, and the picture becomes a part
of the wall.
• Fresco must be done quickly because it is an exacting
medium.
 Tempra
• Paints are mineral pigments mixed with egg yolk or egg
white and ore.
• They are often used as a binder due to its film forming
properties and rapid drying rate.
 Pastel
• This is a stick of dried paste mage of pigments ground
with chalk and compounded with gum water.
• Its colors are luminous, and it is a very flexible medium.
Some artists use a fixing medium or a protecting surface
such a glass, but when the chalk rubs, the picture loses
some of its brilliance.
 Encaustic
• This is one of the early mediums used by the Egyptians
for the painted portrait on mummy cases.
• This is done by painting with wax colors fixed with heat.
• Painting with wax produces luster and radiance in the
subject making them appear at their best in portraits.
 Oil
• Painting is one of the most expensive art activities today
because of the prohibitive cost of materials.
• In oil painting, pigments are mixed with linseed oil and
applied to the canvas.
• One good quality of oil paint as a medium is its flexibility.
 Oil
• The artist may use brush, palette knife or even his bare
hands when applying paint in his canvass.
• In some cases we do not even notice the artist’s strokes
because the paint is applied very smoothly.
 Oil
• One distinctive characteristic of oil paints, compared
with other mediums, is that they dry slowly and the
painting may be changed and worked over a long period
of time.
• Painting done in oil is glossy and lasts long.
 Acrylic
• This medium is used popularly by contemporary
painters because of the transparency and quick drying
characteristics of water color and the flexibility of oil
combined.
 Acrylic
• This synthetic paint is mixed with acrylic emulsion as
binder for coating the surface of the artwork. Acrylic
paints do not tend to break easily, unlike oil paints which
turn yellowish or darker over a long of period of time.
 Mosaic
• Art is a picture or decoration made of small pieces of
inlaid colored stones or glass called “tesserae” which most
often are cut in into squares glued on a surface with
plaster or cement.
• Mosaic is usually classified as painting.
 Mosaic
• Although the medium used is not strictly pigment.
• Mosaic art is an important feature of Byzantine churches.
A prominent religious artwork in Manila done in mosaic is
found in the altar of Sta. Cruz Church showing a
wounded white lamb, symbolizing Christ, with a stream
that flows down directly to the tabernacle
 Stained Glass
• As an artwork is common in Gothic Cathedrals and
churches.
• This is made by combining many small pieces of colored
glass which are held together by bands of lead.
 Tapestry
• This is a fabric consisting of a warp upon which colored
threads are woven by hand to produce a design, often
pictorial and for wall hangings and furniture covering.
During the middle Ages, they were hung on the walls of
palaces and in Cathedrals on festive occasions to provide
warmth.
 Drawing
• It is usually done on paper, using pencil pen and ink, or
charcoal.
• It is the most fundamental of all skills necessary in the
arts.
 Drawing
• Drawing can be done with different kinds of mediums
and the most common is pencil which comes in different
degrees of hardness or softness, with the pencil lead
(graphite) depending on the kind of drawing the artists
will undertake.
 Drawing
• For line work, hard pencil lead is applied. Ink, one of the
oldest mediums still in use, offers a great variety of
qualities, depending on the tools and techniques used in
applying the ink on the surface
 Bistre
• It is a brown pigment extracted from the soot of wood,
and often used in pen and wash drawings.
 Crayons
• These are pigments bound by wax and compressed into
painted sticks used for drawing especially among children
in the elementary grade.
• They adhere better on paper surface.
 Charcoal
• These are carbonaceous materials obtained by heating
wood or other organic substances in the absence of air.
• Charcoal is used in representing broad masses of light and
shadow. Like drawing pencil, soft charcoal produces the
darkest value, while the darkest produces the lightness
tone.
 Silverpoint
• In this medium, the artist has technique of drawing with a
silver stylus on specially prepared paper to produce a
thin grayish line that was popular during the
Renaissance period
 Print Making
• A print is anything printed on a surface that is a
direct result from a duplicating process. Ordinarily, the
painting or graphic image, is done in black ink on white
paper and becomes the artist’s plate.
 Five Major Types of Prints
• 1) Woodcut
• 2) Engraving
• 3) Intaglio
• 4) Stencil Printing
• 5) Relief
 Woodcut
• As the name implies, this is made from a piece of wood.
• The design stands as a relief, the remaining surface of the
block being cut away.
• A woodblock prints just as do the letters of a typewriter.
The lines of the design are wood, so they are very fine.
• Woodcuts can be identified because of their firm, clear
and black lines.
 Engraving
• This is the art of forming designs by cutting, corrosion by
acids.
• In engraving, the lines of the designs are cut into a metal plate
with ink and transferred from the plate to the paper.
• The lines of an engraving are cut by hand with an instrument
called burin, a steel tool with an oblique point and rounded
handle for carving stone and engraving metal.
 Intaglio
• Is a printing process in which the design or the text is
engraved into the surface of the place and the ink is
transferred to paper from the groover.
• The design is engraved or etched into a metal plate.
 Stencil Printing
• Is a very common art activity done by high school students
these days as a part of their practical arts courses.
• It is a process which involves the cutting of the design on
special paper cardboard or metal sheet in such a way that
when ink is rubbed over it, the design is reproduced on the
surface.
 Relief
• Involves the cutting away from a block of wood or linoleum
the parts of the design that the artist wants to be seen.
• Leaving the portion of a design to stand out wants to be seen,
leaving the portion of a design to stand out on a block or on
the linoleum.
 Relief
• The apparent projection of parts of the design gives
the appearance of the third dimension.
• Color prints are made by preparing a separate block for
each color to be used.
• It is important that only the parts to be printed with precision
are on the proper area
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• There are a number of materials available for a sculpture to
work with according to the artists interest in the subject-
stone, marble, jade, and granite, to name a few.
• Each of them presents an interesting motivation to challenge
the sculptor’s creativity
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Stone- is the hard substance formed from mineral and earth
material. The finish is granular and dull in appearance. These
are normally used for gravestones in cemeteries.
• Granite- is a granular igneous rock composed of feldopars
and quartz, usually combined with other minerals and is quite
difficult to chisel. This is good for large works with only a few
designs.
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Marble- is limestone in a more or less crystalline state and is
capable of taking a high polish, occurring in many varieties. It
is easier to carve than granite
• Jade- is a fine, colorful stone usually green, and used widely in
Ancient China. It is highly esteemed as an ornamental stone
for carving and fashioning jewelry.
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Ivory- which comes from the main parts of the tasks
of elephants is the hard white substance use to make
carvings and billiards balls.
• Metals- include any of a class of elementary substances as
gold, silver or copper all of which are characterized by
capacity, ductility, conductivity and peculiar luster when
freshly fractured.
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Bronze is another by product of metal consisting of copper and
tin with color and is one of the most universally popular metals
for sculpture. Bronze as a material is strong, durable and resistant
to any atmospheric corrosion.
• Brass -an alloy of copper and zinc is not popularly used by artists
because of its limitations as a medium. Although it has many
practical uses, brass does not rust and it takes a brilliant polish.
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Copper – which has a peculiar brilliance, is used as a costing medium.
This is basically shaped by hammering. It can into relief forms.
• Gold and Silver- are used as casting materials for small objects like
medals, coins and pieces of jewelry.
• Lead- a bluish gray metal is used for casting and forging. With the
help of a welding torch iron, it can be worked into a variety of unique
and exciting forms.
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Plaster – is a composition of lime, sand and water. Plaster is worked
on an armature of metal wires and rods in addition to various
materials and fibers. This is applied on walls and ceilings and allowed
to harden and dry. The medium is used extensively for making
manikins, models, molds, architectural decorations and other indoor
sculpture.
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Clay- is a natural earthy material that has the nature of plasticity when
wet, consisting essentially of hydrated silicates of aluminum used for
making bricks and ceramics.
• Glass- is a medium that is hard, brittle, noncrystalline, more or less
transparent substances produced by fusion, usually consisting of
mutually dissolved silica and silicates and contains soda and lime.
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Wood- as a medium is perhaps easier to carve than any other
mediums available because it can be intricately carved and subjected
into a variety of treatment not possible with stone.
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Stone- is the hard substance formed from mineral and earth material.
The finish is granular and dull in appearance. These are normally used
for gravestones in cemeteries.
• Granite- is a granular igneous rock composed of feldopars and
quartz, usually combined with other minerals and is quite difficult to
chisel. This is good for large works with only a few designs.
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Marble- is limestone in a more or less crystalline state and is capable
of taking a high polish, occurring in many varieties. It is easier to
carve than granite
• Jade- is a fine, colorful stone usually green, and used widely in
Ancient China. It is highly esteemed as an ornamental stone for
carving and fashioning jewelry
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Ivory- which comes from the main parts of the tasks of elephants is
the hard white substance use to make carvings and billiards balls. In
the home of some well to do families in the Philippines, faces and
hands of images of saints are made of ivory. The bodies are made of
wood carved and painted.
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Metals- include any of a class of elementary substances as gold, silver
or copper all of which are characterized by capacity, ductility,
conductivity and peculiar luster when freshly fractured. Traditionally,
the metals that have been the medium for sculpture are copper brass
bronze gold silver and lead Aluminum is a recent addition to the list.
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Bronze is another by product of metal consisting of copper and tin
with color and is one of the most universally popular metals for
sculpture. Bronze as a material is strong, durable and resistant to any
atmospheric corrosion.
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Brass an alloy of copper and zinc is not popularly used by artists
because of its limitations as a medium. Although it has many practical
uses, brass does not rust and it takes a brilliant polish.
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Copper – which has a peculiar brilliance, is used as a costing medium.
This is basically shaped by hammering. It can into relief forms.
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Gold and Silver- are used as casting materials for small objects like
medals, coins and pieces of jewelry. Because they are quite expensive,
they are used for either personal accessories or religious adornments
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Gold and Silver- are used as casting materials for small objects like
medals, coins and pieces of jewelry. Because they are quite expensive,
they are used for either personal accessories or religious adornments.
• Lead- a bluish gray metal is used for casting and forging. With the
help of a welding torch iron it can be worked into a variety of unique
and exciting forms.
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Plaster – is a composition of lime, sand and water. Plaster is worked
on an armature of metal wires and rods in addition to various
materials and fibers. This is applied on walls and ceilings and allowed
to harden and dry. The medium is used extensively for making
manikins models molds architectural decorations and other indoor
sculpture.
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Clay- is a natural earthy material that has the nature of plasticity when
wet, consisting essentially of hydrated silicates of aluminum used for
making bricks and ceramics.
• Glass- is a medium that is hard, brittle, noncrystalline, more or less
transparent substances produced by fusion, usually consisting of
mutually dissolved silica and silicates and
• contains soda and lime.
 The Mediums of Sculpture
• Wood- as a medium is perhaps easier to carve than any other
mediums available because it can be intricately carved and subjected
into a variety of treatment not possible with stone.
 The Mediums of Music
• The medium of music is the sound. The medium of music is the
sound produced by man and the human voice and by most musical
instruments.
 Stringed Instruments
• The violin is the smallest of the stringed instruments and has the
highest pitch.
• The cello is much larger than the violin and has longer, thicker and
heavier strings.
• The viola and violin are played by tucking the instrument under the
chin of the musicians when they are playing.
 Stringed Instruments
• The cello is bigger than the violin and the viola it resets on the floor
when it is played. The large protruding pin at its base holds it firmly
on the floor
• The double bass is the longest of the string instruments and has the
lowest pitch. The distinguishing feature of the string instruments is
that the smaller the size, the higher is its pitch and the larger it is lower
is its pitch.
 Stringed Instruments
• The Harps one of the oldest string instruments consisting of a
triangular frame formed by a sound box, a pillar and curved neck, and
having strings that are stretched between the sound box and the neck
are plucked with fingers.
• The guitar is a stringed musical instrument with a long fretted neck a
flat somewhat violin-like body and has six strings which are plucked
 Woodwinds
• The wind instruments consist of tubes usually made of wood which
have holes on the sides.
• When one or another of these holes is opened or closed, air inside the
tube is changed, thus producing tones of varied pitches.
 Woodwinds
• The Flute is a musical wind instrument consisting o a tube with a
series of finger holes or keys in which the wind is directed against a
sharp edge.
• The flute produces a melodious sound, and so it often plays solo parts
in orchestral compositions in a concert
 Woodwinds
• The Clarinet is a woodwind instrument in the form of a cylindrical
tube with a single reed attached to its mouthpiece.
• It has a wide range and usually plays the alto part when the flute plays
the melody.
• The Piccolo is a small flute, sounding an octave higher than the
ordinary flute.
 Woodwinds
• The oboe is a wood wind instrument having a slender conical body
and a double reed mouthpiece. The tone of the oboe is nasal.
• The Bassoon is a larger woodwind instrument of low range with a
doubled tube and a curved metal crook to which a double reed is
attached.
 Woodwinds
• The Saxophone is a musical wind instrument consisting of a conical,
usually brass tube with keys or valves and mouthpiece with one reed.
This musical instrument is not a regular member of the orchestra
 Brass Instruments
• The trumpet is a brass instrument with a powerful, penetrating tone,
consisting of a tube commonly curved once or twice around on it and
having a cup shaped mouthpiece at one end and bell at the other.
Because of its piercing tone when played, it is associated with martial
pomp.
 Brass Instruments
• The horn is a wind instrument originally formed from the hollow
horn of an animal but now usually made of brass or other metals
 Brass Instruments
• The trombone is a musical wind instrument consisting of a
cylindrical metal tube expanding into a bell and bent twice in U shape,
usually equipped with a slide
• The tuba is the bass of the brass choir. It is also a valued brass wind
instrument having a low range.
 Percussion Instruments
• The chimes is a musical instrument consisting of a set of slabs of
metals which produce musical tones when struck.
• The glockenspiel is a musical instrument composed of a set of
graduated steel bars mounted in a frame and struck with hammers and
used especially in bands.
 Percussion Instruments
• The cymbal is a concave plate of brass or bronze that produces a
sharp, ringing sound when struck played either in pairs, by being
struck together or simply by being struck by a drumstick.
• The xylophone is a musical instrument consisting of a graduated
series of wooden bars, usually sounded by striking with small wooden
bars usually sounded by striking with small wooden hammers.
 Percussion Instruments
• The Kettledrum is a drum consisting of a hallow hemisphere of
brass or copper over which is stretched a skin
• The percussion instruments can produce tones of different and
definite pitches.