The Immersive Education within Art Materials

The idea behind this is actually very simple, but I often find many artists that don’t take the time to learn about their pencils, pens, paint, etc. which I find to be a massive oversight in their art education. For someone like me it was always intuitive to learn about new materials, but I’ve found over time that I am in the minority in that regard.

However, I don’t feel like it’s a “you have it or you don’t” mentality. Instead the desire to learn about your materials is something that for myself and for others I imagine develops over time. Early on in your artistic lives we just want to make art (which is very important part for sure) however you at some point will feel limited by a medium’s capabilities. At this point you can (and to some degree should at least for a time) change media, and learn more about other techniques, but again you may find yourself hitting mental walls.

So, how would one get out of such a rut? Thinking about what types of materials you use, and how you might use them more effectively I feel is where this exploration begins. Something like my choice acrylic paint for example has a lot more to it than what might be first understood. High quality acrylics are made from a polymer emulsion, water, and pigment. Lower quality paints add more fillers and water in place of more concentrated pigment loads. Then depending on the individual pigment it will determine the price of the paint, its opacity, its tint strength, and its glossiness. Then subsequently learning about pigments can allow you to start seeing the limitations as well as the limitless possibilities a single color can have. Not to mention how one pigment can be called by several names across brands, viscosities, and individual media (ie. oil, acrylic, watercolor).

While all of this may sound complex it is the core from of education that I have pursued in the past few years that has continued to drive my worth further and further. Breaking down my understanding of transparent vs. opaque acrylics as well as the subtle difference in hue between pigments is transforming my use of color and composition in every painting. Sure it’s not helping something like my line quality or rendering skills, but the understanding of what the paint can do even further than I already understand it brings about new ideas every single day.

For acrylics I’ve found that many paint manufactures take a great deal of care in showing off their products. Not only because they’re wanting you to buy them, but because for a creator of professional materials like Golden, they really care about artists creating the best work that they can. It was actually Golden’s Youtube Channel, which first introduced me to acrylic gels and mediums (a discovery that at the time transformed my work entirely). For nearly 10 years prior I just didn’t really understand my paint, but when I started putting the time in to researching it, I began to see new ideas for paintings erupting in my imagination.

For companies like Golden, Liquitex, Blick, Utrecht, Faber-Castell and many others, the promotion of new and interesting products doesn’t just sell product but it inspires artists to create something new.

If you do nothing else this week artistically, start looking into the composition, the production of, and the possibilities of your materials, and I can guarantee you’ll find new techniques and ideas right around the corner!

The Romanticism of Materials

So about a month ago I found myself watching more and more videos not from YouTube artists, but instead from paint (and other supply) manufacturers. Most intriguing was R&F’s history of the company, told from its founder and owner Richard Frumess. He described the journey from working in a small art store to creating for what was a time the only mass produced encaustic paint available in the world. In Frumess’ story he referred to a love for his craft as a “romance of (art) materials.” Like Frumess, I too have a great love for the raw materials that go into creating a piece of art.

It is a love that I find is shared with more often with experienced artists and professionals, and not so much that with beginners. When you just start out you might be inspired by all the different art materials, but it’s rare to find someone who is in love with the purity of color and the undertones of grayscale as much as someone like myself. It is with such artists far and few, that I can really talk about materials in such a way that gives meaning to their raw essence in such a unique fashion that others might find somewhat unhealthy.

For example when I get together with my friend and fellow artist RarithArt we can discuss the subtle joys of a beautifully transparent umber or the complexities of an opaque indigo, knowing full well we don’t have any idea what specific piece such colors would be used to create. It is in this type of moment where the romanticism of materials lay.

There are countless days I find myself not working on any specific painting in the studio, but instead pacing the floor looking at all the colors, tools, and possibilities at my disposal. That may sound a little conceited of me to boast in my many materials, but there is something beautiful in the collection that I have accumulated in the years since I first started drawing and painting. Much like wandering through the art store, I can look at the different colors on my painting shelf and start to imagine a pure blue sky, a blood red forest, or a shining gold city just by looking at the paint tubes.

This Romanticism of Materials, is an incredible feeling and philosophy within the fine art world. It is something that I really feel bad for digital artists regarding, as there is little connection with software than there is with the tactile sensation of squeezing out a fresh blob of a acrylic or watercolor on my palette; the sound and vibration of snapping a piece of chalk or charcoal through rigorous movements across the paper, and of course the sense of customization in stretching a new canvas and sanding down the thick gessoed surface.

I think as a growing artist, whether your materials are high class or student grade, it’s important to build a connection with what you use to create art. I am reminded of the many travel shows I’ve seen where cooks used the same pot to create the same dish for generations. Not only because it was all they had, but because the pot became imbued with the caked on flavors of the past. The same is true for many of my brushes. Sure, they may not be good for what they were first bought for, but over time as my needs changed, so did the brushes. I wouldn’t be able to create the same way with a new brush as I do with ones that are 10+ years old and beaten to hell. The connection I have with my brushes are easily the same as a great cook, or a mechanic with their 50+ year old wrench.

This may be hard for some of you to understand, but for some of us artists the romance of new and old materials is something that is just as inspiring to the process as travel, literature, or visual entertainment that many artists are driven to create new art from. As you continue to expand your own working set, never forget to enjoy working with your materials. Your paints both in their quality and in their color should inspire you to create just through their inherent properties.

What are your thoughts on this concept of the “romanticism of materials.” Do you have a deep love for your paints and/or pencils, or is this a new concept for you entirely?