Traditional Art Saturday Feature #5

Selecton of medium is very important. Whether you mix your own oil paints, press your own paper, or have numerous strange shading/blending tools that you use to create texture in your graphite or charcoal drawings, every artist's medium is a highly individual selection, based on feel, control, techniques and the versatility of your tools.
Some mediums are very restrictive to the artists expression. Subtractive sculpture, wood carving, black and white film, etching, and other restrictive mediums are often difficult to learn and utilize. They are 'restrictive' because of the fact that there is little room for the artist to express his feelings, little latitude for error and interpretation, and above all, no 'undo-ing' or erasing your mistakes. If you cut away too much stone, carve too deeply into the wood, under-develop or over-expose the film, use the wrong etching compound or metal/glass base, your artwork will never come to fruition. Practicing restrictive medium artwork is a great way to enrich your skills in the digital world, as well as any other less restrictive medium.

Let's take a look at some awesome pieces in the face of restriction!

This is a great lesson for reaching out and trying new mediums!
Until next time, Shadows!

May 7th, 2011