ARTISTIC MEDIA 101: A GUIDE FOR BUDDING ART COLLECTORS
- Julie Nicolai
- Nov 7, 2025
- 4 min read
**All artwork in this blog is copyrighted by its respective artist
For people new to the world of art collecting, I thought it would be useful to describe some of the different types of media typically used by artists. I will cover engraving, etching, lithography, etc., in a future blog.
OIL PAINTING
Oil paint is made of pigment particles suspended in a drying oil, e.g., linseed oil, that forms a durable, water resistant film when exposed to air. Its slow drying time allows for blending and layering of the paint, which sports rich and vibrant colors. Oil paint is commonly applied to canvas or a wood or Masonite panel.
Before the mid-19th century, artists took on the labor-intensive job of grinding their own pigments and mixing them with oil. New innovations during the Industrial Revolution allowed for the mass production of oil paints, which eventually became available in tubes, which allowed for ease of use.
Example: Elizabeth Moreland
Example: Carol Kaminsky
ACRYLIC PAINTING
Acrylic paint is a quick-drying paint produced from pigment suspended in an acrylic polymer emulsion. Since it is water soluble, it can be used thickly like oil paint, or thinned with water to produce a watercolor effect. After acrylic paint has dried, it is waterproof, allowing for versatility and adherence to different surfaces.
Acrylic resins, developed for industrial use in Germany in the 1930s, allowed for the development of acrylic paint. In the 1940s, it was first used for art as a solvent-based, quick-drying paint called Magna. Water-based versions specifically for artists were available on the commercial market in the 1950s, and widely-adopted by them in the next decade.
Example: Artwork by Alexandra Holekamp
WATERCOLOR
Watercolor paint is composed of finely-ground pigments suspended in a water-soluble binder, e.g., gum arabic. The pigment is combined with water and applied to paper or another absorbent surface. It has a transparent and luminous quality.
The very long history of watercolor painting began with prehistoric cave art made with earth pigments mixed with water. It was later used for ancient Egyptian scrolls and Chinese ink wash painting. Its popularity heightened during the European Renaissance, initially used to color drawings and maps. Artists like J.M.W. Turner propelled watercolor into a legitimate artistic medium. Pre-packaged watercolor paints were introduced in the 18th century, e.g., cakes sold by William Reeves in 1766. The Impressionists liked its fleeting effects of light and color.
Example: Artwork by Ellen Harms
GOUACHE
A water-based paint, gouache is similar to watercolor, but opaque, instead of transparent. It consists of pigment, a binder and a white pigment to give it opaqueness. Gouache possesses a bright, matte finish that works well for graphic design, artwork and illustrations.
The first gouache was made with natural pigments and binders such as honey or gum tragacanth in ancient Egypt. The modern version of gouache developed from earlier media, like tempera, used in medieval illuminated manuscripts and for details in Renaissance and Rococo artwork.
It was produced in factories in the 19th century and used in mixed media with watercolor and ink.
SCULPTURE
A sculpture is a three-dimensional object made by carving and forming stone, wood, metal, plaster, ceramic, bronze, marble, etc.
American sculpture reached its apex in the 19th century, particularly in the years before the Civil War. Sculptors like Daniel Chester French and Horatio Greenough took the neo-classical aesthetic to a higher level, especially in their representations of female allegorical and mythological figures. Harriett Hosmer broke new ground as a woman producing important commissions of famous people in a time when she was expected to be home with the children. Edmonia Lewis, of African American and Native American descent, fought through racism to achieve both national and international prominence. Augustus Saint-Gaudens, probably influenced by the dynamic carving work of French sculptors, Auguste Rodin and Camille Claudel, brought a new paradigm to American sculpture at the end of the 19th century.
Example: Artwork by Daivd Hults
PHOTOGRAPHY
A photograph can be many different things. Originating with Dageurre in around 1839, the first photographs (Dageurreotypes) used metal plates, large, bulky cameras and dangerous chemicals. The Ambrotype appeared c. 1853 as an underexposed glass negative. In order to make the image positive, a black background had to be placed behind it. This might be a piece of black paper or black velvet cloth. A less expensive alternative to the Dageurreotype was a tintype, an image on a black-enameled iron plate, instead of a silver-coated copper plate. An Ambrotype or Dageurretype was often placed inside a Union case, which was made of a mixture of wood and shellac pressed into a mold and came in many different patterns. Its cheaper alternative was a leatherette case. The carte de visite, a small photograph on paper originally used as a calling card, was popular beginning in the 1850s. A cabinet card was its larger sibling. In the latter years of the 19th century and into the 20th century, many new forms of photography appeared, including salted paper prints, cyanotypes, albumen prints, etc.
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