Traditional art Artsy Drawings by Brianna Eisman

My 5 Favorite Artistic Mediums: How to Paint and Draw like a Pro

Art Advice / Brianna Eisman / June 12, 2023

Art is a powerful means of self-expression that allows individuals to convey emotions, ideas, and experiences. Within the vast realm of art, various artistic mediums offer unique possibilities for artists to translate their visions onto the canvas.

In this Artsy Drawings blog post, we delve into five fascinating artistic mediums that have captured the hearts of many: acrylic, mixed media, watercolor, pencil, and gouache. I chose the order by which are my personal favorite artistic mediums. So, let’s explore the distinct qualities and creative potential of each of the five artistic mediums and discover why they are beloved by artists worldwide.

I also created a list of my Favorite Art Supplies, from brush pens to gouache paint.

Acrylic – my all time favorite of the artistic mediums

Acrylic: Versatility and Vibrancy

I want to start with my favorite artistic medium: acrylic paint. This medium is becoming increasingly popular due to its versatility and vibrant color range. Many artists, like myself, appreciate the quick drying time of acrylics, which allows for layering and blending techniques. Rather than waiting around all day, (approximately 24 hours) for oil paint to dry, I can work much faster with acrylic paint, which can dry within 20-30 minutes. For example, the painting below, Pretty Plants #2, was completed in four total hours, mostly because I didn’t want to waste paint.

pretty green fern style plant painting in acrylic on canvas with red to white gradient background — *Pretty Plants #2* by **Brianna Eisman** is part of an acrylic on canvas series featuring different plants on gradient backgrounds.

Also, I love the versatility of acrylic paint. You can change the consistency by adding water or acrylic mediums. These additions allow you to create transparent glazes or thick impasto textures. The fast-drying nature of acrylics makes it easier to correct mistakes or make alterations during the painting process.

This technique is great for impressionist styles. I had to use it often for paintings during my art classes, as I had limited time to work. When the class ended, I had to clean up quickly so my paints wouldn’t dry out. As a result, my early paintings had a lot of small strokes layered on top of each other, giving them an impressionist look. For example, the painting below, inspired by Edgar Degas’s dancers, has multiple layers of colors and strokes, especially in the tutu skirts, creating depth with a light yellow base and blues and pinks added on top.

Not sure what your art style resembles? Check out this art style quiz to help you find which historical art style matches your artwork!

this is a acrylic painting on canvas of two dancers wearing black leotards and fluffy white blue tutus. The dancers are stretching while seated on a wooden bench. The style is similar to Edgar Degas. The painting describes the use of favorite artistic mediums in which acrylic is one of my favorites for its impressionistic abilities. — *Dancers Stretching* by **Brianna Eisman** was inspired by impressionist painter Edgar Degas. I used acrylic paint on stretched canvas for this painting.

One of the key advantages of acrylics is its ability to mimic other artistic mediums. It can resemble watercolor when diluted or take on the characteristics of oil paint when applied with a heavy body. Acrylic paint can be used on a variety of surfaces, including canvas, wood, paper, and even glass or metal. These broad possibilities add acrylic paint to the list of favorited artistic mediums for many artists.

For me, I have built my acrylic paint arsenal over many years of experience. I prefer Liquitex Basics for my white paint (I use Titanium White more than any other color). I also like Lukas CRYL Studio Paints, although they’re a little more expensive.

Lastly, I like DecoArt Acrylic Paints for projects under 24″x 36″. DecoArt paint typically comes in smaller containers, but I find they are easier to store than larger tube style paints. The brand also just released an environmentally friendly acrylic paint set!

Mixed Media – Making me a trash monster, one sticker at a time

Mixed Media: Limitless Creativity

Mixed media art involves the combination of different artistic mediums and techniques to create unique visual experiences. This next medium truly puts “artistic” in the artistic mediums list. Mixed media encourages artists to think beyond the boundaries of traditional artistic approaches. Mixed media, literally mixes artistic mediums. It allows for the incorporation of diverse elements such as paper, fabric, found objects, photographs, and even digital media. You can also classify the use of both paint and pens in the same piece as mixed media, as you are ‘mixing’ the artistic mediums.

Many of my sketchbooks use mixed media. Sometimes, I feel like a trash monster. I collect fortune cookie quotes and receipts and ticket stubs and stickers. I arrange them all in specific sketchbooks as a document of my life, my mental health, and my travels.

Hand of God by Brianna Eisman is a mixed media work featuring watercolor paint, ink, magazine cutouts, and stickers. This piece was created for Artsydrawings.com at Artsy Drawings. The reference material is for the blog about mixed media and favorite art mediums. — *Hand of God* by **Brianna Eisman** is a mixed media work featuring watercolor paint, ink, magazine cutouts, and stickers.

The beauty of mixed media art lies in its limitless possibilities and the freedom it provides for artistic expression. Artists can explore texture, depth, and layers, creating rich and multidimensional artworks with an unlimited number of artistic mediums.

I also think mixed media is one of the most environmentally friendly types of art. As I mentioned above, I sometimes feel like a trash monster, but you really can save money on art supplies by using mixed media. My colleague Emily wrote a great article about how to thrift art supplies, and I think second-hand art supplies could make for the best type of textured found-object artwork.

These limitless mixtures of artistic mediums invite experimentation and encourages artists to step outside their comfort zones, leading to innovative and thought-provoking creations.

Watercolor

Watercolor: Elegance and Serenity

Watercolor paint has an ethereal and delicate quality, often capturing the essence of light, translucency, and fluidity. Artists love the subtle nuances and atmospheric effects achieved with this medium. So, the transparent nature of watercolor allows for luminous washes and seamless gradients.

I also find watercolor to be one of the more accessible art mediums. I absolutely love my cheap Crayola watercolor paints! All you need for watercolor is the paint kit, water in a cup, a brush, and maybe a paper towel or two.

This painting was done in my sketchbook in watercolor paint by Brianna Eisman for Artsy Drawings for Artsydrawings.com. The painting features my desk with my laptop open, clock, pens, sticky notes, water cup, phone, and salt lamp. The study was a quick exercise while watching a movie and I like it a lot. — *Desk in Watercolor* by **Brianna Eisman** was painted on a lonely night when all I wanted to do was paint and watch a rom-com on my computer. So I did just that.

Watercolor’s unpredictability adds an element of spontaneity and excitement to the painting process. The artist must adapt and work with the flow of water and pigment, resulting in charming imperfections and unique characteristics. This medium is perfect for capturing landscapes, still life arrangements, and expressive portraits, evoking a sense of tranquility and serenity.

Pencil Drawings

Pencil: Timeless Precision

Pencil is one of the most fundamental artistic mediums, cherished for its simplicity and versatility. With just a simple pencil and paper, artists can create intricate drawings, detailed sketches, and realistic portraits. Likewise, the graphite shades offer a wide tonal range, enabling artists to achieve a remarkable level of precision and detail.

The following image features Design 3, the third design commissioned for a custom floral engagement ring. The patron chose a graphite medium to show fine details and edit the design as needed throughout the workflow of the project.

Pencil drawings possess a timeless quality, and the monochromatic nature of graphite pencil adds a sense of elegance and understated beauty. Overall, this medium is perfect for capturing textures, shading, and creating stunning grayscale compositions. Pencil art allows artists to focus on the essentials, emphasizing form, and exploring the interplay of light and shadow. It is also a good starting point for many artists, making it one of the most popular artistic mediums.

Gouache

Gouache: Boldness and Opacity

Last but not least, is gouache paint! Gouache is still new to me, but one of the more powerful artistic mediums. I see this medium growing in popularity and I want to experiment with it more. Gouache paint combines aspects of both watercolor and acrylic and allows for many opaque layers added on throughout the process, especially at the end with a fine tip brush.

The following painting by me, inspired by the infamous Klimt masterpiece, uses gouache paint and features a couple embracing in a beautiful and intimate kiss. I bought this exact gouache paint set and I really loved it for a starter set. I will admit that I used the white quickly, but I always use white paint more than any other color. For the price and ease, this is a great paint set for any artist wanting to get into gouache.

Inspired by the Kiss by Gustav Klimt, this painting was created in gouache paint and features a couple embracing in a beautiful and intimate kiss. the style has many dots and lines, a stylistic technique I enjoy. This painting is done by Brianna Eisman as part of Artsy Drawings. — *The Kiss* by **Brianna Eisman** was inspired by the Kiss by Gustav Klimt.

Gouache’s unique opacity and matte finish give it a distinct aesthetic appeal. Gouache has this masterful ability to provide solid, vibrant colors. Artists can easily apply the paint to various surfaces, including paper, canvas, and illustration boards. The opaque nature of gouache allows artists to correct mistakes or make revisions by simply layering additional paint over the existing layers. Gouache allows for layering and reworking, making it ideal for illustrative works.

One of the key advantages of gouache is its versatility in creating both fine details and bold, graphic elements. Artists can achieve crisp edges, intricate patterns, and precise lines, making it a popular choice among illustrators and designers.

Beautiful Forest by Brianna Eisman was painted using gouache in a sketchbook. The painting was done through Artsy Drawings on artsydrawings.com. The painting shows a green dense forest with large mossy trees and lots of foliage. There is a single brown trail leading through the forest. — *Beautiful Forest* by **Brianna Eisman** uses gouache in a sketchbook.

Another noteworthy aspect of gouache is its rewetting properties. As a sustainable artist, this is one of my favorite parts! Unlike acrylics or oil paint, gouache can be reactivated with water, even after it has dried. This makes it possible to rework areas of the painting or blend colors seamlessly, providing artists with greater control and flexibility.

Furthermore, gouache’s quick-drying nature makes it convenient for artists who prefer to work in layers or require shorter drying times for their projects. This quality allows for efficient workflow, enabling artists to build up layers of color and detail without extended waiting periods.

I bought this exact gouache paint set and I really love it!

Conclusion – Favorite Artistic Mediums

Each of these artistic mediums possesses its own unique qualities and appeal, attracting artists with different preferences and artistic goals. Acrylics offer versatility and vibrancy, mixed media enables limitless creativity, watercolor exudes elegance and serenity, pencils provide timeless precision, and gouache showcases boldness and opacity.

These favorite artistic mediums — acrylic, mixed media, watercolor, pencil, and gouache — have captured the hearts of countless artists worldwide, including my own heart. Their distinct characteristics, creative potential, and ability to evoke emotions and narratives make them powerful tools for artistic expression. Please check out my Favorite Art Supplies list and comment below your favorite supplies!

Whether you are drawn to the vibrant colors of acrylics, the multidimensional possibilities of mixed media, the ethereal beauty of watercolor, the precise detailing of pencils, or the boldness of gouache, each medium offers a unique journey of artistic exploration. So, pick up your preferred medium, let your creativity flow, and embark on a captivating artistic adventure.

Not sure which artistic medium matches your art style? Take this quick quiz to better understand your art style!

My 5 Favorite Artistic Mediums: How to Paint and Draw like a Pro Read More »

Is AI art to be a valuable future or a scary end of originality?

11 Comments / Art Advice / Brianna Eisman / April 4, 2023

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a hot topic in recent years, with its applications ranging from self-driving cars to natural language processing. However, AI is not just limited to practical applications – it is also being used in the field of art, leading to the emergence of AI art. AI art is created using algorithms and machine learning techniques, and is becoming increasingly popular among artists and art enthusiasts. But what does AI art mean for traditional artists, and how will it impact the art world?

How do you make AI art?

First, it’s important to understand how artificial intelligence art is created. AI art comes from feeding an algorithm with a dataset of images or other visual information. Then, machine learning algorithms generate new images based on that dataset. These images can be completely abstract or can be based on specific styles or genres. For example, an algorithm can be trained to generate new images in the style of Impressionism or Cubism. My own personal style is very similar to Impressionism, though I prefer traditional methods to AI. Check out my gallery here.

*Meules* by **Claude Monet** is a great example of the Impressionism style with small, visible brushstrokes that provide the “bare impression of form.”

AI art is not limited to still images – it can also be used to create animations, videos, and even music. One example of AI art is the deep dream algorithm developed by Google. This algorithm creates surreal and dreamlike images by analyzing and enhancing patterns in existing images. Another example is the artwork created by Mario Klingemann, who uses neural networks to generate abstract and surreal images.

*Appropriate Response* by **Mario Klingemann** poses the question of “how much meaning can you put into 125 letters?”

How will AI art affect traditional artists?

So, what does AI art mean for traditional artists? On the one hand, AI art presents new opportunities for artists to experiment with new techniques and styles. Artists can use AI to generate new and inspiring ideas, or to create artworks that would be difficult or impossible to produce manually. For example, an artist could use AI to research images pieced together as a reference image as the basis for a new painting or sculpture.

On the other hand, art made with artificial intelligence also presents new challenges for traditional artists. With the rise of AI art, there is a risk that traditional art forms may become less relevant or even obsolete. If AI can generate images and other artworks with a high degree of accuracy and creativity, why would people need to commission traditional artists? This is a question that many artists and art enthusiasts are grappling with.

In fact, in September 2022 the New York Times posted an article titled An A.I.-Generated Picture Won an Art Prize. Artists Aren’t Happy. The artist used Midjourney, an artificial intelligence program which transforms lines of text into hyper-realistic graphics. He won first prize — a blue ribbon — in the Colorado State Fair, under the division for “digital art/digitally manipulated photography.”

Théâtre D’opéra Spatial by Jason Allen is created using AI art technology and took first place at the Colorado State Fair.

Have we reached the end of originality?

Another challenge for traditional artists is the potential loss of creativity and originality. If an artist relies too heavily on AI to generate ideas and inspiration, their work may become formulaic and predictable. There is also a risk that AI-generated artworks may become too similar to each other, leading to a lack of diversity and innovation in the art world.

Despite these challenges, many traditional artists are embracing artificial intelligence art as a new tool in their creative arsenal. Some artists use AI to generate new ideas and inspirations, while others are using AI to enhance their existing artworks. For example, an artist could use AI to analyze the colors and patterns in their paintings and then use that data to create a new series of paintings with a similar aesthetic.

AI Art is Here to Stay

In conclusion, artificial intelligence art is a new and exciting field that is rapidly growing and evolving. While it presents new opportunities and challenges for traditional artists, it is clear that AI art is here to stay. Whether traditional artists choose to embrace AI as a tool for creativity or view it as a menace and threat to their livelihoods, there is no doubt that AI will have a significant impact on the art world in the years to come.

Is AI art to be a valuable future or a scary end of originality? Read More »