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Types of art mediums: a plain-language guide

An art medium is the material an artist uses to make a work, such as oil paint, acrylic, watercolour, charcoal or digital tools. Each medium leaves a different look: oil is rich and blended, watercolour is light and translucent, charcoal is soft and smoky, and digital art can imitate any of them.

Painting mediums

Oil paint: pigment bound in oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so artists can blend colours smoothly and build thick textured strokes. Many European old masters, including the Dutch marine painters of the 1600s, worked in oil on canvas or wood panel.
Acrylic: pigment in a plastic polymer emulsion that dries in minutes and thins with water. It can look like oil when applied thickly or like watercolour when thinned. Widely used by contemporary artists and art students in India because it is quick and forgiving.
Watercolour: pigment in gum arabic, applied in transparent washes on paper. The white of the paper shows through, so colours look bright and airy. Mistakes are hard to hide, which is why watercolour is admired for its freshness.
Gouache: an opaque watercolour. It gives flat, matt areas of colour and is common in illustration and poster art. Indian miniature painting uses a related opaque, water-based technique.
Tempera: pigment bound in egg yolk, used for centuries before oil became common. It dries to a fine, matt finish with crisp detail.

Drawing mediums

Graphite pencil: grey, precise and easy to erase; the starting point for most artists.
Charcoal: burnt wood or compressed powder that gives deep blacks and soft smudged tones, popular for portraits and figure drawing.
Pastel: sticks of almost pure pigment. Soft pastels give velvety colour; oil pastels, familiar from school, are creamier and bolder.
Ink: applied with pen or brush, from fine line drawings to the bold brush strokes of East Asian ink painting.
Coloured pencil: layered slowly for detailed, controlled colour.

Printmaking, mixed media and digital

Printmaking covers techniques where an image is transferred from a prepared surface: woodcut, linocut, etching, lithography and screen printing. Each print is an original made from the block or plate.

Mixed media means combining more than one medium in a single work, for example acrylic with paper collage, or ink with watercolour.

Digital art is made on a computer or tablet with software that can imitate brushes, pencils and textures, or create entirely new effects. Many modern illustrations, graphic tigers and polygonal designs are digital from the start.

Photography is also counted as a medium: the camera and the print together decide how the image looks.

How each medium looks in a room

Medium	Typical look	Rooms it suits
Oil	Deep colour, rich shadows, visible brushwork	Living rooms, formal spaces, studies
Acrylic	Bright, bold, often modern or abstract	Contemporary homes, offices
Watercolour	Light, soft, translucent	Bedrooms, nurseries, small walls
Charcoal and ink	Monochrome, graphic	Minimal rooms, studies, corridors
Digital	Anything from photo-real to flat graphic	Kids' rooms, gaming rooms, modern offices

Original artwork versus a canvas print

An original painting is one physical object made by the artist in a particular medium. A canvas print is a reproduction of an artwork, printed on canvas. ArtzFolio makes canvas prints: designs from our catalogue, including reproductions of old oil paintings, watercolours and digital art, are printed on canvas. That is why you can choose any size you like and order the same image framed or rolled. The texture of the original brushwork is reproduced as an image; it is not raised paint on the surface.

Framed canvas starts at ₹590 and rolled canvas at ₹256 for a 4 x 6 inch print, including GST. A 24 x 36 inch print is ₹4,602 framed or ₹2,478 rolled, with GST. You pick the design, enter width and height, and choose framed or rolled canvas in the studio. Most prints are crafted and dispatched in 4-7 business days; transit typically 3-7 working days.

Choosing a medium style for your wall

Start with the room's mood. If it is warm and traditional, the look of oil paintings suits it. If it is light and airy, look at watercolour-style designs. For bold modern spaces, acrylic abstracts and digital graphics work well. Browse the abstract, historical and floral collections to see how different mediums read at screen size before choosing.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between a medium and a technique?

The medium is the material, for example oil paint, watercolour or charcoal. The technique is how the artist uses it, such as wet-on-wet washes in watercolour, impasto (thick paint) in oil, or cross-hatching in ink. One medium can be used with many techniques, and one technique can sometimes cross mediums.

Which art medium is easiest for beginners?

Many art teachers start beginners with graphite pencil for drawing and acrylic for painting. Acrylic dries quickly, cleans up with water and lets you paint over mistakes. Watercolour is affordable but less forgiving, because light colours cannot easily cover darker ones. Oil needs more space, ventilation and patience to dry.

Is digital art a real art medium?

Yes. Digital art is made with software and a tablet or computer instead of physical paint, but the artist still makes every choice of colour, line and composition. Galleries, publishers and design studios work with digital art routinely, and much modern illustration is created digitally from start to finish.

Can a canvas print look like an oil painting?

A good canvas print reproduces the colours and the appearance of the brushwork of an oil painting, and the canvas texture adds to the painterly feel. It is still a flat print, not raised paint. If you want that look at a lower cost and in a size of your choice, a canvas print is a practical option.

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