Materials & Techniques

Watercolor refers to a type of paint made from pulverized pigments combined with a water-soluble binder such as gum arabic. When diluted with water and applied to an absorbent surface, the translucency of the paint is highlighted by the color of the material being decorated. This type of paint has been used to create images on walls, silk, porcelain, ivory, and various papers.

Canvas is traditionally sealed with a primer paint before a painting is made. Sealing, or priming, the canvas creates an even surface and protects the canvas. Unprimed canvas is not sealed and thus absorbs paint or other materials differently than primed canvas. Sometimes the term raw is used to describe surfaces that are left unprimed.

Screenprints (also known as serigraph or silkscreen) are created using a stencil to block out areas not intended to transfer to the paper (or fabric). Using a squeegee, the printmaker forces ink through the unblocked areas of the mesh screen. Additional colors or tones can be achieved by using multiple stencils.

Champlevé involves extracting holes in a base such as silver, bronze, or copper and then filling the grooves with enamel. It is subsequently fired and polished to the level of the metal.

Cloisonné involves soldering thin strips of metal to a base to outline patterns and then filling them with enamel paste. As a result the areas of colored enamel are separated from each other.

The primary black-and-white process since the late 1880s, gelatin silver prints involve three layers: paper, baryta, and gelatin. The paper is prepared with a layer of baryta, or barium sulfate. The gelatin layer is an emulsion of light-sensitive silver compounds that captures the image after the exposure and development of the negative. Gelatin silver prints are characterized by a smooth and even surface.

Tempera paints are a mixture of powdered dry pigments with water and either egg yolk (egg tempera) or milk proteins (casein tempera). Tempera paint dries quickly and once dry, it is extremely durable.