7 Art Mediums to Explore

Art is a truly beautiful aspect of human culture. Drawing and painting have been around since the beginning of time, proving our need for artistic expression. While foundation mediums such as pencil drawing, paint, and colored pencils, are impressive in their own right, this list takes a look at some out of the box ways to create art.

1: Ink- An ancient and humble medium, ink can be used for more than just simple pen drawings. Using brushes to paint with ink, or even colored ball point pens gives ink more diversity. Ink is a versatile medium with its own unique style. Experimenting with ink can give art a bolder signature look.

2: Gold Leaf- Gold leaf is gold tightly pressed into paper thin sheets. While it has been traditionally used for decoration, some have turned Gold Leaf into art. Whether on canvas or wood board, gold leaf creates an eye catching masterpiece.

3: Paper- Paper Art is a collection of art forms using paper as the primary material in three dimensional creations. Its cheap, readily available, and easy to use compared to other three dimensional art forms. Some artists have truly mastered this art form, creating detailed and delicate pictures.

4: Dirt- Perhaps one of the more bizarre art forms, Dirt Art is created mostly on the canvas of dirt covered cars. Using brushes and fingers, artist use negative space to create astonishing masterpieces. The value of this art form is how thorough and detailed it can be with such simple tools.

5: Crayon- Crayon is generally seen as a child's art medium, however this diverse tool can be used for multiple high quality art forms. Two common styles are melted crayon art, and crayon carving. For melted crayon art, crayons are glued to a sturdy platform, usually canvas. The crayons are arranged for interesting designs or color combinations. They are then melted to produce bright textured images. For crayon carving, the wax of the crayon is peeled and carved using needles or X-acto knives. The finished product is fascinating crayon sized sculptures.

6: Avocado Pits- Most would not turn to food for artistic expression. One artist however, did. Struck by the intrigue of the avocado pit, she decided to carve it. After much experimenting, the result was magical creatures carved from the small unassuming feature of the avocado pit. Proof, that anything can be turned into art.

7: Animation- While not existing in the same realm as more standard art mediums, animation still requires versatile artistic skill. For those who enjoy digital or more action and movement oriented art, animation may be an interesting art medium to explore.

Art comes in all forms, solid, liquid, 3-D, 2-D, physical and digital. Art is abstract, reflecting the human experience in a way that words cannot convey. This list only scratches the surface of out of the box art mediums. Exploration is the heart of creativity, it encompasses the essence of art. Be adventurous, don't be afraid to break the rules. The result may be a fascinating and entirely unique creation.



Which out of the box art medium would you give a try?

Enigma