Painting is the joyous act of brushing, smearing, dropping, dripping, squeezing, squishing, wiping, washing, pressing, pounding, scraping, scratching splashing, or otherwise applying various indelible substances onto (ideally) properly designated surfaces. When faced with such a variety of available methods, finding a suitable starting point can be intimidating. Luckily, we can always turn to that reliable old workhorse known as the Encyclopedia Britannica (remember them?) to show us the way.
Fun Fact: The Encyclopedia Britannica was in continuous print for over 240 years before being killed by the internet and reincarnating into its current online form in 2012.
–NPR News
Slightly Related Fun Fact: The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge existed from 1826 to 1848 with the purpose of “publishing information to people who were unable to obtain formal teaching”. Interesting topics for discussion (if you’re in to that sort of thing) include the exportation/imposition of western culture throughout the world, religious vs secular schools of thought within the cultural marketplace of ideals, and possible connections to steampunk pop culture.
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica there are exactly thirty two painting techniques, which can be grouped according to 1. “devices” that create three dimensional illusions, 2. methods of paint application, and 3. types of mediums. Since we have already learned about the mediums (oils, acrylics, and watercolors, oh my!), we can now focus our future efforts on learning “methods (of applying paint)” and “devices (to create illusions)”.
There are certainly more effective ways to perform a systematic study of painting technique. Feel free to seek them out if you like. Find those wayward threads in the sweater of your curiosity and pull on them until all the worlds knowledge stands naked before you. In the meantime, I’ll be here to paint, and learn, and share.
And remember to have fun!
