Painting Media
Introduced| English |
|---|
| binder/ˈbaɪndə/ |
| painting/ˈpeɪntɪŋ/ |
| watercolour/ˈwɔːtəkʌlə/ |
| acrylic/əˈkrɪlɪk/ |
| oil/ɔɪl/ |
| gouache/ɡwɑːtʃ/ |
| gesso/ˈdʒesəʊ/ |
| glazing/ˈɡleɪzɪŋ/ |
Pigment and binder
- Painting 绘画 applies pigment held in a binder 粘合剂 to a surface.
- The binder is what makes the pigment stick and sets its qualities.
- Different binders make watercolour, acrylic, and oil behave differently.
What makes pigment stick to a surface in paint is the...
The binder holds the pigment and sets the paint's qualities.
The main paints
- Watercolour 水彩 is transparent; gouache 水粉 is opaque and water-based.
- Acrylic 丙烯 dries fast; oil 油画 dries slowly and blends richly.
- Choice of paint sets the working speed and finish.
Which paint quality?
Match each paint to its key quality.
Oil paint dries slowly, which makes soft blending easier.
Oil stays wet for days, allowing slow, soft blending.
Select all water-based paints.
Watercolour, gouache, and acrylic are water-based; oil is not.
Match each paint to its quality.
Watercolour = transparent; oil = slow; acrylic = fast.
Ground and technique
- The support (paper, canvas) and ground (gesso 石膏底料 primer) affect how paint behaves.
- Techniques include washes, glazing 罩染, wet-on-wet, dry-brush, and impasto.
- Layering builds depth of colour and value.
The white primer that prepares a canvas for painting is called ____.
Gesso primes the ground so paint adheres well.
Choose paint by how you want to work. Watercolour and acrylic dry fast — good for quick, layered work but hard to blend slowly. Oil stays wet for days — great for soft blending but slow to finish. The medium shapes the method, not just the look.
For a glowing sky, a watercolourist floats one transparent wash over another (glazing), letting each dry. An oil painter instead blends colours wet-on-wet directly on the canvas for a soft gradient. Same goal, different media, different technique.
Painting applies pigment in a binder. Watercolour (transparent), gouache (opaque), acrylic (fast), and oil (slow, blendable) behave differently. The support, ground (gesso), and techniques like glazing and impasto shape the result.