Colour in art

You can use lots of different colours and mediums to create artwork.

Sometimes you might use dry mediums, such as crayons and chalk. Sometimes you might use wet mediums, such as paints and dyes. Sometimes you might use both together! Each type of medium will affect the colour you see and also how you create the picture.

If you want to use chalk to create your picture you are best to use a blackboard. This is because chalk contains a lot of white and will show up best on a black surface. If you try drawing a chalk picture onto a white page the chalk picture will be harder to draw and see.

If you want to use dye to create your picture then you can’t use a blackboard. Dyes need to be able to soak into something to work. They can’t soak into a blackboard. To use dyes you need to use fabric, paper or something else that will absorb the dye.

Even paints work quite differently. Waterborne paint, like the paint in Resene testpots, dries fast.

You can choose from flat finishes to glossy finishes or you can brush a glaze over the picture to change how glossy it is.

Solventborne paints are also called oil-based paints. They dry very slowly and can be reworked before the picture dries. Waterborne paints are usually the most popular paints because they are easy to use, wash up in water and don’t smell as strong as solventborne paints do. This is because solventborne paints contain a lot of solvents that have very strong odours. If you want to use a solventborne paint make sure you check with an adult first.

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