Ink Painting

Around 5000 years ago, the ancient Chinese developed ink for blackening the raised surfaces of pictures and texts carved in stone. This early ink was a mixture of soot from pine smoke, lamp oil, and gelatin from animal skins and musk. Other early cultures also developed inks from available berries, plants and minerals.

The growth of Ink Painting has inevitably reflected the changes of time and social conditions.

Following the introduction of Buddhism to China from India during the 1st century A.D. and the consequent carving of grottoes and building of temples, the art of ink painting religious murals gradually gained in prominence

The range of subject matters dealt with in figure painting was extended far beyond religious themes during the Song dynasty (960-1127). Ink Paintings of historical character and stories of everyday life became extremely popular. Techniques were also further refined.

A great many artists painted in this genre during the Song dynasty and their subject matter included a rich variety of flowers, fruits, insects and fish. Many of the scholar painters working with ink and brush used a great economy of line. They produced paintings of such things as plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemums, pines and cypresses, using their subject matter to reflect their own ideals and character Modern painters have often mixed several colors on one brush or mixed their colors with black inks. As a result, they have obtained more natural and richly varied colors.

Tools of Ink Painting

Following the introduction of Buddhism to In Ink paintings, as in calligraphy, the artist usually grinds their own ink using an ink stick and a grinding stone, but prepared inks are also available. Most ink sticks are made of densely packed charcoal ash from bamboo or pine. The artist puts a few drops of water on the ink stone and grinds the ink stick in a circular motion until a smooth, black ink of the desired concentration is made. Ink sticks are of higher quality and are preferred for works that are to be displayed. Prepared inks are useful for practice.

Modern painters have often mixed several colors on one brush or mixed their colors with black inks. As a result, they have obtained more natural and richly varied colors.

Tools of Ink Painting

Following the introduction of Buddhism to In Ink paintings, as in calligraphy, the artist usually grinds their own ink using an ink stick and a grinding stone, but prepared inks are also available. Most ink sticks are made of densely packed charcoal ash from bamboo or pine. 

Gouache

The Italian word “guazzo” means water paint or splash . Gouache originates from that very word and is a type of paint consisting of pigment suspended in water. Gouache is quite different from watercolour. In watercolors particles are larger, the ratio of pigment to water is much higher. 

In gouache the presence of an inert white material makes it heavier and more opaque, with greater reflective qualities

History of Gouache

In 16 th century Italy there was a practice of applying oil paint over a tempera base. This particular practice was named Gouache.This particular style travelled to France where it was applied to watermedia.

Gouache-the technique

Gouache is a very deceptive medium. It is drier than it appears when wet, which can make it difficult to achieve the same shading in multiple painting sessions. For this very reason Gouache is seen as a more immediate medium of painting than watercolors. "En plein air” paintings take advantage of this, as do works by J.M.W. Turner. Most painters choose gouache as a medium to dabble with and not m of expression for this very reason there are limited number of works in gouache. It is used more frequently for graphic works such as posters, and for other design work.

Glass Painting

Painting on glass is a remarkable art form. The beauty of these paintings leaves one dazzled as both the medium and the painting combine to give an ethereal effect.

The medium of glass provides the painter with something that no other mediums can - the light effect. For centuries Gothic churches and other hallowed institutions have inspired awe in us because of their remarkable use of glass paintings. Today it is as popular as it ever was.

A brief History of Glass Painting

It will be difficult to give a precise date of origin of Glass paintings but History says that it became quite a rage in Italy during the Renaissance. They were in the miniature style and where found in altars of churches. They themes were scenes from the Bible

In Austria this Art Form gained more sophistication and slowly it was spread all over Europe, its didn't take much longer for it to reach Asia either. 

Glass Painting in India

Glass painting in India is a comparatively recent phenomenon; it emerged in the state of Gujarat at around 18th century. The Chinese merchants settled around the coastal regions of the state influenced this style of painting. Soon this style was internalized by the artists and was experimented with.

Indian Glass paintings are characterized by their bright colors and ornamental nature. Sometimes they are embellished with gold leaves and semi precious stones. The themes are more or less similar to the miniature Paintings i.e. Radha-Krishna leelas, women dressed in traditional clothes and mythological figures.

Glass Painting- the Technique

Glass paintings or stained glass paintings as they are sometimes known, comprise an engraving laid down on the back of the glass. After the designs are outlined at the back of the glass specials colors are applied. The colors are mostly water or gum based and is applied in a method similar to the way watercolors are applied. The paints are usually fired onto the glass using a kiln. The heat of the kiln ensures that they are permanently bonded with glass.

The medium of glass provides the painter with something that no other mediums can - the light effect. For centuries Gothic churches and other hallowed institutions have inspired awe in us because of their remarkable use of glass paintings. Today it is as popular as it ever was.

Glass Painting in the Modern World

Glass painting is an extremely refined art form but discovery of synthetic colors specially meant for this purpose, has ensured that this art form gains as much popularity as it can. Today almost every other household can afford to have a stained glass window, because of the user-friendly nature of this art form. Art enthusiasts can buy their own glass painting kits and experiment with this art form, making their own bedrooms a studio. This art form is affordable, beautiful and approachable. No wonder that it has become a favorite in the most humble of households. After all the purpose of an artist is to reach out to as many people as he or she can and not to alienate them. Painting on glass is a perfect example of that very philosophy.

Gemstone

Gemstone painting has its origin in Rajasthan, India. Specifically in the historical city of Jaipur.

Rajasthan. The land of color and life. Steeped in history, brimming with music and dance, architecture and art. This is a land that has inspired innumerable craftsmen, and been the object of their imagination since time immemorial. Phad paintings, Miniature painting, Pichwai Paintings, and Gemstone are some of the famous forms of painting from Rajasthan.

The Gemstone painting, as the name suggests, is made of real or semi-precious gemstones. The real stones used include emerald, ruby, blue sapphire, yellow sapphire, multi colored sapphires and pearl. These stones are ground to a fine dust, and placed and pasted on the backside of an acrylic or glass sheet pinhead point by pinhead point. No machinery is used; the work is done entirely by hand. It is then but natural that what is of utmost importance is the skill and precision of the artist. It is the imagination and aesthetic sense that guides the artists in their work, as they carefully bring the themes to life. The result is a painting aglow in the very brilliance of life itself.

The gemstones used in the paintings are all natural, and hence never lose their color. No artificial or dyed stones are used.

It is the art of painting that has captured the life of India, in its many hues and moods. And what more exquisite way to do so, than in the sparkle of a gemstone painting.

Graffiti

A cursory search on Graffiti on the Internet will throw up conflicting opinions such as “A class of rude inscriptions scratched on the walls of ancient monuments”, “ one of the most important mode of expression of the modern world” …so what then is graffiti? Is it a mode of vandalism or is it a misunderstood form of expression? Well one can say its something in between… Graffiti is most definitely a deliberate application of a media made by humans on any surface, both private and public.


Graffiti has existed at least since the days of ancient civilizations such as classical Greece and the Roman Empire. The inscriptions of this order traced by pilgrims, between the fourth and ninth centuries, on the walls of the galleries, proved invaluable to De Rossi and later archaeologists in their explorations of the Roman catacombs.

Nowadays graffiti is synonymous with Hip-Hop and is of the 4 main elements of the Hip Hop culture (along with the MC the DJ and Break Dancing). ?However its definitely a misunderstood art form In fact, modern graffiti is a much older penomenon than the hip hop culture. Its roots are to be found in the late 1960's French Student revolution. The cryptic phrases sprayed on walls were the perfect medium for this revolt. Slogans like “Demand the Impossible” or “Imagination is the seizing Power” inverted conventional logic: they made complex ideas suddenly seem very simple.

In the lates 70s and 80s a a new wave of creativity overtook the graffiti scene. Young intellectuals began actively using grafifiti as a creative medium. Graffiti quickly became a social scene. Friends often form crews of vandals.

Graffiti Tools

Initially pens and markers were used to scribble and doodle on walls, but these instruments were limited in their scope as to what types of surfaces they worked on. So as an alternative was sought in spray-paint. Spray paint could mark all types of surfaces and was quick and easy to use. It didn't take long to make it the chosen medium of application.

As graffiti has grown, so too has its character. What began as an urban lower-income protest, nationally, graffiti now spans all racial and economic groups 

Fresco

Fresco is a technique where the painting is done when the plaster on the wall is still wet therefore the colors intermingles with the plaster and is permanent.

The Egyptians were the first to experiment with the fresco. The tomb paintings of the Pharaohs in Egypt are the earliest examples of Fresco.

Roman cities such as Pompeii and Herculaneum, witnessed some interesting development in fresco painting too. All wall paintings of these cities were in buon fresco (a technique using wet plaster and pure pigments, the pigments get locked under the calcium carbonate skin of the plaster,creating a long lasting painting).

The desert palace of the Umayyads in the 8th century houses one of the rarest and oldest examples of Islamic frescos.

However fresco came into prominence in the the late Medieval period and the Renaissance saw the most prominent use of fresco, particularly in Italy, where most churches and many government buildings still feature this method of mural painting.

The prehistoric Frescos of Ajanta and Ellora (India) are not only aesthetically pleasing but employ the most ingenious technique too.

Sistine Chapel in Vatican City houses few of the world's most famous frescos, namely those of Michelangelo's.