Unit 3

The Art and his Medium

Lesson 1: The Process of Art Production

● Production is in the heart of making art.

A. Medium-When an artist is ready to express himself in art and to give shape to his vision, his
first thought would be on what medium to use
B. The Technique-shows the level of familiarity with the medium being manipulated.
C. Curation-Derived from the word "curare" which means to take care. It is a process that
involves managing, overseeing and assembling.

Lesson 2: The Different Media of the Visual Arts

I. Graphic or Two-Dimensional Arts

A. Drawing - fundamental skill needed in the visual arts.
Different Media for Drawing:
1. Pencils - Made of graphite which comes in different hardness from soft to hard or thickness
from thick to needle-like.
Shading Techniques:
Hatching- A series of thin parallel lines that run in the same direction.
Cross-hatching- A series of thin parallel lines and criss-crossing it with another set of tin
parallel lines.
Stippling - Uses the sharp point of the pencil to make dot patterns in some parts of the drawing.
Blending- May be accomplished by using the finger or a paper stump to gradually change the
tone from dark to light.

2. Ink- It is one of the oldest materials for drawing that is still in use. It allows for a great variety
of qualities, depending on the tools and technique used in the application.
3. Pastel- This is composed of dry pigment held together by a gum binder and compressed into
sticks.
Kind Pastel:
● Soft Pastel
● Hard Pastel
● Oil Pastel
Pastel Techniques:
Stippling- Using pastel of different colors to produce small marks, thus, creating a pattern.
Feathering- Using the point of the pastel to make parallel strokes creating a feather-like effect.
Scumbling- It is like layering but using pastel. The side of the pastel is lightly drawn on top of
an existing color but still making the color of the first layer visible.
Impasto- The technique of thickly applying the pastel by pressing it hard on the paper creating
an opaque effect.
Sgraffito- Technique that applies a thick deposit of pastel on the support then using a blunt pen,
scrapes it off to reveal the underlying color.
4. Charcoal- An organic medium that comes from burnt wood.
Kinds of Charcoal:
Compressed Charcoal- The vine charcoal which comes in thin sticks that is easy to blend and
erase.
Manufactured Charcoal- Made from loose charcoal mixed with a binder and pressed into
sticks.
5. Paper- The most common surface used in two-dimensional art.
3 Types of Paper:
Hot-pressed Paper-Smooth
Cold-pressed Paper- Has moderate texture.
Rough Paper- Has the most texture (tooth).
B. Painting - process of applying paint onto a smooth surface (ground/support) like cloth,
canvas, wood or plaster.
a.Pigment-Part of the paint that gives color,
b.Different Media for Painting:
● Watercolor- Pigments are mixed with water and applied to paper.
● Gouache- The pigment has been mixed with water and added with a chalk-like material
to give it an opaque effect.
● Oil Paints- Pigments are mixed with oil as its binder.
● Tempera - pigment is mixed with egg yolk
● Fresco - pigment is mixed with water and applied on wall with wet plaster.
● Acrylic- modern medium with synthetic paint using acrylic
C. Mosaic - wall or floor decoration made of small tiles
D. Collage- derive from French word coller means to stick.
E. Printmaking- making reproductions of graphic works
 a. Printmaking Techniques:
1. Relief Painting (Raised)- The oldest method of printmaking. The technique involves
cutting away certain parts of the surface and leaving the raised part to produce the image.
2. Intaglio Printing (Depressed)- Instead of the surface of the plate for the image, the
lines of the image are cut or incised to a metal plate.
3. Surface Printing (Flat)- Includes all processes in which printing is done from a flat
surface.
II. Plastic or Three-Dimensional Arts
A. Sculpture - Originated from the Latin word "sculpere" which means to carve. It is defined as
the art or practice of creating three-dimensional forms or figures.
3 Kinds of Sculptures:
1. Freestanding Sculptures which can be viewed from all sides
2. Relief- Sculptures in which the figures project from a background.
Two Variations of Relief Sculpture:
● Low Relief (bas rellef)- Figures are slightly raised/projected from its background.
● High Relief- Almost half of the figures project from its background, more shadows are
created.
3. Kinetic (mobile)- A sculpture that is capable of movement by wind, water or other forms
of energy

Lesson 3 The Process of Creating Sculptures

A. Subtractive Process - removing or cutting away pieces of the material to form the figure.
B. Additive Process - construction of a figure by putting together bits of the material or by
welding together metal parts to create figures.
C. Process of Substitution - also known as casting. This method involves using a mold to
produce a 3D figure in another material.
D. Different Media of Sculpture:
Stone- A natural medium.Hard and relatively permanent.
Wood- Also a natural medium. It varies in hardness and durability depending on the kind of tree
it came from.
Metal- It has three unique qualities: tensile strength, ductility and malleability. d. Plaster- It is
finely ground gypsum mixed with water and poured into mold.
Terra cotta (cooked earth)- Baked clay or clay fired in a kiln at a relatively high temperature.
Glass- Made by heating and cooling a combination of sand and soda lime.
Plastic- Synthetic medium made from organic polymers.

Lesson 4 - Architecture - Art of designing buildings and other structures which will serve a
definite function.
A. Construction Principles
Post and Lintel- Makes use of two vertical supports (post) and spanned by a horizontal beam
(lintel). It was invented by the Greeks.
Arch- A Roman invention that consists of separate pieces of wedge-shaped blocks called
voussoirs arranged in a semi-circle.
i. Structures that can be Built from the Principle of Arch:
Barrel Vault- A succession of arches.
Groin Vault- A structure that is formed by intersecting arches resulting in four openings.
Dome- Structure with the shape of an inverted cup.
Truss- System of triangular forms assembled to form a rigid framework.
Cantilever- A structure that makes use of a beam or slab that extends horizontally into space
beyond its supporting post.
Buttress- A structure that is built as a support for the wall

Lesson 5 - Media of Architecture

A. Compressive Strength- Refers to those materials that can support heavy weights without
crumbling or breaking down.
Materials that are used for Creating Building and Infrastructures:
a. Stones and Bricks- Stones are favored over other materials for its durability, adaptability to
sculptural treatment and its use for building simple structures in its natural state.
b. Lumber (wood)- All parts of a building can be constructed using wood except the
foundations.
c. Iron and Steel- Provide stronger and taller structures with less use of material when compared
to stone or wood.
d. Concrete- Mixture of cement and water, with aggregates of sand and gravel.

Lesson 6 - Literature and the Combined Arts

A. Literature - Art of combining spoken or written words and their meanings into forms which
have artistic and emotional appeal.
Types of Literature:
a. Poetry-It used to follow strict rules s to the number and length of lines and stanzas but in
recent years they have become more free-flowing
Types of Poetry
● Haiku
● Free-verse
● Sonnet
● Acrostic
● Villanelle
 ● Limerick
● Ode
● Elegy
● Ballad
b. Fiction- Written work that is not real and which uses elaborate figurative language.
c. Non-fiction- Subject matter comes from real life.
d. Drama- Includes all plays or any written works that are meant to be performed.

Lesson 7 - Music, Media in Music, some Genres of Music

A. Music - Defined as the art of combining and regulating sounds of varying pitch to produce
compositions that express various ideas and feelings.
B. Media in Music
a. Vocal Medium- The oldest and most popular medium for music is the human voice.
1. Classification of Human Volce (Komlen, 2008):
Soprano- Highest female singing voice.
Contralto- Female singing voice that is low and rich in quality.
Tenor- Highest adult male singing voice.
Bass- Male singing voice that is low and rich in quality
Baritone- Male singing voice that is between tenor and bass
b. Instrumental Medium- Materials that produce/create sound
Traditional Instruments of Music:
● String Instruments- Provide basic orchestral sounds.
Two kinds are:
Bowed strings that produce tones by means of a bow of horse hair
Plucked strings produce tones by plucking the strings with a finger
● Woodwind Instruments- Create sounds by blowing into them.
● Brass Instruments- Have cup-shaped mouthpieces and expands into a bell-shaped end.
● Percussion Instruments- Makes sound by hitting them.
● Keyboard Instruments- Make sound by means of a keyboard which consist of a series
of black and white keys.
C. Some Genres of Music:
a.Classical Music-European tradition that covered the years of 1750 to 1830. Forms such
symphony, concerto, and sonata were standardized.
b. Folk Music- Originated in the traditional popular culture or is written in such a style.
c. Pop Music- Began in the 1950s and is inspired in the tradition of rock and roll.
d. Jazz- Originated in the African-American communities in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries.
e. Blues- Originated from the African Americans in the deep South of the United States in the
late 19th Century. Most emotional.
f. Rock Music- Form of popular music that evolved from rock and roll and pop music.
g. Alternative Music- A style of rock music that emerged from the independent music of the
1980s and gained popularity in the 1990s.

Lesson 8-Dance, Types of Dance

A. Dance - oldest of the arts. It is the man's gestures that express emotions through rhythmic
movements.
B.Types of Dance:
● Ethnologic (ethnic)- Includes folk dances associated with national and/or cultural
groups.
● Social or Ballroom- performed in pairs.
● Ballet- Originated in the royal courts of the Medieval era.
● Social or Ballroom- called contemporary or interpretative dances. Represent rebellion
against the classical formalism of ballet.
● Musical Comedy (musicale)- Refers to those dances performed by one dancer or a
group of dancers.

Lesson 9 - Drama and Theatre and Genres of Drama

A. Drama-Genre of literature that is intended to be acted-out or performed on stage in front of
audience.
B. Theatre-Combined art that includes music, dance, painting, sculpture, and architecture.
C. Genres of Drama (DiYanni, 2000):
● Tragedy- literature's greatest dramatic genre.
● Melodrama- Emphasizes the never ending battle between good and evil wherein good
always wins.
● Comedy-Exact opposite of tragedy.
● Satire-Portrays human weakness and criticized human behavior to pave the path to some
form of salvation for human actions.
● Farce- Light humorous play in which the emphasis is on the jokes, humorous physical
action, exaggerated situations and improbable characters.

Lesson 10 - Cinema, Genres of Motion Pictures and People Behind Motion Pictures
A. Cinema-Series of images that are projected onto a screen to create the illusion of motion
B. Genres of Motion Pictures:
a.Feature Films-Commonly shown in movie theaters.
b. Animated movies- Use images created by artists/ animators.
c. Documentary movies- deal primarily with facts, not fiction.
d. Experimental films- Sequence of images, literal or abstract, which do not necessarily form a
narrative.
e. Educational Films- Specifically intended to facilitate learning at home or classrooms.
C. People Behind a Motion Picture
a.Actors- Play the roles of the characters.
b. Producer- handles finances.
c. Screenwriter- develops stories and ideas for the screen or adapts interesting written pieces of
work as motion pictures.
d. Director- Studies the script. plans and visualizes how the film should be portrayed and guides
the actors and the production crew as they carry out the project.