Unique Painting Tools and Techniques

There are so many ways to express yourself through art. Painting is one of the oldest and most traditional ways to be creative. Within this art medium, there are several ways to put your heart and soul on display. The most conventional way is to use a brush to add color to a canvas. Although, a part of being creative is to break away from the norm and do things differently. Here are some unusual, unique, and surprising ways to convey color and emotion through painting.

This method sounds simple, but produces striking art. It involves pouring subsequent and contrasting colors over a box-shaped structure. The timing of the pours and the variation in colors produces sculpture-like, 3d pieces that remind me of tie dyed modern art.

Using plastic straws and ink or any water-based paint, one can create original abstract art. Simply add dots of your painting medium by using a medicine dropper onto paper and then blow through the straw. This creates remarkable designs that are not easily made with a brush.

Spray paint is notoriously used in graffiti. Some artists are giving this medium a better name as it's being used to create art depicting space and various landscapes. Using basic tools, such as paper, bowls, and poster board, one can experience creating texture and shading. These techniques create a work of genius that is truly inspiring.

Abstract art is different in that there is no right or wrong way to create it. It is meant to express a certain feeling, but does not usually depict a certain person, object, or landscape. This provides freedom for the artist and allows him to produce very original works. Unusual tools can be used to convey the feeling that you want to express. This promotes extreme creativity as an artist uses uncommon tools to create whatever he wants at the moment. Tools with a flat surface, such as a scalpel or squeegee can be used to spread paint or create texture. Sponges, rocks, crinkled paper, or perforated cardboard may also be incorporated to add texture. Various sizes of brushes may be used and even fingers may do the painting for more control. Any everyday object, in addition to traditional painting tools, may be used to produce abstract art.

Acrylic is a type of fast-drying paint that adheres to many surfaces. That is why it is useful when incorporating unusual objects into your paintings. Rocks, grass, various types of paper, confetti, and clay can be included to give more dimension to an otherwise flat art piece. Mixing mediums is just another of producing innovative and imaginative paintings.

Technology has brought art into such an advanced state that it is easily created, stored, and shared through computers, phones, and tablets. It has surely come a long way since the development of 'Paint It' for early home computers. The programs and apps make developing paintings easy, but the true masterpieces are made by those that have a vast knowledge of the many tools offered in each of them. For the iPad, an app called ArtRage was designed for using your fingers as tools to paint or sketch. It is based on the ArtRage Studio Pro computer software. An artist can choose from 19 various grain options and many colors. With technology changing every day, no one can tell how it will affect art in the future.