Explore Art Techniques

Visual techniques guide

Explore art techniques

Discover hundreds of ways an artwork or bespoke piece can be created. Browse by material or process, compare finished examples and find techniques that could shape your commission.

Browse technique familiesSearch all 270 techniques
Impasto painting technique exampleRaku firing technique exampleStained glass technique exampleHand embroidery technique example

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Start broad, then drill into the techniques that suit the material, process or finish you have in mind.

A few techniques to explore

These examples show how different the finished result can be. They are intentionally limited so the page stays easy to scan.

Example of impasto painting with thick raised paint and strongly textured sculptural brushwork.ImpastoImpasto is a painting technique in which paint is applied thickly enough to build a visibly raised surface. Brush and palette knife marks usually remain obvious, so the paint itself becomes part of the visual structure of the work.Example of cyanotype with Prussian blue and pale contact silhouettes.CyanotypeCyanotype is a camera-less or negative-based photographic print process in which UV light reacts with iron-salt-coated paper or fabric to create a distinctive Prussian blue image.Example of raku ceramics with crackled glaze and smoky metallic surfaces.Raku firingRaku firing is a low-fire ceramic process in which a glazed or slipped piece is removed from the kiln while hot and, in common Western practice, placed in combustible material to create a smoky, oxygen-reduced surface. It is distinct from traditional Japanese Raku tea ware, though historically related.Example of stained glass with coloured segments joined by lead lines.Stained glassStained glass is a technique in which shaped pieces of coloured, textured or clear glass are assembled into a segmented image or pattern, usually with lead came or copper-foil seams soldered together.Example of marquetry using precisely fitted contrasting wood veneers.MarquetryMarquetry is the making of decorative pictures or patterns by precisely cutting and assembling thin veneers of contrasting woods, then bonding the composition to a stable backing and finishing it flat.Example of hand embroidery with visible physical thread stitches on fabric.Hand embroideryHand embroidery is the creation of imagery, pattern and texture on fabric by manually stitching thread, yarn or other fibres with a needle.

Medium and technique are different

A medium is the material an artist works with, such as oil paint, watercolour, glass, bronze or textile. A technique is how that material is handled. An oil painting might use glazing, impasto, scumbling or alla prima. A ceramic piece might be wheel thrown, slip cast, raku fired or decorated with sgraffito.

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From technique to artist

CommissionIt is connecting evidence based artist and portfolio classifications to these canonical techniques. Until those classifications are reviewed, the guides do not claim unconfirmed specialist counts.

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