- Creativity knows no limits...
Creative minds have been using innovative materials for decades, going beyond traditional mediums to express interesting and unique points in their craft. This has led to the incorporation of some pretty interesting and unexpected substances, ground into powder, to create unique colors and textures. Although many artists still use conventional milled materials, like hard plastic, metals, nylon, and carbon fiber, it’s becoming increasingly common to mix both traditional and odd materials.
Although it’s an artistic choice for many, sometimes odd materials are used to make a statement.
Here are just some of the interesting materials artists use in their projects.
- Bone black
Bone black is derived from charring animal bones, and it’s a medium that dates back to ancient times and many cultures across the world. It’s a deep black pigment that is often used for strong tinting. To make it, bones are heated in a low-oxygen environment, which produces a fine, carbon-rich powder.
Bone black is used in oil paintings, watercolors, and inks. It’s also been widely used for various printing techniques due to its fine particle size.
- Lapis Lazuli
Lapis Lazuli is a semi-precious stone, but it’s ground into a fine powder to create the vibrant blue pigment called ultramarine. There was a time long ago when this pigment was considered more precious than gold.
Creating this pigment takes a lot of effort. First, the stone is ground, then it’s mixed with wax and several other materials, and finally the pure pigment is extracted through a series of washes.
Ultramarine was used in many famous Renaissance paintings to depict the robes of the Virgin Mary. This pigment of blue symbolizes divinity and when it was used in commissioned paintings, it was a testament to the patron’s wealth and devotion.
- Cochineal
You probably know that insects are often used for food coloring, but they’re also used in art. The cochineal insect, native to Latin America, produces one of the most potent red dyes you can find. Although animal rights activists would hate the process, these insects are cultivated on the prickly pear cacti, harvested, dried, and ground into a fine powder. From there, carminic acid is extracted, which is the source of the red pigment.
Cochineal dye has been used for centuries to dye textiles and add pigments to paint. It was a major export in colonial times and heavily influenced European fashion and art.
- Rust
Rust forms naturally as iron or steel oxidate, and while most people consider rust the enemy, artists collect it and grind it into dust to use as a pigment. Rust pigments are used to create earthy tones and textures in paintings, but it needs to be mixed with a binder first, like egg yolk or linseed oil. Some artists mix rust into their works to create the impression of decay or evoke industrial themes.
- Egg shells
Egg shells aren’t just great for calcium – they make a great powder for use in art. Some artists mix finely ground egg shells with gesso to make textured surfaces in a painting, which looks a bit different from traditional gesso. Larger pieces of egg shell are used in mosaics and to add texture to mixed media pieces.
- Volcanic ash
One of the coolest powders artists use in their works is volcanic ash. This practice dates back to the ancient Romans, who used pozzolana (another name for volcanic ash) mixed with lime and water to create concrete. Some artists that create concrete pieces use volcanic ash simply because they want to revisit ancient techniques.
- Glass
Ground glass is probably one of the more common materials used in art, but it’s not always used as a powder. Sometimes colored glass is crushed instead of ground in order to maintain the volume needed for mosaics and heavily textured pieces.
- Paper
Some artists pulverize paper to create pulp that can be used to form statues and other solid structures that would otherwise require concrete.
- Hair
Human or animal hair gets chopped up and added to plaster to make it stronger. It’s kind of like rebar, but not as strong.
- Cow dung
Dried and powdered cow dung has been used for centuries by Hindus, as it forms the basis for the sacred substance known as Vibhuti. However, it’s also used by adventurous artists.
Bizarre is beautiful
Whether it’s a gemstone, rust, a bug, or cow pies, artists will always find a way to tap into the unusual in order to create and express themselves. What might seem like a strange medium can actually turn out to be one of the coolest contributions to a piece of art.