Handling materials with control
Every material has a behaviour. Skill is knowing what a material wants to do and deciding whether to work with it or against it.
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Increase their proficiency in the handling of different materials
Key learning points
- • Dry media and pressure
- • Preparing the surface
- • Wet media
- • Combining materials
This lesson at a glance
- 30 minutes
- 25 parts to scroll through
- 4 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
Scroll down — the lesson carries on below
Watch & discover
Part 1 of 25
Visual introductionPicture this
Handling materials with control
Every material has a behaviour. Skill is knowing what a material wants to do and deciding whether to work with it or against it.
In a nutshell
Increase their proficiency in the handling of different materials
What you already know
Part 2 of 25
Before we start
What you already know
You should already have used pencil, and at least one wet medium.
Key words
Part 3 of 25
Key words
Words you'll need today
- Tooth
- The surface texture of paper that grips media.
- Wash
- A thin, diluted layer of paint or ink.
- Blending
- Merging tones or colours smoothly.
- Resist
- A material that repels another, such as wax under wash.
Reset break
Part 4 of 25
Pause
That's sitting 1 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 5 of 25
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Dry media
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 6 of 25
Learn
Dry media and pressure
Graphite grades run from hard H to soft B; softer grades give darker, grainier marks. Control comes from pressure, angle and layering rather than from pressing harder. Charcoal, chalk and pastel need paper with tooth, and blending should be deliberate — over-blending removes the marks that give a drawing energy.
Explore the idea
Part 7 of 25
Learn
Preparing the surface
Paper weight matters: thin paper cockles under wash, while heavier stock holds water. Priming a surface changes absorbency, and toned paper lets you work towards both light and dark. Choosing a surface before starting saves more work than any correction technique afterwards.
Reset break
Part 8 of 25
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 9 of 25
Quick check
Part 10 of 25
Learning cycle
Part 11 of 25
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Wet media and combinations
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Reset break
Part 12 of 25
Pause
That's sitting 3 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 13 of 25
Learn
Wet media
Watercolour and ink work light to dark, because a wash is difficult to remove. Wet-on-wet spreads and softens; wet-on-dry gives clean edges. Acrylic dries fast and can be layered opaquely, so it forgives changes that watercolour will not. Letting layers dry fully is the most common difference between a controlled and a muddy result.
Explore the idea
Part 14 of 25
Learn
Combining materials
Mixed media works when materials do different jobs: wax resist under ink wash, pencil detail over dried acrylic, collage providing pattern that would be slow to paint. Test combinations on a scrap first, and note results, because compatibility depends on drying time and absorbency rather than on how they look separately.
Quick check
Part 15 of 25
Reset break
Part 16 of 25
Pause
That's sitting 4 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Quick check
Part 17 of 25
Common mix-ups
Part 18 of 25
Common mix-ups
Things people often get wrong
- People often press harder to get darker tone. Use a softer grade and layer instead.
- People often paint dark first in watercolour. Work light to dark, since washes are hard to lift.
Challenge round
Part 19 of 25
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Reset break
Part 20 of 25
Pause
That's sitting 5 of 6 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 21 of 25
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
Control comes from ____, angle and layering rather than from pressing harder.
Mixed media works when ____ do different jobs: wax resist under ink wash, pencil detail over dried acrylic, collage providing pattern that would be slow to paint.
Challenge round
Part 22 of 25
Game · Recall cards
A 6B pencil compared with 2H is...
Card 1 of 4
Exit quiz
Part 23 of 25
Exit quiz
Show what you've learned
6 questions, marked together at the end. Nothing is timed.
1. Thin paper under a wash tends to...
2. Wet-on-wet produces...
3. Acrylic is more forgiving than watercolour because it...
4. Over-blending a charcoal drawing can...
5. Toned paper is useful because it allows work towards...
6. Before combining media you should...
Mastery quiz
Part 24 of 25
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Handling materials with control
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. A 6B pencil compared with 2H is...
2. Tooth refers to the paper's...
3. Watercolour should generally be worked...
4. Wax under an ink wash acts as a...
Lesson round-up
Part 25 of 25
Lesson round-up
Ready when you are
Quiz score
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Ask LunaPart 1 of 25 · Watch & discover