The essence of painting has been in effect from the time man discovered his want to convey or record the image he has seen or visualized. The cave paintings of the stone ages and various other wall paintings are the basic example of this need. Paintings provide a wide array of depictions that bring out the perception of the painter. It is a form of art that features free thought about canvas or paper or any other medium.

 

Early history: Over the ages painting has had various forms considering its origin as cave paintings to current day animation. In the primitive times, the tools were crude for the fact that to paint one had to carve on walls with sharpened tools. Later on with the idea of pigments dawning on the man thought of filling this engraved work with the colored pigments. However, things have changed over the years and so have the tools for painting.

 

Improvisation of tools and texture: With the invention of graphite pencils, pen and paper, it was easier for a person to sketch the exact image desired. The form and structure of the image were perfected over thorough practice and pencil drawing became an essential part of our life. The problem with this was that a person could shade different drawings, but he could not add colors onto them. Thus came pencil colors and pastels and to follow them were paint brushes and water colors.

 

Diversity among the colors used: Watercolor painting became a much popular art in the future, as with a deft stroke of the brush a painter could bring about effects, which could not have been possible with pencil sketch. From here on came up oil painting on canvasses which seemed to last over a longer time in comparison to the watercolors. These were soon challenged by the acrylic paints which seemed to resemble both watercolors as well as oil paints depending upon their composition.

 

The importance of pencil drawing to the art:

 

Although painting has evolved over the decades the basics remain simple as always. Every new learner has to go through pencil drawing to start with as this gives him the idea of how to get the shapes and figures correct. The strokes of pencil may be different than that of a brush, but the concept of curves and proportion remains the same. Every painter uses a pencil drawing to support his masterpiece.

 

Consider Michelangelo, one of the prolific painters of the middle ages, who had the face of every other character sketched in his hand before painting the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Thus, pencil drawing is the basic learner for every painter and provides the platform to work on canvass with a brush. On the other hand, there are many, who choose to stick with pencil drawing as they believe that “it has a meaning of its own”.

 

Painting has been the passion of many and would live to be there in the future, but it remains to be seen that how the advent of modern software affects it. With the software coming up people hardly have to go through the trouble of altering their painting manually; instead they just rely on the software to do it for them. This way, a painter unknowingly curbs his own growth and along with him the growth of the art.