Oil is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil,

commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent
such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the dried
oil paint film. Oil paints have been used in Europe since the 12th century for simple decoration,
but were not widely adopted as an artistic medium until the early 15th century. Common modern
applications of oil paint are in finishing and protection of wood in buildings and exposed metal
structures such as ships and bridges. Its hard-wearing properties and luminous colors make it
desirable for both interior and exterior use on wood and metal. Due to its slow-drying properties, it
has recently been used in paint-on-glass animation. Thickness of coat has considerable bearing on
time required for drying: thin coats of oil paint dry relatively quickly.

Tempera also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of
colored pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium, usually glutinous material such as
egg yolk. Tempera also refers to the paintings done in this medium. Tempera paintings are very
long lasting, and examples from the first century CE still exist. Egg tempera was a primary
method of painting until after 1500 when it was superseded by the invention of oil painting. A
paint consisting of pigment and binder commonly used in the United States as poster paint is also
often referred to as "tempera paint," although the binders in this paint are different from traditional
tempera paint.

Watercolor is a painting method in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-
based solution. Watercolor refers to both the medium and the resulting artwork. Aquarelles painted
with water-soluble colored ink instead of modern water colors are called "aquarellum atramento"
(Latin for "aquarelle made with ink") by experts. However, this term has been more and more
passing out of use.

The traditional and most common support—material to which the paint is applied—for watercolor
paintings is paper. Other supports include papyrus, bark papers, plastics, vellum, leather, fabric,
wood and canvas. Watercolor paper is often made entirely or partially with cotton. This gives the
surface the appropriate texture and minimizes distortion when wet. Watercolors are usually
translucent, and appear luminous because the pigments are laid down in a pure form with few
fillers obscuring the pigment colors. Watercolors can also be made opaque by adding Chinese
white.

In East Asia, watercolor painting with inks is referred to as brush painting or scroll painting. In
Chinese, Korean and Japanese painting it has been the dominant medium, often in monochrome
black or browns, often using inkstick or other pigments. India, Ethiopia and other countries have
long watercolor painting traditions as well.

American artists in the early 19th century seemed to regard watercolor primarily as a sketching
tool in preparation for the "finished" work in oil or engraving.

Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder.
The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media,
including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation. The color effect of pastels is
closer to the natural dry pigments than that of any other process.

Pastels have been used by artists since the Renaissance, and gained considerable popularity in the
18th century, when a number of notable artists made pastel their primary medium.

An artwork made using pastels is called a pastel (or a pastel drawing or pastel painting). Pastel
used as a verb means to produce an artwork with pastels; as an adjective it means pale in color.

Fresco (plural frescos or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid, or
wet lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the
plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting becomes an integral part of the wall. The
word fresco (Italian: affresco) is derived from the Italian adjective fresco meaning "fresh", and
may thus be contrasted with fresco-secco or secco mural painting techniques, which are applied to
dried plaster, to supplement painting in fresco. The fresco technique has been employed since
antiquity and is closely associated with Italian Renaissance painting.

Acrylic is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic
paints are water-soluble, but become water-resistant when dry. Depending on how much the paint
is diluted with water, or modified with acrylic gels, mediums, or pastes, the finished acrylic
painting can resemble a watercolor, a gouache or an oil painting, or have its own unique
characteristics not attainable with other media.