Tools and Materials in Art and Craft
Tools are items used to manipulate materials to make them into products. This is the concept of tools and materials. While tools do not get used up every time you work with them, materials, contrarily, always get used up.
Several tools and materials are used in art and craft work. Since art and craft touch all aspects of human endeavours, there are just too many tools and materials.
The tools and materials can be categorized based on the operations they are used for. For example: for drawing and drafting, we have pencils, paper, graphic table or graphic tablet computer, etc.; for painting, we have paint brushes, paints, graphic tablet or graphic tablet computer, etc.; for pottery, we have clay, the potter's wheel, etc.
Tools and MaterialsTools are items used to manipulate materials to make them into products. This is the concept of tools and materials. While tools do not get used up every time you work with them, materials, contrarily, always get used up.
Several tools and materials are used in art and craft work. Since art and craft touch all aspects of human endeavours, there are just too many tools and materials.
The tools and materials can be categorized based on the operations they are used for. For example: for drawing and drafting, we have pencils, paper, graphic table or graphic tablet computer, etc.; for painting, we have paint brushes, paints, graphic tablet or graphic tablet computer, etc.; for pottery, we have clay, the potter's wheel, etc.
Some tools used in art and craft works are:
Pencils and Eraser: Pencils are used for sketching, drawing, and shading of artworks. Different pencils have different thickness, thus different applications. Eraser come in hand to clean unwanted pencil marks or to add light effect to a drawing.
Stylus Pen: Stylus pens are used for sketching, drawing and shading artworks just like pencils but in the digital environment of a graphic tablet or graphic tablet computer.
Paint Brush: Paint brush are used for applying paint to surfaces to create art impressions. Also, they can be used to clean finished artworks. There are just too many types of paint brushes based on the type of surface it is to be used on and the kind of paint.
Graphic Tablet A graphic tablet is a computer peripheral device that can be sketched on to draw into a computer directly. It is useful for digital illustration both real time and non-real time.
Graphic Tablet Computer A graphic tablet computer is just like the graphic tablet but you see your drawing on the media you draw.
Anything can be a material in art. For example, PET scraps, saw dust, metal scraps, leaves, clay, stone, etc.
 |  |  |
| Saw dust | PET scraps | Feathers |
Fine art is usually done on materials (e.g. canvas, wood, paper, metal, fabric, etc.) with suitable surfaces for the choice artwork piece.
 |  |  |
| Canvas | Wood | Paper |
Paint is another fantastic material in fine art. It is used to create a colour effect on a suitable surface. There are different kinds of paints for different surfaces. Below is a simple paint wiith a brush you can buy and start using.
Just as there are too many kinds of craft (e.g. woodcarving, interior design, etc.), so also there are too many tools used in craft. The tools can be categorized according to the kinds of craft they are used in. For example, in calabash decoration, we have knives of different sizes and shapes, iron needles, saw, perforated polished can, scrapper, nails, white chalk, etc.; in wood carving, we have V-tools, gouge, coping saw, mallet, etc.
| Craft | Tools |
|---|---|
| Pottery | Pottery wheel, calipers, etc. |
| Wood carving | V-tools, gouge, mallet, etc. |
| Cane weaving | Knives, scissors, etc. |
| Beadwork | Beads, scissors, etc. |
| Leather work | Scissors, needle, etc. |
| Calabash decoration | Knives, iron needles, saw, scrapper, etc. |
Materials in craft is a different thing, since each kind of craft is based on type of material(s). For example, pottery is the craft of moulding clay; calabash decoration is the craft of carving and painting designs on calabash gourds; leather work is the craft of making leather into different useful objects like shoes, sandals, bags, purses.
| Craft | Material |
|---|---|
| Pottery | Clay |
| Wood carving | Timber |
| Cane weaving | Cane |
| Beadwork | Beads |
| Leather work | Leather |
| Calabash decoration | Calabash |
- Tool are items we use to transform materials into products.
- Materials get used up in each work but tools only get slightly used up per work.
- Tools in fine art include pencils, eraser, stylus pen, paint brush, graphic tablet, graphic tablet computer, etc.
- Materials in fine art include PET scraps, saw dust, metal scraps, leaves, clay, paper, canvas, wood, metal, paint, etc.
- Tools in craft are based on the kind of craft. For example, in pottery, tools include pottery wheel, clippers, etc.
- Materials in craft are based on the kind of craft. For example, in pottery, materials include clay, paint, etc.