Uzoh C. & Ani V. 181 CHAPTER ELEVEN Establishing the basic Art Making Tools and Materials Chidi Uzoh, & Valentine Ani Introduction rt materials generally are the various media of expression which artists employ to express their ideas in creative processes. Some of these materials are paper, stone, linoleum, wood, marble, fabrics, canvas, dye, paints, inks, wax, cement, fibre, clay, etc. (Ngumah, Et Al (2013). Art tools can be described as any hand-operated machine or any operated device that is employed by artists to create artwork. There are numerous tools an artist can recon with, and they vary according to one’s specialised area. For instance, a painter is expected to use a mounted canvas as his support for visual expression, a sculptor uses a chisel and mallet to chip out parts of a stone or wood to form an image, a printmaker cuts out the negative spaces on linoleum or plywood, roll colours on the matrixes, and make multiple prints on paper or other surfaces, and so on. Various tools for the production of art shall be enunciated in various sub- categories. A Establishing the basic Art Making Tools and Materials 182 Drawing Drawing entails delineation or markings on two- dimensional surfaces, using materials, or drawing media such as pencils, with soft lead (B grades), charcoal, pen, and ink, markers, chalk, drawing papers, drawing pins, crayons, brushes, pastels, drawing boards and donkeys. Plate 1: assorted drawing materials, including paper Source: google.com Graphic Design The narrative of graphic design had changed long ago, with the invention of the personal computer in the 1970s. The era of using mechanical tools to produce camera- ready artwork is gone. Today, the designer deploys some tools, including software to work for his clients. Before the 1970s, various mechanical or technical tools were used for the production of graphic design jobs such as Uzoh C. & Ani V. 183 almanacs, adverts, brochures, and so on. These tools were needed to enhance the sharpness and accuracy of work, among them, are; a ruler, T-square, set of brushes, drawing board, mathematical set, or drawing set, paper and cardboard sheets, pencil, eraser, poster colour, watercolour, markers pen and ink, scissors, cutter knife, palette, the personal computer, and printers. It is not that these mechanical tools are no longer useful for art making today, but more sophisticated workstations have taken over the scene. Plate 2: The designer’s workstation Source: google.com Currently, graphic design has been shifted from traditional hand-drawing to computer-aided design comprehensively, Establishing the basic Art Making Tools and Materials 184 which allows the design concept to be effectively transformed into gorgeous realistic graphics (Kumar and Kumar, 2017) When using the workstation, the tools are the personal computer, the artist’s android phone, an iPad, a high- definition camera, a flatbed scanner, a graphic tablet, printer, a mouse, sketch pads, pencils, ink, and so on. Clay Modelling Plate 3: Pottery, Ladi Kwali creating her designs. Photograph: W.A. Ismay/Image courtesy of York Museums Trust (York Art Gallery) Clay modelling is an additive creative process on 3- dimensional space, using clay. Some modelling materials include clay plasticine, paper mache, paper pulp, pestle Uzoh C. & Ani V. 185 and mortar, broken pots, modelling tools, modelling sticks, broken calabash, wire, knife, and a bunch of brooms. A piece of plyboard or a wooden plank can serve as a base on which the work is to stand. Tie Dye Tie-and-dye is a hand method of producing patterns in textiles by tying portions of the fabric or yarn so that they will not absorb the dye. The process involves folding, twisting, pleating, or crumpling fabric or a garment and binding it with string or rubber bands, followed by the application of dye (Popoola, 2018). The required materials are 100% cotton material fabrics, raffia or cotton thread, hand gloves, buckets, dye chemicals- sodium hydrosulphite, caustic soda, salt, water, store, pits, stick for stirring the dye, washing soap, scissors and some others. When beginning the tie-dye process, it’s best to start with a freshly laundered garment to remove any oils and adhesive residue… Using a 100% cotton material is best, but other natural fabrics (wool, silk, linen) and rayon, will work as well. Any material containing polyester will not yield desired results. Before any tying can occur, the shirt must be damp. This can be done by simply filling up a sink with water and submerging the shirts. Ring out the shirt before tying (Schukei, 2016) Establishing the basic Art Making Tools and Materials 186 Assemblage An "assemblage," extending the method initiated by the cubist painters, is a work of art made by fastening together cut or torn pieces of paper, clippings from newspapers, photographs, bits of cloth, fragments of wood, metal, or other such materials, shells or stones, or even objects such as knives and forks, chairs and tables, parts of dolls and mannequins, automobile fenders, steel boilers, and stuffed birds and animals (Seitz, 1961: 8). A good example of assemblage is collage, mosaic, some crafts, and metal sculpture. Metal assemblage involves the welding or fixing up of various metal parts to form an entirely new image. The same process applies to the building of bridges, and skyscrapers. References Ngumah, H. C, Ayoola, O., Dalhatu, S., and Samkay, A. (2013) Cultural and Creative Arts for Junior Secondary Schools. Ibadan: Evans Brothers Nigeria Ltd. Popoola, F. (2018). How to start, and sustain a tie-and-dye business. https://punchng.com/how-to-start- sustain-a-tie-and-dye-business/ Raj Kumar, S. M. & Naveen Kumar, C. (2017). Design of Workstations for Computer Users: A Review. IRE Journals Volume 1 Issue 4 | ISSN: 2456-8880. Uzoh C. & Ani V. 187 https://www.researchgate.net/ publication/320611770_ Design_of_Workstations_for_Computer_Users_A_Rev iew Schukei, Abby. (2016). A Step-by-Step Guide to Tie-Dye in the Classroom. https://theartofeducation.edu/ 2 016/06/13/step-step-guide-tie-dye-classroom/ Seitz, W. (1961). The art of assemblage. New York: The Museum of Modern Art.