Understanding the languages of Art + Design.
Whether it is paint on a photograph, or animated photographs of a painting (see: Loving Vincent) it is not uncommon to confuse the terms MIXED-MEDIA and MULTI-MEDIA because there is an ambiguous distinction. Just like how there's a difference between the words ARTIST and DESIGNER. I'll make another post about ART + DESIGN because there is too much to discuss in that realm.
Let's break down the basics:
MEDIUM
For all of my non-artsy friends, this might be a new word for ya. A medium is any designated category of material chosen to produce a work of art. Simply stated, "Acrylic" would do in the artist's description if that were their material of choice for painting. Some artists get make up their own mediums to be innovative in their own right.
MIXED-MEDIA
This term is comprised of a work of art encompassing more than one MEDIUM. The plural of that is MEDIA. For example, a canvas that uses acrylic, colored pencils, charcoal, and collage would definitely be considered MIXED-MEDIA. There are mediums which can argued, like watercolor, that uses several elements to control the watercolor's placement on its paper.
“There is a slight difference between the word MIXED-MEDIA and MULTI-MEDIA. Just like how there's a difference between the word ARTIST and DESIGNER. ”
DIGITAL MEDIA
Moving forward, digital technology has coined the term DIGITAL MEDIA. This is another tricky word, as it could be used as a singular or plural term in context. I like to parallel DIGITAL MEDIA with MEDIUM and categorize it as a singular, while using the word MULTIMEDIA for its plural.
MULTIMEDIA
Is DIGITAL MEDIA and MULTIMEDIA the same thing? Asking for a friend...
From my understanding, MULTIMEDIA is just like DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGN, where you take several elements of DIGITAL MEDIA (think, animation, video, illustration, typography, etc) and design them in a way that creates a unified production. On the other hand, you took several physical objects and sculpt that around a video you could call that MULTIMEDIA too.
Now that I've confused us all, where do you stand on this debacle? Is MIXED-MEDIA and MULTIMEDIA the same thing? It's up to us creatives as a collective to define.
If you got all the way to the end of this and have your mind stirring, I appreciate your curiousity in exploring the fascinating world of art, design, and multimedia!