Hobbies Fine Arts & Crafts Art Glossary: Painting Share PINTEREST Email Print Self-Portrait with Easel Painting by Vincent van Gogh. Photo © Oli Scarff/Getty Images Fine Arts & Crafts Painting Basics Lessons & Tutorials Techniques Supplies Drawing & Sketching Arts & Crafts By Marion Boddy-Evans Marion Boddy-Evans is an artist living on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. She has written for art magazines blogs, edited how-to art titles, and co-authored travel books. our editorial process Marion Boddy-Evans Updated March 06, 2017 Definition: A painting is an image (artwork) created using pigments (color) on a surface (ground) such as paper or canvas. The pigment may be in a wet form, such as paint, or a dry form, such as pastels. Painting can also be a verb, the action of creating such an artwork.