What techniques did cave painters use?

In cave paintings, the pigments stuck to the wall partially because the pigment became trapped in the porous wall, and partially because the binding media (the spit or fat) dried and adhered the pigment to the wall. Historians hypothesize that paint was applied with brushing, smearing, dabbing, and spraying techniques.

Why do scholars think that there are handprints in the caves?

Scholars believe that the "negative" handprints in prehistoric cave paintings were most likely signatures. ... some cave rock formations implied an image and the artist enhanced these images- What image do you see? Just as we see images in some cloud formations.

What is a negative handprint?

Alternatively, the hand might have been stencilled simply by spitting the pigment directly onto it from the mouth, or even by painting around it with a pad/brush dipped in pigment. Prints are usually referred to as "positive handprints", while the hand silhouettes are known as "negative hand stencils".

How is cave art dated?

In the case of cave art, it meant that figures drawn with charcoal –made out of burnt tree branches– could be dated. ... Calcification is the geological process that occurs in caves creating stalagmites and stalactites, but it also appears on the walls, sometimes growing over the drawings and engravings.

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