Oil Painting Tips

Being the most popular medium due to its forgiving nature, many of the artists wish to learn to oil paint as a means of self expression and creativity and with this intention in mind, enroll for classes wherein they can expect to learn the different oil painting techniques from the maestros of the field. In this respect, the student might as well bear in mind the fact that like all new activities oil painting also needs to be learnt from scratch and that there is no short cut which would enable one to become an accomplished oil painter overnight. However, joining oil painting lessons would undoubtedly speed up the process as one would get an opportunity to learn to oil paint by incorporating the various oil painting tips imparted by the guru.

Initially while oil painting how to paint landscapes, seascapes, animals and flowers forms the content of the oil painting lessons as instructions pertaining to the various oil painting techniques employed for painting these subjects are imparted to the student artist. Landscape, being the easiest, is not only the most common but also the first to be handled by beginners by utilizing some of the traditional oil painting techniques. While painting a landscape with oils, the student is instructed to start from the sky and gradually move downwards. This is not only in keeping with the light to dark rule but also entails the application of the wet-in-wet technique. One way of imparting depth to landscape oil is to paint the farther objects in light colors and the closer details in dark colors.

Attempting a seascape is comparatively a more challenging task but certainly not impossible to achieve for a dedicated student who believes in lot of practice. Seascapes are best painted by utilizing the wet-on-wet technique which entails the application of wet paint on top of another wet paint so as to create soft edges and proper blending of different colors. Seascape is usually replete with clouds, foam, waves and beaches and sometimes a lighthouse as well all of which can be depicted by maintaining a certain angle of the brush stroke. A beginner needs to remember that while painting a wave, the inside of the wave requires an under curve brush stroke where as the top of the wave requires an over hand.

Painting animals is a more complex task as one needs to keep in mind details like long fur, short fur, eyes and the overall proportion. In this regard, one of the noteworthy recommendations pertaining to making an oil painting of animal is to copy from a picture and try to produce the closest possible replica in terms of the mood, theme and expression of the particular animal or a bird. This would not only provide the artist with practice in various techniques but would also make him versatile. Likewise, for painting flowers, one would need a vast array of colors and a combination of several techniques in order to be able to acquire the desired result.

Having mastered most of the traditional techniques through these basic subjects, one can then graduate on to more complex subjects and even oil painting as an outlet for one’s dreams and fantasies.

All mediums of painting have a set of techniques unique to them which are used by artists for accomplishing their objective of creating a beautiful piece of art. These techniques dictate the method of application of paint on the canvas and are broadly classified as being traditional or contemporary, the former involving age-old methods and the latter representing modern methods.

Like the other types of painting mediums, there are different oil painting techniques as well which the beginners in the field should be aware of and these are discussed as follows:

• The first technique is referred to as ‘Alla Prima’ which on being literally translated means ‘at first try’ meaning being able to finish the painting in a single session. Due to its implication, the Alla Prima technique is suitable for a small canvas as well as for outdoor painters because in both cases it is possible as well as obligatory to finish the painting within a short period of time.
• One of the obligatory oil painting techniques is known as under-painting which entails creating a rough draft painting on the canvas and then filling it with colorful oil paints after it has dried. Under-painting forms the foundation of an oil painting and while some artists may use gray or dark colors for the purpose some others might prefer acrylic paints owing to their attribute of drying quickly.
• Glazing is an oil painting technique in which the artist covers a dry under-painting with thin colors in such a way that the original colors show through the transparent glazes. Prior to application of the glaze, the artist has to ensure that the layer of paint is completely dry and subsequent to application, the change brought about in the color of the paint is plainly evident.
• Blending in oil painting is achieved when two different oil colors are merged together either by being painted next to each other or alternatively on top of each other. This technique is carried out by using a soft, long-haired brush or a fan brush wherein the two colors are blended together by performing short and smooth strokes.
• Another similar technique known as wet-in-wet entails the application of wet oil paint on another wet oil paint in order to facilitate natural blending to result in the creation of beautiful tonal changes in the painting.
• Frottage, in French means ‘to rub’ and this technique entails the application of a coat of paint on which is pressed a piece of crumpled paper for a few seconds before being lifted. The result is a textured pattern which can be used in different ways while painting.
• Stippling is an oil painting technique in which dots of color are applied over the background color. This is a time consuming technique which is carried out with the help of a small pointed brush, cotton buds, a stick or Qtips and is particularly used by artists while depicting water.
• The oil painting technique of broken color is achieved by using thick oil paint for applying individual strokes of color to form different shapes on top of another color so that every stroke creates a separate design without blending.
• One of the widely used oil painting techniques is to make use of toned canvas which is created by painting a white canvas with a particular color. The advantage of a toned canvas lies in the fact that it enables the artist to judge the intensity of the colors more accurately and also to gain an estimate as regards the combination of different colors.
• The oil painting technique of fat over lean is one of the most common and entails the application of thin paint prior to the thick paint. This is meant as a precautionary measure meant to prevent the paint from cracking at the surface as the thinner layer of paint tends to dry more rapidly as compared to the thicker layer.

An individual who has decided to learn oil painting is soon likely to find him or herself as a part of a large fraternity as oil painting is one of the most popular forms of art in the world. Much of the comfort in using this medium is attributed to the fact that when an artist uses the best oil paints it is usually quite a while after having been applied to the canvas that they start drying. Thus, it is possible for the artist to continue to work on them for a certain period of time subsequent to their application. In addition, since after drying the particular color of oil paint on the canvas can be easily repainted by some other color without affecting the surrounding areas in any manner, it provides the artist with plenty of opportunity to rectify and re-work his painting till he acquires the desired result.

Having decided to try one’s hand at oil painting, it is essential for the beginner to first buy all the requisite oil painting supplies prior to actually embarking on the activity. Needless to say, the list of supplies would be headed by the most important requirements, the oils paints. Some of the best oil paints in the world are thick and buttery and are contained within tubes. Although an amateur artist would have a choice of buying a range of cheap paints as well, he is strongly recommended by experts to buy only good quality primary and secondary oil paint colors in order to be able to enjoy the activity to its fullest. Oil paints can be purchased in form of tubes which contain fast-drying paints, blocks and tubes containing water soluble oils or oil bars which appear as sticks.

Because oil paints cannot be directly applied on canvas, oil primers are required to cover the board or the canvas prior to commencing the painting. While acquiring these as a part of oil painting supplies, a novice is advised to select and buy primers which are meant for acrylic paints as not only do they dry quickly but are also free from the hassle of sizing. Since oil paintings require primers to be applied in form of coating as per the size, a single layer of acrylic primer on paper will ensure the protection of the paper meant for painting from getting destroyed.

Like all the other avatars of painting, oil painting is done with the help of brushes while one must use stiff hog-hair brushes for handling thick oil paints, brushes with long and short handles and different head shapes can be used for performing different strokes and acquiring different outcomes. In this category as well, there are cheaper alternatives which could be opted for and although there is no variation in terms of results, these do not last long and soon need to be replaced.

Since the best oil paints are thick, they need to be diluted with thinners or solvents and in this regard turpentine is the foremost as well as the traditional choice. The most common yardstick for buying thinners is that one must always opt for low odor solvents as the addition of white or mineral spirits results in a watery mixture while the use of solvents acquired from hardware stores could cause the yellowing of paint. Likewise, since one requires mediums for oil paints as well, the use of ready-mixed mediums or various forms of linseed oil are recommended for color dilution, enhancing the gloss and transparency, reduction of drying time for the painting and avoiding over-thinning of paint.

10 Beginner Oil Painting Tips

Oil painting is an ideal choice for amateur artists to begin their career because this is one medium which not only facilitates easy learning by making it possible to correct, cover and transform mistakes but also makes transition to other mediums of painting easier. This is particularly proved through an old adage related to the painting world ‘One medium helps another’ as an amateur painter who suffers from shortage of time and lacks the expertise initially benefits a lot if he opts for oil painting as his first area of study.

An amateur artist who begins his oil painting lessons is soon likely to discover that there is a lot more to this art than what meets the eye. It is with this situation in mind that I started my beginner oil painting tips below are a few already with the intention to help the new artist with his latest passion:

• To start my tip is that all oil paintings should be preceded with acrylic under-painting of the surface as an initial layer because it dries faster as compared to other applications like oils. Therefore, being an economical option, the artist can commence his oil painting in the shortest possible time on following this tip.
• Oil painting which is done in layers should always proceed as fat over lean implying that the proportion of oil should be increased with each subsequent layer. This is based on the logic that since the lower levels of paints have a tendency to absorb paint from the successive layers which are added on top the upper layers are liable to crack if they dry faster.
• One of the basic beginner oil painting tips is that one should always learn oil painting in a room which is replete in terms of good lighting and good ventilation. While good lighting brings out the actual colors without causing too much of strain on one’s eyes, good ventilation helps to disperse the strong smells associated with oil painting thinners and cleaners.
• It is equally important to organize one’s oil paints on the palette in the same order so that with the same layout it would be easier to reach out instinctively for a particular color every time it is needed.
• A basic knowledge of attributes of certain oil paint colors could also help while dealing with oil paints as in Ivory Black should be avoided for sketching or under-painting because its art of drying is much slower as compared to other colors.
• Likewise, oil paint pigments which contain lead, cobalt ad manganese, due to their attribute of speeding up the drying process, are recommended for being mixed with other colors to facilitate quick drying and can serve as under layers as well.
• One of the essential beginner oil painting tips is to select a good set of brushes like hog hair, sable and synthetic sable in a variety of flat sizes as well as certain small and round brushes for detail work. One must avoid cheap brushes as these are likely to shed their bristles as well as nylon brushes as they are not suitable for oil painting.
• It is equally imperative to take care of the brushes in terms of cleaning and storage and this can be ensured by purchasing a good quality brush cleaner and preserver from a specialized outlet either online or otherwise.
• A beginner might well be aware that linseed oil is the preferred medium for under-painting due to its ability to dry quickly but because it tends towards yellow, its use is not recommended for light colors like white and blue for which poppy oil should be used.
• After having finished with the first ever oil painting, the artist must be careful not to leave it in the dark to dry as this might result in the yellowing of paint due to the rise of a thin film of oil to the surface.

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All the oil painting tips will come from my own experience and what other people taught me on my journey to be satisfied with my own oil paintings.

I will also show you what is a good oil painting class that you can do at home .