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Oil Painting
Supplies
Oil paints are very popular because they dry slowly, enabling you to
work with the paint for quite a while after you've applied it to a
canvas or board. Once the paint has dried, it can be overpainted
without disturbing the original paint. Straight from the tube, oil
paint is thick and buttery. It can be diluted with thinners all the
way down to a transparent wash.
Oil Paint
Traditional oil paint comes in tubes. Rather buy quality primary
colours and perhaps secondary colours than a range of cheap paints.
Some manufacturers produce fast-drying oils in tubes, water-mixable
oils in tubes and pans (blocks), and oil bars (paint in stick form,
not oil pastels).
Thinners or Solvents for Oil Paints
Thinners are used to dilute oil paint and to clean your brushes and
palette. The most traditional solvent is turpentine, which maintain
the oiliness of oil paint. Adding white or mineral spirits to oil
paints makes a watery mixture. Look for low-odour solvents and
always use in a well-ventilated room. Solvents sold in hardware
stores are not artist's quality and can cause yellowing.
Mediums for Oil Paints
Mediums are used to dilute colour, increase gloss and transparency,
reduce drying time, and avoid overthinning. You can buy ready-mixed
mediums or use various forms of linseed oil. Read the description on
the bottle to see exactly what a medium does. For very thin washes,
mix a medium with thinners, otherwise there may not be enough oil to
bind the pigment.
Brushes for Oil Painting
Stiff hog-hair brushes are ideal for thick oil paint. Cheap hog
brushes work as well as the more expensive ones, they just don't
last as long. Use soft sable brushes, or the cheaper synthetic
alternatives, for washes where you don't want brush marks to show.
Try brushes with both long and short handles and different head
shapes to see which you prefer.
Primers for Oil Paint
Canvas and boards must be primed before being used for oil paints.
Oil primers must be put over a coat of size. Primers made for
acrylic paints can be used for oil paintings. These dry quickly and
do not require any sizing underneath. If you're painting on paper,
put down a thin layer of acrylic primer.
Maintain Paint Brushes
Your brushes are an investment. By cleaning them thoroughly and
properly at the end of a painting session, they will last longer.
Step by step:
1. Wipe off any excess paint using a cloth or soft tissue.
2. Rinse the brush in turpentine if you've been using oils or
lukewarm water if you've been using a water-based medium. Never use
hot water as it can expand the ferrule, causing the hairs to fall
out.
3. Wipe it on the cloth again to remove the last of the excess
paint.
4. Wash gently using a little bit of mild soap (rather than
dishwashing liquid). Dab the brush gently onto the piece of soap,
then work up a lather in the palm of your hand.
5. Rinse and repeat until there's no trace of any colour coming out.
Over time a brush may become stained, but don't stop rinsing until
you're sure there's no paint left.
6. Rinse once more in clean, lukewarm water to remove any traces of
soap. Shake off the water.
7. Use your fingers to gently shape the brush head into its correct
shape.
8. Wrap the bristles in toilet paper while the brush is still wet.
When the paper dries it'll contract, pulling the bristles into
shape.
9. Leave brush to dry at room temperature. Ensure it's not resting
on its head as it will then dry misshapen. Standing it on the back
of the handle works well.
10. If you're worried about the toxicity of the paint you're working
with, wear gloves while painting and cleaning your brushes. Also if
you find the paint is drying out and cracking, or staining your
skin.
Please Consider:
1. Always use separate brushes for oil painting and water-based
medium. After all, oil repels water. Also use separate brushes for
varnish, gesso, and masking fluid.
2. Don't let acrylic paint dry on a brush as its water-resistant
when dry. But also never leave a brush standing in water.
3. Never use a lot of pressure to force paint out of a brush. Be
patient and rinse it several times.
4. If your brush is made from natural bristle, you can soften it by
rinsing it with hair conditioner or baby oil.
5. Misshapen synthetic brushes can sometimes be reshaped by soaking
them in hot water (not boiling).
What 'fat over lean' means and why it's one of the
basic rules of oil painting.
The principle of painting 'fat over lean' is one of the fundamental
concepts of oil painting and one to follow to reduce the risk an oil
painting cracking. 'Fat over lean' has got to do with the varying
drying times of oil pigments (which can vary from a couple of days
to a fortnight) and ensuring that upper layers of paint don't dry
faster than lower ones.
'Fat' oil paint is oil paint straight from the tube. Mixing it with
an oil makes it even 'fatter' and increases the length of time it
takes to dry completely (even though it may feel dry to the touch,
it will still be drying under the surface). 'Lean' oil paint is oil
paint mixed with more turpentine (white spirit) than oil, or oil
paint mixed with a fast-drying oil.
'Lean' oil paint dries faster than 'fat' oil paint.
If 'lean' is painted over 'fat', it will dry first, making the
'lean' layer of paint vulnerable to contraction (shrinking) and
cracking when the 'fat' layer dries underneath it. Lower layers also
tend to absord oil from the layers above them.Therefore every layer
in an oil painting should be a little 'fatter' than the previous
one, or have a greater proportion of oil in it.
The drying times of artist's quality oil paints will vary because
they are usually made only from pigment and oil; cheaper paints may
have drying agents added to make the drying times more consistent.
Paints which tend to have a low oil content, and thus dry quickly,
include Prussian blue, ultramarine, flake white, and titanium white.
Oil paints with a medium oil content, and which dry within about
five days, include cadmium reds and cadmium yellow.
'Fat on Lean' Oil Painting Tips:
• If your oil paint has lots of wrinkles in it, you've probably
added too much oil.
• If your oil paint yellows or darkens soon after it dries, try
using a better quality oil.
How To Prime a Canvas For Acrylics or Oils
When you've stretched a canvas, the next step is to prime it so you
can paint on it. With a ready-made gesso suitable for both acrylic
and oil painting, this is easy.
Step by step:
1. Make sure you buy a bottle of gesso that's suitable for both
acrylic and oil painting. This dries very fast and is painted
directly on to the stretched canvas.
2. Shake the container very well before using. Do not skip this
step!
3. Decide whether you're going to apply one or a few coats of gesso.
One coat gives a rougher finish. If you're applying only one coat,
use the gesso as it comes out of the bottle.
4. If you're going to apply several coats, dilute the gesso with a
mixture of half acrylic gloss medium and half water.
5. Using an old, wide brush, apply the gesso directly to the
stretched canvas in even strokes. Work from the top to the bottom of
the canvas, in parallel strokes from one edge to the other.
6. When you're done, wash your brush out immediately with soap and
water. Once gesso has dried on a brush, it won't come out.
Tips:
1. A cheap decorating brush works well, but wash it several times
before you use it as the hairs tend to fall out. If you want the
brush to be thinner, cut off some of the hairs with a pair of
scissors.
2. Instead of diluting the gesso, you can sand down the canvas
between coats if you want a smoother finish.
3. Gesso thinned with water only, rather than gloss medium and
water, tends to crack.
4. Gesso can also be used to prime hardboard.
How To Varnish an Acrylic or Oil Painting
Varnish is more than simply a layer to protect your painting from
pollution in the atmosphere and abrasion. It will also bring out the
colours to the brilliance they had when you applied them.
Step by step:
1. Ensure your painting is completely dry. Allow several months for
an oil painting to dry properly. Depending on the thickness of the
paint, this could be up to nine months.
2. Clean the painting so it's free from dust, dirt, and grease. Lay
the painting flat, then dampen a bit of cotton wool with clean
water.
3. Dry the painting with another bit of cotton wool. With your
fingers, gently remove any cotton fibres that have been caught in
the paint.
4. Leave your painting to dry for several hours, or overnight. Lean
it against a wall, face inwards.
5. Use a flat bristle brush to apply the varnish. If you don't want
your painting to be too shiny, use a matt varnish rather than a
gloss one.
6. With the painting flat, work from the top to the bottom, applying
the varnish in parallel strokes from one edge of the painting to the
other. Always work in the same direction.
7. When the first coat of varnish is dry, apply a second coat at
right angles to the first. This will give you a good, even finish.
8. Leave the painting flat for at least 10 minutes after you've
finished varnishing to stop the varnish running down the painting.
Then prop it up against a wall to dry, face inwards.
9. To test whether the varnish is dry or not, touch the edge of the
painting to see if it's still tacky. It should dry within a day or
two, depending on the weather.
Tips:
1. Always varnish the whole of the painting in one go. If you do
only a part and this has started to dry before you do the rest,
you'll end up with a line where the first bit ends.
2. Try to have the same amount of varnish on the brush for each
stroke so you put equal amounts of varnish on all parts of the
painting.
3. Work in a dust-free environment, otherwise dust particles will
get stuck in the wet varnish. Keep cats out too; being so
inquisitive, you could end up with paw prints in your new varnish.
4. If you're too impatient to wait several months for your oil
painting to dry so you can varnish it, you should consider using
acrylics.
How to Use a Painting Knife
Painting with a knife is a bit like putting butter on bread and
produces quite a different result to a brush. Painting knives are
excellent for producing textured, impasto work and sweeping areas of
flat colour.
• What's the difference between a palette knife and a painting
knife?
A palette knife is a long, straight spatula that is used for mixing
paints and scraping a palette clean. They're made from metal,
plastic, or wood and will either be completely straight or have a
slightly cranked (bent) handle. A painting knife has a large crank
in the handle, which takes your hand away from the painting surface.
They come in numerous shapes (for example pear-, diamond-, or
trowel-shaped) and are used for painting instead of a brush. The
edge of the knife is blunt, so that it doesn't cut the canvas.
• So how come I've heard artists calling it palette knife when they
mean painting knife?
Some people do use the terms interchangeably. I don't see that it
really matters. The main difference is, afterall, that it's not a
brush that you're using to paint with.
• What shape of painting knife should I use?
Different shaped painting knives produce different effects. For
example, a short blade produces angular strokes while a long blade
makes it easy to put down sweeps of colour.
• Why can't I use a palette knife to paint with?
You can. Painting knives just have the advantage of coming in more
angular shapes and with sharper points. And the larger crank in the
handle means there's less chance of rubbing your knuckles into wet
paint. If you're unsure whether you're going to enjoy painting with
a knife, first buy a cheap, plastic palette knife and experiment a
bit with this before upgrading to a wood-and-metal knife.
• What makes a good painting knife?
Look for a flexible blade with a good spring to it (but it shouldn't
be flimsy, otherwise it won't last) and a handle that feels pleasant
in your hand. There's little to choose between the knives made by
the major paint companies.
• How do I use a painting knife?
Hold the handle firmly so you've got good control. Pick up some
paint off your palette using the tip, as you'd pick up some butter
with a knife. Use the side of the blade to spread paint across your
canvas, or press it onto the canvas, as you would spread butter
across a slice of bread. It'll seem strange at first as it's quite
different to using a brush. Using just the tip of the blade will
produce small dots. Pressing the edge of the knife down will produce
fine lines. Pressing the blade flat down into the paint will produce
ridges. Scrape back into the paint to reveal underlying layers.
• How paint should I use?
Use an acrylic or oil paint that's got a relatively stiff
consistency to it, otherwise it won't retain its form. If you're
using acrylics, you can add texture paste to thicken up the paint.
• What shouldn't I do with a knife?
You should work either wet-on-wet or wet-on-dry. Avoid disturbing
paint that has started to dry as a skin forms over it and attempting
to paint over this or mix another colour in may spoil it.
10 Acrylic
Painting Tips for Beginners
Practical painting tips for anyone starting to use acrylics.
Acrylics
are extremely versatile, fast-drying paints, and can be used
straight from the tube like oils or thinned with water or a medium
and used like watercolours. And a lot in-between. Here are a few
tips to help you get started painting with acrylics.
Acrylic
Painting Tip 1: Keeping Acrylic Paints Workable
Because acrylics dry so fast, squeeze only a little paint out of a
tube. If you're using a 'normal' plastic palette invest in a spray
bottle so you can spray a fine mist over the paint regularly to keep
it moist. 'Stay-wet' palettes – where the paint sits on a sheet of
wax paper place on top of a damp piece of watercolour paper –
eliminate the need to do this, but generally don't have a hole for
your thumb so are more awkward to hold in your hand.
Acrylic
Painting Tip 2: Blot your Brushes
Keep a piece of paper towel or cloth next to your water jar and get
into the habit of wiping your brushes on it after you rise them.
This prevents water drops running
down the ferrule and onto your painting, making blotches.
Acrylic
Painting Tip 3: Opaque or Transparent
If applied thickly – either straight from the tube or with very
little water added – or if mixed with a little white, all acrylic
colours can be opaque. If diluted, they can be used like
watercolours or for airbrushing.
Acrylic
Painting Tip 4: Acrylic vs Watercolour Washes
When an acrylic wash dries, it's permanent and, unlike a watercolour
wash, is insoluble and can be over-painted without fear of
disturbing the existing wash. The colours of subsequent washes mix
optically with the earlier ones. A watercolour glaze can be lifted
out using water and a cloth.
Acrylic
Painting Tip 5: Think Thin When Thinking Glazes
If you want transparent glazes, these should be built up in thin
layers; a heavy layer will produce a glossy surface.
Acrylic
Painting Tip 6: Improve Flow Without Losing Colour
To increase the flow of a colour with minimal loss of colour
strength, use flow-improver medium rather than just water.
Acrylic
Painting Tip 7: Blending Acrylic Paints
Because acrylics dry rapidly, you need to work fast if you wish to
blend colours. If you're working on paper, dampening the paper will
increase your working time.
Acrylic
Painting Tip 8: Hard Edges
Masking tape can be put onto and removed from dried acrylic paint
without damaging an existing layer. This makes it easy to produce a
hard or sharp edge. Make sure the edges of the tape are stuck down
firmly and don't paint too thickly on the edges, otherwise you won't
get a clean line when you lift it.
Acrylic
Painting Tip 9: Washing-up Liquid with Masking Fluid
Masking fluid can be used with acrylics washes, as well as
watercolours. Once masking fluid has dried in a brush, it's nearly
impossible to remove. Dipping a brush into some washing-up liquid
first makes it easier to wash masking fluid out of a brush.
Acrylic
Painting Tip 10: Using Acrylic Paint as a Glue for Collage
Provided it's used fairly thickly and the item to be stuck isn't too
heavy, acrylic paint will work as a glue in a collage.
Watercolour Class 1: Laying a Wash
A wash is
useful for providing a background or for covering a large area. It
can either be done in one tone, known as an even, smooth, or flat
wash; or gradually getting lighter, known as a graded wash.
You'll
need the following:
A piece of watercolour paper
stretched on a drawing board.
A large brush (such as a number
10 or 12).
A jar of clean water.
An easel or something to prop
your drawing board up at a 30-degree angle to the horizontal.
Paint and a palette or small
container in which to mix it. Mix a little bit of colour with a lot
of water, remembering it'll dry about twice as light as it looks
now.
A cloth for drying your brush.
How to
Lay an Even, Flat Wash:
Step 1: Place your board at a 30-degree angle so that the
brushstrokes you're going to put down will flow into each other.
You're going to work from top to bottom. Load your brush with plenty
of paint. Starting at the top edge of the piece of paper, put down a
broad horizontal stroke, from one side to the other as if you were
drawing a line with a pencil. Don't lift your brush until you're all
the way across. Some paint will accumulate at the bottom of this
stripe. Don't try to get rid of this, it's an essential part of a
wash.
Step 2:
Add some more paint to your brush, then make another horizontal
stroke making sure that the tip of your brush picks up the "river"
of paint at the bottom of the first stripe. Don't paint above this
river or you'll ruin the evenness of your wash. Work quickly as you
need to lay the next stroke before the river dries up, otherwise
you'll end up with lines in your wash, and before it runs down the
paper
Step 3:
Continue in this way until you get to the bottom of the paper.
Squeeze the excess paint from your brush between a fold of cloth,
then use the brush tip to lift the excess paint from the last
stroke. Don't worry if this makes the last stroke seem a little
lighter than the rest, some of the paint will seep down while it
dries and sort this out. Leave your board at an angle until the wash
is completely dry, otherwise some of the wet paint will flow back up
and your wash will dry unevenly.
How to
Lay Graded Wash:
A graded wash, where the colour lightens towards the bottom of the
page, is made in the same way as an even wash except that instead of
loading your brush with more paint for each subsequent stroke, you
load your brush with clean water thereby diluting the wash. Lift the
excess water from the last stroke and leave to dry at an angle.
Tips:
Dampen the part of the paper you
wish to paint evenly with water using a very large brush or sponge
before laying a wash. This makes it easier for the paint to flow.
Rather prepare too much paint
than run out. If you have to stop to get more paint, your wash may
dry, creating a hard edge between where you stopped and restarted.
You may also not mix exactly the same colour.
It's easier to get across the
width of a sheet of paper in a single stroke if you use your whole
arm rather than just your wrist.
Some pigments dilute faster than
others, so test graded washes in various colours and keep a record
for easy reference.
Don't go back an correct any
"mistakes" as this will make the "mistake" even worse. Rather start
a new wash or accept the imperfection.
Watercolour Class 2: Painting Wet-on-Wet and Wet-on-Dry
Laying colour on wet or dry paint produces very different effects.
If you
wait until a colour you've put down has dried before you put down
another colour, known as painting wet-on-dry, you get a very
different effect than if you put a second colour down before the
first has dried, known as painting wet-on-wet.
You'll
need the following:
A piece of watercolour paper
stretched on a drawing board.
A brush of any size.
Two different colour paints and
a palette.
A jar of clean water.
A cloth for wiping your brush.
Painting Wet-on-Dry:
If you want sharp edges to what you're painting, then any paint
already put down on the paper must be dry before you paint another
shape. If it is completely dry, then the shape will stay exactly as
you'd painted it. If it isn't completely dry, the new layer will
diffuse into the first; this is done deliberately when you're
painting wet-on-wet.
Painting Wet-on-Wet:
Adding paint to a wet layer of paint on the paper produces a soft,
diffused look as the colours mix. The extent to which the two
colours mix depends on how wet the first layer still was and how
dilute the second colour was. You can get anything from a soft-edged
shape to a widely spread pattern. In the example here, the blue was
slightly damp when the red stripe was added, so the red hasn't mixed
very far into the blue.
Being able
to predict the results you're going to get working wet-on-wet takes
practise, but as this technique can produce spectacular, lively
paintings it's well worth experimenting with it. It's particularly
useful for suggesting movement in a painting and for diffusing
shapes when you don't want too much detail. Make up a file of your
various attempts with notes on the colours you used (some pigments
collect on the paper's surface, creating more of a texture than
others), how dilute the second colour you added was, how wet the
first layer was, and what paper you used.
Tips:
If you paint a shape with clean
water then paint a colour on this, it'll run up to the edges of the
shape. If you touch a brush loaded with colour in the centre of this
shape, the colour will flow into the moistened area, bleeding
towards the edges.
Don't stop with only two colours,
use your colour mixing knowledge to create, for example, a sunset of
deep purples, reds, and oranges by painting red, blue, and yellow
wet-on-wet and letting the colours mix on the paper instead of
premixing them on a palette. Get the colours you want to add ready
before you start painting, plan where you're going to put them, then
work fast so you get everything down before your painting's dried.
Source:
Painting.about.com
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