An Oil Painting Primer

What is Oil Paint?

Oil paint is color particles, also called pigment that is combined with oil. Although the old masters, who made their own paints, mixed pigment with a variety of oils and other substances, today, linseed oil is the common agent used by manufacturers to make paint.Find high quality painting workshops here.

In the hands of a master, the oil paints can be layered and blended on canvas to create rich, beautiful images. But don’t fret if you were not born the next DaVinci, you can always learn how to paint with oils.

Oil paints take longer to dry than water-based paints. The chemical process is different from water-based paints, because oil doesn’t evaporate like water into the atmosphere. If this is your first experience with oil paint, be aware that depending upon the humidity levels at your location, oil paints can take weeks to dry. This is benefit if you want to blend colors but are working on a project that cannot be complete in one sitting. It can also be an issue if you are trying to rush your work to a client before it’s dry. Don’t do it. You can ruin your painting.

A Little History

The painters of old, such as Van Eyck, DaVinci, Titian, and Tintoretto, all made their own oil paints by mixing pigment found in plants, flowers, and other ingredients and then boiling the oil, or baking it in the sun. Some also mixed wax or other ingredients into the concoction.It wasn’t until the mid 1800′s that paint production was industrialized and produced in tubes with caps, similar to the way we buy them today.

The advent of tube-packaged paints gave artists more flexibility and time. Instead of devoting their attention to making paint, they could now concentrate on the work itself. It also changed the way artists paint. Packaged paints gave the artist more freedom, flexibility, and a wide variety of consistent colors. This freedom and flexibility in their life translated into their work and is said to have lead to the impressionist movement.Our favorite site for oil painting instruction.

Using Oil Paint

Select a well-ventilated spot. Oil paint smells like linseed oil and the scent can linger. Also, odorless turpentine which is used as a paint thinner and to clean brushes, is not completely odorless as the name implies.

Of all the tables, canvases and palettes available at your local craft store, the most important instrument to an artist is light. Make sure that you are working in a well-lit space. Natural light is always preferred.

Oil paint is typically painted on canvas. In the same way you paint a coat of primer on your walls before you paint a room, it’s important to prime the canvas so the fibers don’t absorb the oil. This primer used by artists is called gesso. Gesso is a water-based paint. Apply at least two thin coats to your canvas, allowing each coat to thoroughly dry.

Once the gesso has dried, it is time to jump in and begin your painting. You can apply the paint using a brush, a palette knife, your fingers, or whatever works for your. You can draw the image on the canvas first or just apply the paint and see where it leads. However you do it, have fun.

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