OIL PAINTING FACTS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Oil painting can be intimidating to explore because it contains so much information and insider jargon that can be difficult to decipher. However, it doesn’t have to be difficult to get started; With the correct supplies information, you’ll be easily and efficiently painting with oils in no time! This article will be organized in a True or False format, presenting common misconceptions about oil painting and providing the correct information for each statement. This format allows you to quickly skim and get a good idea of ​​where to start or take your time to learn more in-depth.

Before we get to the heart of the matter, some art-specific terminology in this article can be confusing, such as the word “medium.” I could explain it, but this article from ThoughtCo explains it in a very concise way, and I couldn’t have written it better myself! Now let’s dig in!

Oil painting is very different from other common painting mediums like watercolor, acrylic, and tempera. Oil paint itself is a very thick paint which is great for texture, but with the right mediums it is creamy, smooth and pigmented.

One of the best things about oil painting is how far it can go when using mediums. Due to its creamy texture, it spreads very well and dries much more slowly than acrylic paint – think hours or even months, depending on the thickness of the paint and if mediums are used! This means you’ll have more time to play with your mixture before the paint hardens, making gradients a breeze.

Sometimes the slow drying time of oil paints can make things difficult, especially if you like to paint in a more graphic or colorful style you might struggle a bit, as wet paint on wet paint can get muddy very quickly.

As noted in our previous section, oil paint is not the safest to breathe in an enclosed space for long periods of time; This also means it’s not ideal for skin or water pipes, so you may be wondering how you’re supposed to clean up after a painting session. There are two easy ways to clean! 1. Wear gloves while painting to avoid skin exposure. 2. Use Odorless mineral spirits Or Linseed oil clean your brushes well; When all visible oil paint is removed from the brush (you can see more clearly by wiping your brushes on a paper towel), you will need to wash it thoroughly with dish soap or Brush soap!

Especially compared to acrylic paint, oils take time to dry. This can take anywhere from a few days to a few months, depending on many factors. You can speed up the process by getting a painting medium like Liquin And Galkyd And Linseed oil which you will mix with your oils as you paint. Or if you haven’t started using mediums yet, drying your paint in direct sunlight will speed up the process considerably, so drying it facing a window is definitely the way to go!

One of the main reasons this is absolutely true is because acrylic paint didn’t exist until 1934! Before this time, everyone had to learn to paint either with watercolors or of course oil paints. Plus, it took a lot of work to find the exact paint colors you wanted to work with for many reasons. Pigments were too expensive, rare, even toxic.

So if they could do it, you sure can! The processing of oil paint progressed until the last century; we now have safe synthetic pigments that are a perfect match for the toxic or rare pigments of the past, we have new pigments that could never have been dreamed of before, and we have new mediums and varnishes that age and perform better than ever. We also have the Internet, the most valuable resource for new oil painters. The internet is full of tutorials, tips and resources. If you want to learn a new technique or research a new medium, it’s just a click away!

One of the biggest lies in art is that you need the most expensive, fancy supplies to create good art. But I argue that starting with lower quality supplies will make you a better artist! Let’s say you can learn to work with the most basic materials and their problems (less pigments, grainier textures, etc.) and still create fantastic works of art using them. In this case, you will be unstoppable with better quality paints!

If you need more persuasion, it’s also best to invest just a little money in a new medium in case you don’t like it. This way you can experiment with different mediums without feeling guilty. As an artist, you won’t enjoy every medium you try, but you should always be willing to try new things and see where your creativity takes you!

Now that you know the basics of oil painting, the last thing I recommend is watching tons of videos of artists using oil paints. I especially recommend it because most creatives are visual learners, so of course seeing artists work in real time and seeing how they use their paint, brushes, different mediums and techniques will help you learn! Don’t just limit yourself to watching people paint in the styles you like best, either; expand on this a bit, because you never know when you might learn a whole new technique!

Here are some great videos for a starting point!

The Basics of Oil Painting by Alpay Efe

TIMELAPSE II OIL PAINTING “Flower” by Daria Callie