Knowledge List of Oil Painting

Oil Paintings

By: Jonh Brown
from:celebritypainting

Paintings tend to be the most beautiful creation of man, which has the power to exert a pull on the spectator. Oil paintings are beautiful art forms, and these antique elements continue to mark their stand through generations.
Why oil painting?
The great painters and the artists of the past chose to work on oil paintings because it rendered a very realistic output. The paintings differed from those produced by water colors, because the oil paintings looked very rich and attractive.
Oil paintings originated during the middle ages, when the requirement for waterproof painting was at the peak. Great artists opted for oil paintings because of their durability and long lasting resistance. Thanks to those great men because of the usage of oil paints only, we are able to enjoy the stupendous collection of various artists.
The hard work consumed by the oil paintings!
Behind the beauty of oil paintings is the hard labor of the artist. A classical work may take several weeks to months to be completed. Color pigments and binders are the constituents of the oil paints. Linseed oils, poppy seed oils, safflower oils and walnut oils are the oils to be mixed with the pigments. Brushers made up of different fibers are used to paint. Oil painting is said to consume a lot of work because it does not dry up easily, and if the artists wants to paint in layers, he must wait for the paints to dry at each level which may devour a week. The oils employed would dry at their own pace. The artist will be able to make changes during the dry period of the painting, which is impossible in water paintings. Oil paintings do no dry through evaporation, they have to be oxidized. And then these paints are varnished after six months or a year. Some art conservators consider an oil painting to be dry only after its 60-80 years old.
Oil paintings reached the pinnacle during the renaissance, where artists began to select wooden panels as their base medium. They would stretch their canvas over the wooden panel. Artists used a variety of brushes to produce different kinds of unique effects, knives and blades were also used. Some artists painted with their fingers too.
Oil paintings today
Oil painting is an astonishing art form and even today there are many artists who work fabulously on oil paints. But now there are more sophisticated tools to produce oil paintings such as water miscible oil paints. These paints can be thinned and cleaned up with water rather than using the turpentine. Earlier turpentine was used as a cleaner in oil paintings. These water miscible oil paints reduce the deep odor of toxic chemicals. Those days artist coated a blended mixture on the canvas before they started painting, this was done to protect the canvas from the toxic nature of the paints. But now all these safety measures are less required.

Experience the Beauty of Oil Painting Artists

From:oilpaintingtechniquesonline

The definition of painting is “an activity that is used in combination with drawing, composition, and other aesthetic considerations in order to manifest the expressive and conceptual intention of the practitioner.”
There are many different techniques and methods that artists use in order to perform the task of creating their artwork. Artists are usually very creative, emotional people that use art as a way to express themselves, document and event, or portrait a person, place, or thing.
You will find that painting with oil paints is a favorite among many artists. Artists through the century have painted oil painting as a way to express their feelings, report an incident, or capture a special moment. Some of the oil paintings have historical, periodical, or cultural value, while others are for the mere enjoyment.
When artists paint with oil paints they use a mixture of colors that are ground up and mixed with a medium of oil. Depending on the content of the mixture will determine the texture of the oil paint. Artists will mix the colors according to the result of the picture they are trying to achieve.
Just like the artists are different, so are the ways that artists go about using their oil paints. There are two steps to oil painting that you do need to do; all artists need to prepare the surface they will be using first. Artists have the choice of using surfaces such as canvas, wooden panel, linoleum, pressed wood, or cardboard. The famous artist Da Vinci used a panel when he painted the Mona Lisa. For a very large painting most artists prefer to use canvas because it is not so heavy to move.
Artists traditionally used a canvas made out of linen, today linen is the more expensive of the canvases, but artists have found that a cotton canvas works just as well and is not as pricey. Canvases for painting are made by stretching material across four pieces of wood that are made into a square and stapling the material to the back of the wood. Before the artist begins to paint he applies a “size” that protects the canvas for the acidic values that are in the paint. Years ago artists used a layer of animal glue and a primer of lead white paint, sometimes with chalk, to coat the canvas.
After the canvas is protected, some artists will sketch their drawing before they begin to paint, while others with just go with the flow.
The use of oil paints allows the artist to mix the colors at will in order to achieve the results that they are looking for in their painting.
While oil painting is not the only way to draw or paint a picture, it is a method that has been used for centuries and is still very popular today. Oil paintings will always be a cherished and valued piece of work to anyone who enjoys the beauty of art.

Oil Painting Techniques provide Adventures in Painting

from:oilpaintingtechniquesonline

You will find as you venture into the world of oil painting what an amazingly versatile medium it is. As you learn to paint, you will learn that there are several different methods that form the foundation of your art; color, mood, form and so on. You can apply it like a thick buttery manner or thinned down to a more watery consistency. By doing this you create a number of different painting techniques.
Many artists begin their painting by sketching out the picture using acrylic paint or with water-soluble oil paints first. In order to begin your oil painting you need to thin the paint with a solvent such as turpentine in order to apply the paint in layers.
Another method is to start you oil painting by drawing your picture first with mediums such as water-soluble pencils or charcoal. The vine charcoal is better than other charcoals, it will not smudge it can be erased easier. If you decide to use water-soluble pencils you can apply these just like an ordinary pencil and they can also used with a brush when dampened for spreading.
Alla Prima oil painting is a technique you might want to try if you have little patience. The Alla Prima method does not require layering and can be performed in one sitting. You do not have to wait for the layers to dry.
If you don’t mind waiting, you might be interested in glazing. Not a lot of artist use this technique anymore, it takes quite a bit of time and can be difficult. To glaze you apply a layer of opaque monochrome underpainting first, usually in shades of gray. When the underpainting is dry, you then apply thin layers of transparent oil glazes. You do not mix the colors but apply the colors in layers to get the desired effect.
There also is the technique of painting with palette knives for the more adventurous artist. You can spread the paint on with the knives and then scrape the paint off in order to create a painting. When working with knives you don’t have to worry about small details, just let your imagination go. It’s a lot of fun once you get used to it and it’s a great way to let your creative side come out.
The impasto technique is something you might like to try if you enjoy working with paints that have more texture and body. When you use impasto technique you apply your oil paint in heavy thick strokes, the results of the heavy thick artist strokes is what makes the painting unique. Van Gogh is a perfect example of the impasto painting technique being put to use.
These are fundamental oil painting techniques that can be used over and over again. Painting with oil paints can be an exciting adventure. With all the different techniques, there’s no way you can get bored. Oil painting is a wonderful way to get your feet wet in the world of painting.

Oil Painting Techniques - The Many Ways to Apply Oil Paint

from:artinstructionblog

Oil paint is one of the most versatile and adaptable painting mediums in existence today. There are many techniques and effects possible with oil paint. Oil paint can be applied in thin transparent glazes or washes, or the paint can be mixed to a thick buttery consistency and applied using a painting knife. There really appears to be no end to the wonderful ways you can create art with this amazing painting medium. This article will talk about some of the many ways you can use oil paint.
Dry brush
The dry brush technique involves using a small amount of oil paint straight from the tube. It is then brushed thinly onto your support with a bristle brush. This technique works particularly well with a rough surface. The raised parts of your surface pick up the paint, while the dips or valleys in your support do not. This creates a broken color effect where the color of your canvas shows through.
Painting On A Toned Ground
The white of a canvas can sometimes be too bright or have too much contrast which makes starting a painting a bit difficult. When you cover your support with a uniform toned ground, it makes it much easier to judge the values in your painting. You can use any color you like to tone your ground really, but the more popular approach is to use warm tones of red, yellows and browns, which provide a wonderful richness to the finished work.
Here is an example of how to paint on a toned ground using Burnt Umber and Yellow Ochre. First you create the wash by mixing the Burnt Umber and Yellow Ochre together with a paint thinner ( use turpentine, or if you are like me, and are allergic to turpentine, use a water soluble oil paint). Apply the mixture generously to your support and completely cover it with a large bristle brush. Let this mixture stand for a couple of minutes and then wipe off the excess wash with a cloth.
Alla Prima Painting
Alla Prima painting , also known as “direct painting”, is a technique of oil painting where the work is usually finished in just one sitting. You are probably familiar with the artist Bob Ross, who made this painting method quite popular on his TV Show. I am sure like me, you watched Bob paint in amazement as he completed a beautiful painting in under 30 mintues.
The paint is applied wet onto wet directly onto the canvas usually with no under painting or sketches. It might be a good idea in the beginning to lay down a sketch with some thinned down oil paint. This way you will have a general idea where your colors will be placed. You must be careful using this technique as your painting can become quite muddy if you do not apply the colors correctly on your canvas. It takes practice, so don’t be discouraged if your first, second or even third painting does not come out the way you anticipated. Keep practicing and let your imagination run wild. As Bob used to say, “It’s Your World”.
Working With Painting Knives
If you have never worked with painting knives, then it is highly recommended that you give them a try. This type of painting method is very different from traditional brush painting and when you lay down your first stroke of paint with a painting knife, you will immediately see why. Painting with a knife can be best described as spreading butter on a piece of bread and you should keep your painting at a butter or cream like consistency when using painting knives.
Do not use palette knives to paint with, as they are constructed differently than painting knives. Painting knives have more flexibility to them and come in a variety of different shapes and sizes. You can manipulate paint in a variety of different ways with a knife, just by changing your hand position on the handle.
You can hold your hand down low on the handle to smear the paint over your support. Move your hand up to the top of the handle and you can use your finger to gently push the blade into the paint to create small dabs of color. You can also turn your knife blade on its side for scraping away paint or for creating hard lines.
Glazing
If you never produced a painting using the glazing technique, then you should definitely give this a try as well. Your painting will have a different appearance then if you were to complete a painting using traditional color mixing techniques. Glazing tends to give colors more luminescence.
The colors are not mixed together first before applying, rather, they are mixed optically using single transparent layers of color. For instance, if you wanted to create the color green using glazes, you would not mix yellow and blue together on your palette first. You would first apply a thin glaze of blue, wait until it dries, then apply a thin glaze of yellow, which would then create your green.
Each layer must be completely dry before applying subsequent layers. Usually, the first step in using the glazing technique is to create a monochromatic (different values of the same color) underpainting of the subject. Using only one color will help you to focus on form and tone first, rather than being too preoccupied with color at this stage. Wait until your under painting is dry to begin applying your first layer of color. This technique is tricky and does require practice, but it is not as difficult as some may lead you to believe.