Oil painting

Oil painting techniques

The limitation of tools and materials of oil painting causes the complexity of techniques in painting. For centuries, artists have innovated many techniques in practice, giving full play to the materials of oil painting. The major techniques are as follows.

A, Transparent coverage

Transparent coverage is to use megilp-diluted pigment without adding whiting to paint for multi-layers. Each layer should be painted when the last layer completely dries. Because the color of each layer is comparatively thin, the color of underneath layer can vaguely present itself, forming a hue with subtle change. For example, to apply blue on deep red layer can produce a rich effect ---- blue tinged with purple. This color cannot be mixed on palette and can make you feel some warmth in the coldness of the color. This kind of oil painting technique suits for expressing the texture and thickness of objects. And it can especially describe the subtle color change of people’s skin, making people feel the flowing blood under the skin. The drawback of it is comparatively narrow gamut, effort-consuming and time-consuming, not suitable to express the improvised feeling of artists.

B, Opaque coverage

Opaque coverage is also called multi-level coloration. A single color is used to sketch the outline of object and then multi-level colors are used to colorize it. Shadow is often painted thinner, while the middle tone and highlight is painted layer after layer, forming color comparison. Because the thickness of color differs, the richness and texture of oil painting colors can be fully exemplified. There is no distinct difference between transparent and opaque coverage, and painters often combine these two techniques.
To depict objects in the dark or shadow, transparent coverage is often used to generate stable and deep perspective and spatial impression. To paint those outside of dark or shadow, opaque coverage is used to strengthen the saturation of colors. The oil painting artists before 19th century for the most part used these two technique. The completion of a piece of work often takes longer time, because some paintings have to be repainted after the dryness of one layer.

C, Once-off opaque coloration

Once-off opaque coloration is also called direct coloration. After sketching the outline on canvas oil painting, based on the feeling towards the colors of object or the conception of colors, painters begin the once-off painting. Incorrect part will be scraped by palette knife and some further adjustment will be made. This technique requires thickness of pigment for every brush and can create high saturation and distinct stroke, easy to express the vivid feeling of painters.
Many painters after the middle of 19th century most adopt this technique. To achieve the saturation in only once-off oil painting, application of brushes should be paid attention to. Frequently used methods are flat painting, scattering painting and impasto painting. Flat painting is to apply large area of colors by single-directional and even-powered force, proper for creating static object in stable composition. Scattering painting is to flexibly and casually paint objects based on the natural curves of objects. Impasto painting is to wholly or partially apply pigment layer after layer on oil painting canvas. Some even have color layers or color lumps as thick as several millimeters. This can express the interest of texture and strengthen the image of object.

As an artistic language, oil painting includes many factors like color, light and shade, line, texture, brush, light perception, spatial perception, composition etc. The role of techniques of oil painting lies in the embodiment of various factors either comprehensively or partially. The performance of oil painting materials makes the full application of techniques on two-dimensional canvas possible.
The producing process of oil painting is the process of spontaneously and skillfully manipulating the materials, choosing and applying expressive thoughts and forming artistic images. Not only can oil painting express the thoughts endowed by artists, but it can also display the developing process of oil painting language, which experiences classic, modern and contemporary periods and due to the control of artistic thoughts in different times and restriction of techniques in different periods, the oil painting presents different features.

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