Oil paint for “proper” paintings

Introduction

• Although the range of contemporary painting mediums available is vast and acrylic paint can be of equal or higher quality than many oil paints, Oil still remains the favourite medium for many professional artists.

• Tradition

• Versatility

• Perceived value

For and against

Oil paint is amazing because

• It takes ages to dry

• You can use all sorts of solvents and media to achieve different effects.

• It can lend your works a much higher perceived value.

• Techniques like glazing allow you to represent translucent materials really well.

Oil paint is rubbish because

• It takes ages to dry

• It can be expensive

• The solvents you need to use are often bad for you

Which ones to buy

• I use Daler-Rowney Georgian Oil Colours.

• They are a good quality, affordable option

• If I used oil more often (and had the money) I’d use Old Holland classic oil colours

• There are just too many different options to list but here is a good overview.

• Buying oil paints

Mediums - Solvents

• You can thin oil colour using solvents. “Watering down” your paint wouldn’t be an appropriate term for oil colour. Different solvents have different effects on the paint that you are using. • Turpentine – thins the paint, helps it dry a bit quicker but when it

dries the colour retains a more glossy finish than when used with white spirit.

• White spirit – Thins the paint, helps it dry a lot quicker but when the paint dries the colour will be much more matt.

• Low odour solvents like “Zestit”, “Sansodour” or “Glamsol” thin the paints without giving you worries about your long term health. These dry much more slowly than traditional solvents.

• Solvents will generally improve drying time, but will dull the quality

off the paint. • Solvents are excellent to help speed up underpainting. • They are useful to mix with other mediums to improve drying

qualities.

Mediums - Oils

• The most essential ingredient to oil paint, next to the pigment which gives it colour. Plant based oils are added which, slowly, dry to form a film which binds the pigment together.

• Linseed is the most commonly used. It adds gloss and transparency and forms a tough film. There are different types of it which have different properties.

• Walnut and poppy oil can be less yellowing than linseed oil so are good to mix with paler pigments. They, however, don’t form as tough a film when drying.

Mediums - Resins

• Resins speed up drying time considerably.

• They can be used to dilute a paint without thinning it.

• They dry with greater clarity than drying oils so add brilliance to paint films.

• Traditional resins are made from amber or extracted from trees. These are generally less soluble in white spirit. Turpentine should be used.

• Alkyd resins are synthetic alternatives. They are generally less yellowing but can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Mediums - Waxes

• Wax can be used to add body to paint so it can be applied using a pallete knife in a very satisfying way.

• It dries to a nice matte finish. A thin final coat of wax can help dull a painting, allowing it to be hung in awkward light.

• Wax is brittle and easy to melt, so is best used on board rather than canvas, unless it is mixed with another ingredient

Supports • Canvas – traditional, lightweight easy to use. Linen is more stable than cotton

or hessian, but with all there is the risk of cracking over time. Canvas can be mounted to a board to provide a more stable working surface.

• Board – more stable than canvas but more heavy and unsuitable for larger works. • Wooden panels. MDF and Ply are both good options but must be primed. High

quality marine grade or artists ply is best to use and you might need to put a wee frame on the back to stop it warping. MDF is a more stable product but the dust from cutting it is pretty bad for you.

• Metal boards are very stable and lovely to work on. Copper is expensive but required little priming other than a light sanding before use. This will allow the lovely shine of the metal to come through in your work. Aluminium is another alternative that requires a little more prepetition, sanding then careful priming, before applying paint. Dibond is a nice plastic/aluminium sandwich, used by sign makers which can provide a good surface for artists to work on.

• Painting • Lucy Hardie - "Viv" - oil on copper mounted on board - 20 x 25cm (7.9"x9.8") Beinart.org

Mixing media • Oil can be used to good effect for mixed media work but

consideration must be taken as to the compatibility of the different mediums being used.

Medium Advice on use

Acrylic/ Watercolour

Use thin for underpainting to help speed up workflow. Don’t try and use on top of oil paint, it won’t stick.

Oil pastels More waxy pastel, can be used over oil paint(when dry) or be painted over with oil paint.

Oil bars A big buttery stick of oil paint. Mix with oils well.

Chalk pastels You can use these for a looser underpainting than acrylic or watercolour. If you use an oil based medium to bind the loose pigment , you can use chalk pastels at any stage in your painting.

Crayons/coloured pencils

Soft pencils can be used to add detail, when a hard support is used. Pencils can be painted on no problem.

Techniques

• Layering using thin transparent “glazing” layers of paint allows you to show water, layers of mist, subtle skin tones and shiny surfaces wonderfully.

• Worked example, multi layered painting

• Impasto, clarting on big thick layers and mixing on canvas. Allows a lovely texture and visible brushstrokes but mind how long the paint can take to dry.

• A big pile of articles on oil painting techniques. Artists network

• Working wet into wet allows for wonderfully smooth blends of colour for skies and skin tones.

• Watch Bob Ross. (All of his TV shows are on Youtube now)

Marbeling

• The art of the Marbler