6/01/2016

What You Need To Know About Oil Painting

By Robert Smith


To many artists, oil paints have always been their first choice for many years now. Artists make their colors by blending dry powder paints with selected oils. They mix the products to achieve a stiff paste that has consistency. The consistency of these colors is usually important. Actually, the recommended standard is to have a smooth and buttery paste that is not stringy or tacky. However, oil painting has been a good choice for many artists over hundreds of years, of course, with good reasons.

In fact, colors are gorgeous and beautiful and lasts longer. These paints usually dry slowly, allowing the artist to correct mistakes and remove what they do not like when the paint is still wet. Besides, once the paint is dry, they can paint on the picture.

As noted before, consistency for this type of paints is a vital property. However, if some flowing quality is required, a liquid medium like turpentine could be added. Still, a siccative or liquid drier can be added in order to accelerate the rate of drying. By just learning the basics, oil paints are easier to use.

When performing this artistic work, a canvas is usually used as a standard support. Once the canvas is cut to the desired size, it is stretched over a wooden frame and then secured by staples or tacks. A primer is also used to reduce the permeability of the canvas in order to have a smooth surface. The primer should be allowed to dry before the painting process begins. Lead white and gesso are mostly used as the primers. Sometimes, rigidity and smoothness are preferred to springiness and texture. If that is the case, a wooden panel or a processed paperboard sized or primed may be used.

Brushes are important tools for this artistic works. They are used for applying paints over the sketched outline. These brushes are often made of a variety of fibers in order to produce different effects. Common types of brushes used are red stable and bleached hog bristles. The brushes are of different shapes and sizes, for instance, flat, oval or round.

After the painting process, a coat of picture varnish is used so as to shield the picture from the accumulation of dirt, atmospheric attacks, and minor abrasions. However, the varnish may be safely removed with the help of solvents like isopropyl alcohol. Again, the varnish adds tonal depth and a uniform luster as well as a color intensity of the original wet paint.

There are many benefits of painting using oil paints. First, the paints are slow in drying compared to watercolors. This is a benefit to the artist since it give him enough time to work with his creations and make important changes before deciding that painting is complete. Also, this kind of paints can withstand wear and tear.

Finally, when the painting process is complete, correct the mistakes while the paint is still wet. Save the remaining paints for use in the next artistic work. Lastly, clean up the brushes because the paint will ruin them when allowed to dry before they are cleaned.




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