vijay asked:

The process of oil painting differs from painter to painter, often but it includes certain customary steps. First, the artist prepares the surface. Although surfaces like linoleum, pressed wood, wooden panel, and cardboard have been used, the most popular surface and often used is canvas. While many painters have used panels for paintings (for instance Da Vince’s Mona Lisa) these can be susceptible for cracking and it is fairly small. Stretched canvas has no such problem.

Conventional artist’s canvas is made up of linen, but anyhow less expensive cotton fabric then gained popularity. First the artist prepares a wooden frame called a “stretcher” then the canvas is pulled across the wooden framed and stapled toughly to the back edge. The next step is to apply a ground to isolate the canvas from the acidic qualities of the paint. The canvas is normally coated with rabbit skin glue and prepared with subsequent layers of finely ground chalk.

Later the process was altered to sizing of rabbit skin glue with following layers of white priming. The artist may apply many required layers of gesso, sanding every smooth after it dries up. It is possible to tone the gesso to a particular color, but normally store-bought gesso is white. The gesso layer would tend to draw the oil painting into the porous surface, depending up on the thickness of the gesso layer.

Next the artist may sketch an outline of their subject before applying pigment to the surface. Pigment is normally mixed with oil, usually linseed oil but other oils might be used as well. The various oils dry differently, which create assorted effects. Handling and mixing the raw pigments and mediums was excessive to transportation.

The painter most often uses a brush to apply the paint. Brushes are normally prepared from different fibers to make different effects. Sizes of brushes even create different effects. “Bright” brushes are used to apply broad swaths of color. The artist may also use paint with palette knife that is flat, metal blade. A palette knife might be used to remove paint from the canvas when necessary. Painter may also use unusual tools, such as rags, sponges and cotton swabs. Some artists even paint with their fingers.

Most artists paint in layers, a method first introduced in the Egg tempera painting technique, and then adapted in Northern Europe for use with linseed oil paints. After this layer dries the artist would apply “glazes” to the painting, using a process of “Fat over Lean” that means more oil paint ratio than the previous layer. This method is known as “Alla Prima.” When the image is finished and dried, an artist will normally seal the work with a layer of varnish usually made from Damar gum crystals dissolved in turpentine. Contemporary artists increasingly defy varnishing their work, desire that the surfaces remain varnish-free indefinitely.

Task Lighting: It refers to the higher level of light offered specially at work areas such as kitchen islands, countertops and desks. Additional light could be redirected to these areas using recessed or pendant fixtures. Fixtures with either low or line-voltage halogen offer a whiter, warmer light. 5 watt xenon or halogen lamps spaced 6 inches apart are most suitable for task lighting purposes where the fixture is within 24 inches of the work surface. The transformer is as well included in many low voltage fixtures but it is sometimes separated depending on the particular fixture and style.

Accent Lighting: Accent lighting is approximately four times the level of ambient light in any area. Same again, Halogen lighting type fixtures offer a whiter, brighter look than standard incandescent or florescent type of fixtures. The chosen fixture needs to be directional on swivel type fixture to aim the light exactly where it is required. For further museum-type effect, some fixtures could include a focusing lens for pinpoint accuracy.

Wall Washing: It is again a type of Accent Lighting, which creates an area of uniform illumination, which might desirable for a series of photos or further artwork. Wall washing typically reduces the texture of wall surface. Often the reflected light could even create ambient light in the remainder of the room that appears pleasing and restful.

Wall Grazing: It is just opposite to Wall Washing, it creates a dramatic highlight and shadow effect on surfaces such as draperies, stone or brick. Ceiling light fixtures for Wall Grazing are placed near to wall in order to highlight the three-dimensional effect.

Lighting that is perceptively measured and organized could make a real difference and will bring an improvement that lasts for years together. Many home improvements Stores also have sample displays of different lighting systems and fixtures. As today there are huge variety of appliances and electronics, lighting fixtures available, be sure you purchase from reputable company. There are numerous online retailers, which offer name brand fixtures delivered to your door at very competitive prices.

Benjamin Van De Weyer asked:


When most people think about oil paints, the first thing that comes to mind are canvas paintings, for example the famous Mona Lisa. With the advent of cheap, modern, chemical paints, oil paints have somewhat been left by the wayside for almost any applications apart from art, but what most people aren’t aware of is oil paints supremacy in many ways an applications as an exterior surface paint. Although cheap, quick drying and easy to apply, most chemical paints don’t have anywhere near the longevity, flexibility or come close to the environmental friendliness of most oil paints.

Usually made from linseed oil, oil paints as surface protection on interior and exterior surfaces are most effective on wood. Being long lasting, waterproof, durable, increasing the longevity of wood (as opposed to encouraging rot like many chemical based paints), oil paints are often 100% natural (pigments/oxides included). Having been used in Scandinavia as a structure and surface paint since the 18th century, oil paints as a long-lasting and solvent free Linseed based product penetrate and protect wood extremely well, often better than many highly engineered modern chemical paints. Oil paints developed for exterior surfaces also often lead the eco friendly paint industry. Made with no un-natural or chemical ingredients or processes the pigments in oil paints are generally sourced from natural and mineral sources and can be applied to more than just wood, suitable for metals and concrete too.

Oil paint is slow-drying and consists of small pigment particles suspended in oil that dries over time. In regard to its use on canvas, oil painting allows an artist to use layers to create a depth within the painting whilst its slow drying time allows the artists to mix on an easel giving birth to impressionist work and enabling the artist to leave the studio and run out into the wilderness.

Oil paint is also extremely long lasting and during both application and drying has a smell most find both pleasant and natural, as opposed to the noxious and irritating chemical smells most are familiar with from modern chemical paints, often rendering rooms or entire houses inhabitable during the process. Surfaces painted with oil paints are also able to breathe freely preventing wood from decay and rot underneath. This results in a far simpler maintenance schedule requiring a simple application of a new coat after a light clean, as opposed to a difficult and time consuming removal of all previous coats down to the original surface. Drying to a somewhat rubbery surface means that oil paint stays flexible and allows it to move with the surface it’s applied to. This results in no cracking and peeling commonly caused by movement or temperature change (expansion contraction), in chemical paints.

The quality and makeup of oil paints can vary substantially from manufacturer to manufacturer as with many products. Being comprised of pigments suspended in a binder (generally linseed oil but sometimes other natural oils), stabilizers, dryers and other ingredients are often added to manipulate the viscosity and/or drying time of the product in order to customise the product more to a specific application, or make it more versatile. If you’re searching for a completely environmentally friendly or natural product be aware that these additives can be natural or chemical, so be sure to read the label or query the supplier on the ingredients beforehand.

orsondixon asked:


Oil painting is a technique that has been used by eminent artists to create some of the finest artistic works we have ever known. Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper”; Vincent Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and “Café Terrace at Night”; Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam”, are all famous examples of oil painting. It is a difficult process, but once it is mastered, an artist can undoubtedly create oil paintings that are far superior in quality than water color paintings, acrylic paintings and other artistic mediums.

The Initial Preparation

Oil painting is a much superior technique of painting than other processes, such as, water color, charcoal sketch, etc. The linen canvas used in the best quality oil paintings is durable and stiff, letting the artist paint comfortably on it. Also, the pigments used in oil painting are of a special kind, which binds well with the oil used as a base. Linseed oil or walnut oil work best in oil painting. At times resin is combined with the base oil (the product is called varnish) to make the finished product glossy in appearance. The canvas is prepared by stretching it slightly and mounting it on the drawing board with clamps. The paint is mixed with oil and left for some time, allowing the paint to combine properly with the oil.

The Painting Process

In oil painting, the strokes need to be applied steadily, but with measured pressure. Extra pressure put on the brush will end up smudging the color in the finished product. On the other hand, if the pressure is too little, sufficient oil may not be absorbed in the canvas, thus shortening the life of the finished painting. Oil painting thus requires sufficient dexterity on the artist’s part to be done properly, and the correct pressure to be applied can only be determined through continuous practice.

The Finishing

Once the painting is complete and it has dried, the artist usually coats the entire painting with a coat of clear lacquer. This process is called “varnishing”. This process is performed even if the oil used in the painting already had varnishing resin mixed into it. This makes the painting waterproof and greatly extends its life. This finishing must be uniform; any spot left out will gradually degrade the painting over time. Once this process is successfully completed, the varnish is left to dry. Gradually, the colors set perfectly and the varnish dries up, leaving a smooth, glossy finish to the painting.

Creating an oil painting can be a tedious and expensive task. But done successfully, it can leave behind a true masterpiece that is valued by collectors for years after its creation.