Ben Jonson asked:


First and foremost thing you should consider before trusting any oil painting method is that it must come with disclaimer. More than any other types of do-it-yourself process, oil painting cleaning must actually be trusted to professional conservators. On the other hand, if your painting does not carry expensive tag, or it is not really old, or not too critical, there are few options to make it look cleaner and brighter yourself. In addition, modifying true antiques in fact decreases their value, whether they look better to you or not.

During 1940s, paintings made from oil on canvas were normally covered with the layer of varnish to incorporate sheen and guard the thick layer of paint, name Impasto. However, varnish usually reacts differently to the surroundings than the paint do, so such varnish seals end up cracking, staining or gumming up over time. It could make the real tint of the oil paints appear dull or discolored.

In case, it looks that your painting has gone older, assess whether your paint is in good condition but the varnish has gone old. Here, try using mild solvent name conservation liquid. Art selling stores would usually sell an “emulsion” intended to clean and take away varnish. There is forever option that this solvent would as well harm or take out the oil paint. If you are eager take this risk then wipe the emulsion with a cotton scrub very carefully. Try to do spot-testing one bend before going on to the total canvas painting. Work in an area where you find sufficient ventilation.

When it comes to recent paintings, you might come across the trouble of build-up of smoke, dust, stain, pet hair (in case you have pets at home), dander, and even fungal development. Here, you need to make sure that none of the paints is prepared to come about the board or canvas, in the sense that it does not display any flakes and cracks. After that, you could watchfully clean up the surface with very dry and soft bristle brush, may be with baby toothbrush or shaving brush.

When the painting surface is steamy, mucky and oily, you might desire to take some steps for cleaning by means of detergent solution. However, usually it is not an good idea to mix up water and oil as the moisture could damage both the impasto and canvas. Moving with caution, you can use fresh cotton cloths dipped in a mixture of dish soap and hot water. Then next you need to lightly blot the base, make sure you don’t scrub or rub on the painting. Never should you allow submerging any part of painting, nor must you let the moisture to drip or pool.

quinlanmurray asked:

Abstract oil painting is an easy gateway to the world of oil paintings for a budding artist. In abstract art, the novice artist does not have to paint anything complicated. In fact, just a few geometric shapes properly placed together with some color thrown in, and the artist is on the path to creating a true masterpiece. Abstract art is such a subjective art style, due to the simple fact that even if a viewer does not know exactly the message the artist was trying to convey through the painting, the person can still form his/her own idea and feelings regarding the work of art. That is the true beauty of abstract oil paintings.

The Beginning

The art of abstract painting had its roots started by eminent late 19th century painters like Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, and other master artists. Abstract artists relied on complex geometrical shapes and rich, vibrant colors to express their ideas on canvas. Artists of this era followed a style in which their paintings do not generally resemble the actual models or subject matter. There are exceptions, of course, like Vincent Van Gogh’s drawings, which resembled the base models to some extent, but were differently colored to express the artist’s feelings.

Getting Started

Once an artist decides to create an abstract painting using oil on canvas, he/she only needs to let their imagination run wild. The artist is free to play around with shapes and colors to his/her heart’s content. But the paintings do need to be colored vividly in order to showcase the essence of the oil painting to the viewer. The outline of the oil painting is also crucial and the artist should not change the main outline of the oil painting once it has been created.

Moving On

Once the few initial oil paintings have been successfully created and the artist feels that he/she has acquired enough skill and confidence, moving on to more complex artwork is easy. The process is very emotionally rewarding to the artist, as he/she looks at the finished canvas and sees a work of art that expresses his/her own feelings depicted by complex shapes and a kaleidoscope of colors.

Getting Rewarded

Skilled abstract artists can make a comfortable living by selling their own works to collectors or art enthusiasts. Many professional artists are quite successful by selling their oil paintings through online art galleries or art shops.

Abstract art can be an emotionally and financially rewarding hobby. Artists with little or no experience in creating art can easily take up abstract art painting as their way of expressing their inner self. All it takes is a little imagination, and some patience.