Krista QQ(www.123giftfactory.com) asked:


Before picking up a brush, Learn what lean to fat, value, and more mean and many important terms that you need to learn. Here are terms and tips and every word you need to know about oil painting and it’s necessary termps for producing better paintings.



Long and Short Oil Paint

Oil painting mediums can be used to control the thickness, or consistency, of your oil paint.

Long oil paint means that enough medium has been added that it has very little “peak” (the ability to make small peaks or hills out of the paint) to it. It is smooth and oily. Long paint is used when you want very little brush strokes. Short oil paint is paint straight out of the tube. It is thick and has a lot of “peak” to it, stiff and buttery in consistency.

Some classic mediums are:Linseed Oil, Stand Oil, Safflower Oil, Alkyd Painting Medium etc.



Color Temperature

Color temperature refers to the color’s place on the color wheel. If you divide the color wheel at neutral purple (purple that is neither warm nor cool) and at neutral yellow the wheel will be divided into a “cool” side and “warm” side. Warm colors are colors that have a red tint to them. Cool colors have a blue tint.



Value

Value is the graduation of a color from light to dark. By varying the values in a painting you can achieve what is called contrast, or the sharp difference between light and dark. Adding contrast to a painting adds depth and interest. To see the difference in value in your subject simply put on sunglasses. Your sunglasses will keep you from seeing the actual color, and leave you with just lights and darks.



Layering

There are certain rules that should be followed when painting in oils. These rules keep you from ending up with a muddy mess of a painting.

First, you should always paint from warm to cool, meaning, lay down warm colors first, then cool. This also goes for value, always go from dark to light.

Similarly, you should always lay down your thin paint first (or long paint), getting thicker (short paint) as you go along, using your biggest brush first. Start with big, blocked in objects first, slowly working into more detail toward the end.



* Two typical layering methods for an oil painting as following:

Gesso: Gesso is used to prime a surface or canvass before painting. Basically, it makes paint stick better to the surface. It also keeps it from sinking into the surface. You don’t have to use gesso when painting, but it is worth giving a try.

Varnish: Varnish protects your painting from damage. It is only applied when the painting has thoroughly dried, around six months. Retouch varnish is temporary and can be used as soon as the picture is dry to the touch and can be removed with gum turpentine.

Other familiar ways of layering for oil painting:

1. Canvas

2. Underpainting

3. Thin, long, dark, warm paint

4. Thicker, short, light, cool paint



Now, did you have got an idea about oil painting? try it now!

Ralph Serpe asked:

If you want to learn how to oil paint and not sure how to begin, then the following article will prove to be quite helpful in your pursuit to become a good painter.

Before you read on, you will have to try and forget everything you ever learned about oil painting and look at your painting from a new perspective. A recent art class I attended, taught by a master painter, has completely changed the way I approach oil painting and has opened up many new creative doors for me. I hope it will do the same for you.

START WITH A CONCEPT

Up until just recently, I was a very frustrated oil painter. I have 10 or so incomplete paintings collecting dust in the corner of my small studio. I would attempt to complete these 10 or so paintings over and over again, until finally I had to take a step back and try and understand what I was doing wrong.

The reason I lost interest and was unable to complete these paintings, was because I did not have a concept in mind before I started. I would start haphazardly painting without a clear vision of what I really wanted to accomplish with my oil painting.

Concepts are methods for solving problems in a painting. I bet you never saw painting as being a series of problems. Neither did I , but this way of thinking really does make learning how to oil paint more interesting.

What do you want your painting to be about?

Instead of thinking: “My painting is about trees in a field”, start thinking in terms of , “My painting is about the light that falls on the trees in a field”.

When you have a blueprint or roadmap in mind before you start painting, there is no room for diversion. You must stick to your plan.

MASTER YOUR BRUSH

A very important aspect of oil painting is learning how to control your brush. Without good brush control and technique, your effectiveness as a painter is truly limited.

Make sure you have the best possible brushes you can afford. While it is possible to save money on paint and canvas, one should never work with cheap brushes. In my experience, cheaper brushes are simply not worth it. The biggest issue with cheap brushes is with the hairs falling off and becoming embedded in your painting. It is quite annoying.

One of the biggest mistakes artists make, myself included, is not reloading the paint brush enough. I am not sure if this is an act of laziness or fear of wasting paint. Whatever the reason may be, make sure you always have enough paint on your brush so that there is always a layer of paint between your brush and the canvas. Do not try and scrub the paint into the canvas. Paint your strokes and leave them be. Don’t over work your brushstrokes.

MASSING

One great way to get the main ideas of an oil painting down is with a technique called Massing. Massing is about seeing your subject as a whole and not concentrating on all of the fine details.

For instance, lets say you subject is a pineapple. Instead of trying to get down all the various textures and details on your pineapple, think in terms of “planes” of light and shadow.

Add in those planes first and then later on you can put in all of your finer details.

COLOR

Nothing in my opinion, can confuse a painter more, then working with color. I know one of my weaknesses in the beginning was working with too many colors in the same painting which resulted in a muddy nightmare.

I never really took the time to understand how colors interact with one another.

Here are some great tips to keep in mind while working with color in your paintings:

- If you add white to another color, it will make that color cooler and more opaque.

- Instead of adding white to a color to make it brighter, try adding more color instead.

- Don’t be afraid to use black. Many teachers recommend staying away from black, but I beg to differ. Did you know you can get some very nice greens by mixing ivory black with certain blues and yellows?

Ralph Serpe asked:


An oil painting support is any surface that oil paint can be applied to. There are a variety of different surfaces that artists use to paint on. Everything from certain woods, canvas, and even metals can serve as supports for oil paint. This article will introduce you to those various supports and hopefully help you decide which support is best for your style of oil painting.

LINEN

Linen is made from the fibers of the flax plant. The plants are harvested and then left to soak in water until the outside of the plant rots away leaving the fibers underneath. The fibers are then processed into yarns or threads which are then woven into canvas. The fibers of the flax plant are long and quite strong and make for a very interesting and durable painting support. Paintings executed on this surface have withstood the test of time. It is for this reason that linen canvas is a favorite amongst professional oil painters. Unfortunately linen canvas is rather expensive and may not be the best option for beginners. If you are interested in learning more about linen canvas, check your local art store or go online and do a search. There are a variety of different linen canvases available, from rolled canvas to pre-stretched. It comes primed for acrylic and oils, or you can get it unprimed as well.

COTTON

Cotton canvas is the most popular support for beginner oil painters. It is a relatively strong material and much cheaper than linen. It has a very even and mechanical weave. There is a big debate going on in the art world over which is the better painting support, linen or canvas? What support will last longer? This is really a matter of personal opinion and taste. I know many artists, including myself, who use cotton canvas exclusively. Other artists swear by linen. If the surface is sized correctly, then your painting will be well protected from rot and will last a long time. So when deciding between linen or cotton, I feel your decision should be based on how you enjoy working with the material itself and not whether or not it will be around in three hundred years. If you are really concerned about the durability of cotton, then purchase a heavy grade cotton canvas and try stretching it yourself. Cotton canvas is available in rolls or pre-stretched, primed or unprimed.

CANVAS PADS

For those artists who may be on a tight budget but still want a descent quality surface to paint on, then canvas pads are a good choice. Canvas pads come in a variety of different sizes and are great for beginners who are just starting out. Canvas pads are great for practice or doing studies. Make certain you get a heavy weight canvas pad suitable to hold oil paint.

MASONITE OR HARDBOARD

Masonite is another popular oil painting support for artists. Masonite is actually a trademarked name for a synthetic hardboard made from wood particles. Hardboard is inexpensive and rigid. If you plan to use large hardboards, it is recommended that you reinforce them with a frame, as they can bow or bend. You can purchase plain hardboards or other varieties like canvas boards, which are hardboards covered with a ready to paint canvas material.

WOOD PANELS

The earliest known oil paintings were created on wood panels made of oak or poplar. The wood was covered with a uniform ground made of animal skin glue and chalk. The ground was then polished smooth to create a surface suitable for oil paint.

Pure hard wood panels are not the most popular ground for oil painters today. They are costly and rather difficult to lug around. A good alternative that oil painters use is plywood. There is good quality plywood available made of birch, poplar or mahogany that is suitable for oil paints if prepared correctly. Do not paint on soft woods such as pine because they contain more resins and do not resist moisture very well.

The above are the more popular oil painting supports in use today. There are others that artists use when they are feeling adventurous. Metals like copper and aluminum are sometimes used as a painting support. Obviously metals are quite heavy, so paintings on this type of support are usually on the smaller side. There are also other fabrics used in oil painting like jute, which is a strong natural fiber with a rough texture.

Your choice of oil painting support really depends on your style of painting. Experiment with the variety of painting supports available and have fun. You will eventually find one that works best for you.

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.

vijay asked:

An oil painting support is nothing but basic surface that oil paint could be applied to. There are a variety of surface available that an artists use to paint on. Everything from some woods, canvas, and as well metals could serve as supports for oil paint. This article would introduce you to those various supports and hopefully assist you decide that support is brilliant for your style of oil painting or oil painting reproduction.

Linen

Linen is shaped from the good fibers of the flax plant. The plants are normally harvested and then left to soak up in the water in anticipation of the outside plant rots away parting the fibers underneath. The fibers are then further processed into yarns and threads that are then natural fiber into canvas. The fibers of the flax plant are long and pretty hard and make for a very striking and long-lasting painting support.

Cotton

Cotton canvas is the mainly well-liked support for oil painter’s that are beginner. It is a comparatively strong material and much-cost effective than linen. It has an extremely even and automatic weave. If the surface were sized appropriately, then your painting would be well confined from rot and would last a long time. If you are in fact concerned about the hard of cotton, then but a heavy grade cotton canvas and attempt stretching it yourself. Cotton canvas is obtainable in rolls or pre-stretched, ready or unprimed.

Canvas pads

For those oil painters who might be on a small budget but yet desire a descent excellence surface to paint on, then canvas pads are most excellent choice. Canvas pads come in a range of different sizes and are huge for beginners that are simply starting out. Canvas pads are huge for practice or doing studies. Confirm you get a heavy weight canvas pad appropriate to hold oil paint.

Wood panels

The earliest known oil painting reproduction was created on wood panels made of oak or poplar. The wood was coated with a consistent ground made of animal skin glue and chalk. The ground was then polished flat to make a surface apt for oil paint. Pure hard wood panels are not the most well liked ground for oil painters today. They are expensive and other than difficult to drag around. A good option that oil painter’s use is plywood.

Your choice of oil painting support actually depends on your fashion of painting. Experiment with the variety of painting supports obtainable and have fun. You would finally find one that works best for you.

vijay asked:

Painting artists have been using oil paints for hundreds of years. Actually, they have been seen from as early as 13th century in England, where they used oil paints for simple decoration. In the early years, however, many artists preferred to use paints called tempera instead on using oil paints as they were able to dry faster than oil paint. In the 15th century, Flemish artists came up with the idea of mixing oil paint and tempera. Nevertheless, it was not until the 17th century that pure oil paints became a more usual art medium.

Oil painting dries slowly than any other forms of paint because they are made of small particles of pigments that are balanced in a drying oil. While some of the artists might find this slow drying quality troublesome, most artists believe oil paints to be a required type of art media that must be taught to every art student. This is partly because of the many oil painting reproduction, which have been developed using oil paints.

There are several advantages of using oil paints, aside from its robust quality. Oil paints could as well be left open for a long duration. In fact, oil paints could regularly be left opened to air for up to several weeks without drying. This characteristic makes it possible for an artist to work on a painting over different sessions with no fear of the painting drying up too early. Of course, this attribute could be seemed at as a disadvantage by some artists, because it takes few weeks for the project to be completed and the slow drying process could make it difficult to move on to the next stage of the project.

Oil paints are as well outstanding for blending with surrounding paint. When blended on canvas, oil paints are able of creating artistic brush strokes and other blends, which are not possible with other forms of paint. For some artists, though, this advantage to oil paints could be viewed as a disadvantage, as it is possible to by chance blend colors while painting that were not meant to be blended.

Vikram kuamr asked:


Art has been part of the history of the human being, and a significant one at that. It has served as an effective outlet for a person’s emotion, whether it be of joy, angst, love, hate, and almost every feeling a human being is capable of possessing. Today and for the past thousand years, art has remained an important part of every day life. That is why, even up to this moment, great works of art from great artists of yesteryears remain invaluable possessions. Oil paintings of all sorts continue to grace homes, offices, buildings, hospitals, schools—you name a place and you will definitely find a work of art in it.

Paint Your Life understands the modern man’s need of having oil paintings around him. This is because nothing compares to the ambience a room has when it is decorated with a work of art, particularly an oil painting. With Paint Your Life, this setup is nowhere next to impossible as they bring you’re your very own oil painting reproduction at the click of your mouse right at your homes.

Depending on your preference for an artist, for a genre, or for a movement—and of course, your budget—you can now order to have your choice oil paintings reproductions delivered to your homes courtesy of Paint Your Life. Of course, those who are able to afford it, can easily go to auction houses where original pieces are being sold, but luckily for those majority of us who cannot afford that much, we have our very own oil paintings reproduction provider. There’s paint Your Life online at your service.

Paint Your Life has a very interesting and comprehensive website where you may choose the oil painting that you wish to order and delivered. Their never-ending display at their online gallery will have you feeling overwhelmed at the many choices you will be presented. But worry not as Paint Your Life has their oil paintings reproductions categorized according to artist, subject, and movement. It should make your decision making a lot more easy for you.

Paint Your Life offers affordable prices for your orders of oil paintings reproductions, of course depending on some factors such as the size of your order, the level of difficulty of the oil painting, the frame with which you’d like your order to come in, and the turnaround time that you have requested. It should not also be a problem for you if you’re not within the US as Paint Your Life likewise accepts orders and delivers them to clients located at Canada, Europe, and even Japan.

Another good thing about getting your oil paintings reproduction orders at Paint Your Life is the guarantee that you will be given. Paint Your Life ensures you full satisfaction with your every order in that aside from assuring you that your oil paintings reproduction reaches your home, they guarantee a full refund if they don’t or if they come damaged or even if you don’t like the one you initially orders. They will be happy to send a refund or another oil painting reproduction of your choice instead. All these at hand, you will surely get to your computers and log in to Paint Your Life now.

vijay asked:


An advice on cleaning any oil painting that’s covered in dust or yellowed varnish has to come with a qualified disclaimer. More than other types of rough and ready projects, cleaning oil paintings need to be really trusted to specialist conservators. However, if you’re painting is not that old, not offensively precious, or not too significant, there are a few likely ways to make it look brighter and spot less yourself. In addition, changing true antiques almost forever decreases their value, whether or not they look better to you.

If it seems that your painting is little older, evaluate whether the paint is in good shape but the varnish is quite aged. In this case, try applying a gentle solvent called conservation liquid. Art supply stores may sell an “emulsion” planned to clean and take away varnish. There is forever a chance that the solvent would also damage or take away the oil paint. If you are ready to risk this option, wipe the mix with a cotton swab very carefully. Try spot-testing one bend before moving on to the whole canvas. Work in an area with sufficient ventilation.

For recent paintings, your problem is more probable a build-up of dirt, smoke, pet hair, dander, and as well bacterial or any fungal growth. In this case, ensure none of the paint is prepared to come off the canvas or board, meaning that it doesn’t show any cracks or any flakes. Then you could cautiously dust the surface with an extremely spongy and dry bristle brush, such as a baby toothbrush or shaving cream brush.

When the surface is muggy, dirty, or oily, you might want to take the attack a step further and in fact uses a gentle detergent solution. Again, usually speaking, oil and water must never mix, as moisture could for sure damage both the canvas and the impasto. Proceeding with care, use brand new fiber cloths dipped in a mixture of dish soap and humid water. Lightly spot the surface, but do not scrub, clean, or rub at the painting. At no point should you sink any part of the painting, nor allow so much damp that it drips or pools.

vijay asked:


An oil painting support is any kind of surface to which oil paint could be applied to. There are huge varieties of different surfaces, which artists use to paint on. Everything from certain woods, canvas, and as well metals could be used as a supports for oil painting. Following are the various types of oil painting supports that will help you decide the best for your style of oil painting.

Linen

Linen is generally created from the fibers of the flax plant. The fibers are then developed into yarns or threads that are then made into canvas. The fibers of the flax plant are huge and moderately strong and make for an extremely attractive and hard-wearing oil painting support. Paintings carried out on this surface have endured the test of time. It is for this reason that linen canvas is a preferred amongst expert oil painters. There are assortments of different linen canvases accessible in the market, from rolled canvas to pre-stretch. It comes prepared for acrylic and oils, or you could get it unprimed as well.

Cotton

Cotton canvas is the most admired support for starter oil painters. It is a comparatively strong material and much reasonable than linen. It has an extremely even and perfunctory weave. If you are actually worried about the sturdiness of cotton, then purchase a profound grade cotton canvas and try widening it yourself. Cotton canvas is obtainable in rolls or pre-stretched, primed or unprimed.

Canvas pads

For those artists who might be on a tight budget but yet desire a good quality surface for oil paintings, then canvas pads are a superior choice. Canvas pads come in a range of various sizes and are amazing for starters interested in oil painting reproduction. Canvas pads are grand for practice also or doing studies. Make sure you get a heavy weight canvas pad compatible to hold oil paint.

Wood panels

The first known oil paintings were shaped on wood panels made of oak or poplar. The wood was actually covered with a consistent ground made of animal skin paste and chalk. The ground was then elegant smooth to generate a surface appropriate for oil paint.

Your choice of oil painting support actually relies up on your style of painting. Experiment with the different types of oil painting supports accessible in the market and have fun. You would ultimately find one that works best for you.