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.

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.

Ben Jonson asked:


In reality oil painting is a fairly new art style. Oil painting as a painting medium, the usage of oil in combination with other pigments counts back to 1400. Prior to oil painting, painting in general dates its history back to the period of stone age, painting in that era was made with the usage of binders unlike oil painting mixed with some kind of pigments like egg in tempera paints.

The fifteenth century was seen as a transitional period in Europe, there was some sort of reality visualized in art. Art was changing from the decorative style and mythological during a middle age to a period of revival and rebirth with the beginning of renaissance. There was a realization among the artists, they were beginning to understand the mathematical laws behind the outlook and there was a scenario prevailing where the artist were interested in portraying more sincere and portrays that were more realistic in nature. They had initiated the usage of nature as a source of inspiration for their paintings.

Jan Van Eyck (1395-1441), a painter of the northern renaissance wanted to mimic nature and its scenic beauty along with his painting brush on the board. He wanted to paint every tiniest detail on his board to portray his paintings to be more scenic and livelier. Finally he realized that if he had to portray every tiny detail of painting to his fullest satisfaction, he had to improve on the technique of painting. Thus with this zeal to portray tiny detail of nature with clarity he became the inventor of oil painting. Initially Van Eyck and all painters during the period of renaissance did not buy ready made colors. They grounded their pigment from natural sources like plants and minerals and in turn they added binder to form a paste with which they could paint. During the middle ages the binder which was used was egg and the end- product thus formed was tempera paint, this had the tendency to dry very quickly. This property of quick drying agent did not permit smooth transitions in shading. But smooth transitions were necessary to achieve as sense of reality which Van Eyck was attempting to portray. Thus he initiated the usage of oil instead of egg. The work with oil as a binder was much slower and accurate to the satisfaction levels. An oil binder permits to provide a glossier look. With this technique he was able to apply tiny detailing with the help of pointed brushes. Later the new technique of oil painting was appreciated and there was a general acceptance of oil painting to be used as a widely used suitable medium of painting.

Thus the invention of oil painting took place. They are very convenient sold in tube form, there are many other mediums of oil paintings available but we still adhere to the usage of oil painting invented by Van Eyck.