When you first start to paint with oils you will see there are many things you have to do before and after you work on your paintings. Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Start out with only three colors (a red, a blue, and a yellow) plus black and white. If you have too many colors you will get confused quickly and your colors will get muddy and lacking in vibrancy. After you have completed over 100 sketches and you feel comfortable using this limited palette, you can upgrade to a warm and cool red, a warm and cool blue, and a warm and cool yellow.
- Put as much paint on your palette as you think you will need to complete the painting, so that you do not have to stop and refill your palette while you are concentrating on your artwork.
- Limit yourself to a few brushes – use one medium size brush for each of your colors (red, blue, and yellow), a large brush for painting the imprimatura (base color), and a rigger brush for doing the final small details.
- Do not use paint thinner or medium to clean your brushes while you are painting, as this will add too much thinner or medium to your painting. Simply wipe the brushes on a piece of paper towel before mixing your next color. Only clean your brushes at the end of the painting session.
- If you have paint leftover on your palette at the end of the painting session, you can put the whole palette underwater, or cover the paint and palette with plastic film and put it in the freezer. Either of these methods will keep your paints fresh until the next time you use them.
When you are traveling you can put your paintings in drying boxes to protect them until you get them back to your studio. Drying boxes come in all shapes and sizes, from heavy wooden ones that carry large size paintings, to small corrugated plastic ones that you can take outdoors for painting plein air. There are also some simple painting support carriers that are made like a frame and carry one painting support on each side. Here are the suppliers:
Open Box M
1392 Southfork Road
Cody, Wyoming 82414
Phone: 800-473-8098
Web: http://www.openboxm.com/
RayMar
1721 Rose Garden Lane, Suite 6
Phoenix, AZ 85027
Phone: 888.809.3314
Web: http://www.raymarart.com
Artwork Essentials
5622 Highgate Terrace
Irvine, CA 92603
Phone: 949 8562196
Web: http://www.artworkessentials.com
The Outside Shore
P.O. Box 147151,
Edgewater, CO 80214-7151
Web: http://www.outsideshore.com/school/art/easel/wet.htm
Here are some painting workshops that will be taught in Italy this year:
- Plein Air Painting In Tuscany: Part 1, with Barry John Raybould
Join us for a plein air painting workshop in the hilltowns of Chianciano and Montepulciano, Tuscany. This workshop is in two parts, and you can attend either or both. We will review the alla prima or plein air painting process and then focus on specific course topics in the Virtual Art Academy® curriculum. In Part 1 of the workshop there will be specialist lectures on these course areas: Notan, Color Harmony, Design and Composition (including Focal Points, and Eye Movement), and Drawing skills (including Perspective and Buildings). There will be lectures and critiques in the mornings, and free time to paint or sightsee in the afternoons. Barry John Raybould, MA has won many plein air painting competitions, his work has been exhibited in several museums and is held in many private collections worldwide.
To see examples of his work, and for more information about the workshops, go to www.bjrgallery.com.
Date of workshop: May 14-18, 2007
Cost of tuition: 575 Euros
- Plein Air Painting In Tuscany: Part 2, with Barry John Raybould
In Part 2 of the workshop the lectures will include: How to Observe Color Accurately, Brushwork and Edges, and Form (the Two-Value Statement, Planes of the Light and Shade).
To see examples of his work, and for more information about the workshops, go to www.bjrgallery.com.
Date of workshop: May 21-25, 2007
Cost of tuition: 575 Euros
- Plein Air Painting In Venice: Part 1, with Barry John Raybould
Join us for a plein air painting workshop in Venice (and the opening of the 2007 Biennale). This workshop is in two parts, and you can attend either or both. We will review the alla prima or plein air painting process and then focus on specific course topics in the Virtual Art Academy® curriculum. In Part 1 of the workshop there will be specialist lectures on these course areas: Notan, Color Harmony, Design and Composition (including Focal Points, and Eye Movement), and Drawing skills (including Perspective and Buildings). There will be lectures and critiques in the mornings, and free time to paint or sightsee in the afternoons. Barry John Raybould, MA has won many plein air painting competitions, his work has been exhibited in several museums and is held in many private collections worldwide. To see examples of his work, and for more information about the workshops, go to www.bjrgallery.com.
Date of workshop: Jun 11-15, 2007
Cost of tuition: 575 Euros
- Plein Air Painting In Venice: Part 2, with Barry John Raybould
In Part 2 of the workshop the lectures will include: How to Observe Color Accurately, Brushwork and Edges, and Form (the Two-Value Statement, Planes of the Light and Shade). There will be lectures and critiques in the mornings, and free time to paint or sightsee in the afternoons. Barry John Raybould, MA has won many plein air painting competitions, his work has been exhibited in several museums and is held in many private collections worldwide. To see examples of his work, and for more information about the workshops, go to www.bjrgallery.com.
Date of workshop: Jun 18-22, 2007
Cost of tuition: 575 Euros
You can spend a lot of time and money buying the wrong art instruction books that do not help you, or send you in the wrong direction. Here are some excellent printed and online books on the principles and techniques of oil painting. Many have wonderful illustrations, step-by-step instructions, and a wealth of tips for both the beginner and more experienced oil painting artists.
- Oil Painting for Beginners by Barry John Raybould. This series of online books contains all the basic information a beginner or intermediate painter needs to get started as an oil painter. It gives tips on which supplies and equipment to buy, how to set up your studio, how to prepare your equipment, as well as the key concepts, principles and techniques you need to know before you paint your first oil painting. Lots of step-by-step instructions for improving your painting skills.
- A Complete Program on Oil Painting for Serious Artists by Barry John Raybould. This is a complete two to three year program of art instruction for intermediate and advanced artists, all the way from the foundation knowledge in each topic to the more advanced information that you would normally only get in a master class with an experienced artist.
- Fill Your Oil Paintings With Light & Color by Kevin Macpherson. This books covers everything from buying the materials to step-by-step demonstrations.
- Oil Painting: The Workshop Experience by Ted Goerschner. Artists are intrigued by all that a workshop offers–one-on-one attention, a focused course of study and a knowledgeable instructor. This book offers a practical and stimulating alternative to the expense and inconvenience of conventional painting workshops
- Painting Oils by Lois Demore.
- Capturing Light in Oils by Paul Strisik.
- Problem Solving for Oil Painters by Gregg Kreutz
- A Proven Strategy for Creating Great Art by Dan McCaw.
- 60 Minutes to Better Painting by Craig Nelson. Concentrating on quick studies allows painters to get to the essence of painting. This proven method focuses on the gist of the subject and the ability to make fast decisions, rather than the minute details that seem to mire some artists and prevent them from improving.
If you have chosen to use regular oil paints (that is, not the water-soluble type), the next step is to decide whether to buy student
or artist
grade paints. Here are the differences:
- artist grade oil paints have much higher levels of pigmentation that student grade oil paints, so they go further which makes them more economical in the long run
- since student grade oil paints have less pigmentation, they are less expensive than artist grade oil paints
- you have a greater range of colors to choose from with artist grade oil paints
- student grade oil paints are generally hues (or imitation) colors to reduce toxicity and/or cost
- student grade oil paints do not mix as well as artist grade oil paints
Some beginners and even experienced artists think that “fat over lean” is a painting technique for achieving a particular style of painting. In fact, it means that you are applying the paint so that it does not crack or craze, so your painting will last for many years.
Oil paints dry at varying rates depending how much oil (or fat) is mixed in with the pigment – the higher the oil (fat) content, the longer it takes to dry. Conversely, if you add a medium such as turpentine, it lowers the ratio of oil (fat) to pigment to create a “lean”mixture that dries more quickly.
If you paint a lean mixture over a fat mixture, the lean is going to dry more quickly than the fat. As it dries it contracts, and when the fat layers eventually dry the lean layers will crack. Therefore, if you are going to paint in layers, make sure each successive layer has more fat than the layer beneath. This is especially true if you are painting glazes to achieve a particular effect.
If you are new to oil painting, you are probably overwhelmed by the choices you have when it comes to oil painting brushes. They come in all shapes and sizes from round to square, thin to fat, long to short. But which ones do you need to get started? Here are some tips for buying a good set of brushes that will last you for years without you spending too much money.
- Buy a few top quality brushes rather than lots of inexpensive ones. They will last much longer if you look after them well, and they will help you to better realize your painting potential. Use the best hog hair bristle where you want brushstrokes to show, and red sable brushes for finer detail work.
- If you can only afford a few different sizes, these offer the best range:
a rigger brush for painting minute details
a few filbert brushes for filling in large masses – get sizes 2, 4, 6, and 8 (and larger if you want to paint big canvases!)
a fan brush for blending and textural effects
- Clean your oil painting brushes well after you use them. If you leave any oil paint in the bristles it will eventually harden and dry out the bristles and your brush will be useless. Wipe them off at the end of the day and wash them in turpentine or mineral spirits.
- Store your oil painting brushes so they do not get damaged. Lay them flat or keep them in a jar with the bristles pointed upwards. This prevents the hairs from bending, and also allows air around them. If they are feeling dry, rub a little hair conditioner into the bristles to moisten them again.
There are many solvents you can use for cleaning your brushes, but many of them are toxic. Here are some that are not:
SoySolv
Daniel Smith
4150 First Avenue South
Seattle, Washington 98134
Phone: 206 223 9599
Web: http://www.danielsmith.com
Brush Flush
7114 Homestead Road
Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.A. 46814
Phone: 877 501 4200
Web: http://www.brushflush.com/
Here are some good suppliers of oil paints and medium.
Classic Artist Oils
Triangle Coatings
1930 Fairway Drive,
San Leandro, CA 94577
Phone: 800 895 8000
Web: http://artistoils.com/htmls/default.asp
Winsor & Newton, Gamblin, and Grumbacher oil paints, mediums, and thinners
Jerry’s Artarama
5325 Departure Drive
Raleigh, NC 27616
Phone: 800 827 8478
Web: http://www.jerrysartarama.com
Various manufacturers of oil paints, mediums, and thinners
Lawrence Art Materials
208 Portland Road
Hove, BN3 5QT
United Kingdom
Phone: 0845 644 3232
Web: http://www.lawrence.co.uk/acatalog/Oil_Painting.html
If you are looking for photographic equipment or anything to do with audio or video supplies, B&H Photo in New York has good prices and are very reliable.
35mm slide film – Fuji Provia 200 or 400, or Fuji Velvia 100
35mm Canon digital camera
Kodak projector with wide angle projector lens (Navitar 50/2.8)
lightbox
loupe
plastic slide wallet sheets
B&H Photo
420 Ninth Ave
New York, NY 10001
Phone: 800 606 6969
Fax: 800 947 7008
The large rear screen projector I use for painting in the studio is made by Draper Inc.
Cinefold rear projector screen
Draper Inc.
411 South Pearl Street
Spiceland, IN 47385
1-800-238-7999
Kodak projector with wide angle projector lens (Navitar 50/2.8)
