Oil Painting Links

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)

There are many suppliers who sell brush cleaning pots, oil painting brushes, canvas panels and rolls, linen panels and rolls, painting easels, paint brush cleaners, oil painting mediums, and drying racks. You can always get a good price at the following suppliers and they send your order out very quickly and reliably.

Art Supply Warehouse (ASW)
5325 Departure Drive
Raleigh, NC 27616-1835
Phone: 800 995 6778
Fax: 1 919 878 5075

Jerry’s Artarama
5325 Departure Drive
Raleigh, NC 27616
Phone: 800 827 8478
Web: http://www.jerrysartarama.com

Dick Blick
P.O. Box 1267
Galesburg, IL 61402-1267
Phone: 800 828-4548
Web: http://www.dickblick.com

Wind River Arts
Phone: 972-342-4947
Web: http://windriverarts.com/

Here are supplies for notan studies. Important: Try to get these specific brands as we have often found
that other types of pens and paper can cause students major difficulties in
doing Notan studies. You can also use some gray (middle value, 50% gray) pastel or charcoal paper and a black and white pastel stick.

• Tombow brush pens

Get Tombow N65 ( a middle value cool gray 5), Tombow N75 (a light value cool gray 3), and Tombow N15 (a pure black).



Penwa
560 Stokes Rd, Suite #23-500
Medford NJ 08055-2907
Phone: 888-626-8194

• Pastels

You can also use pastels. For the middle gray, use Pentel oil pastels Gray #26 (or any other type of pastel). Also use a black pastel stick, and if you are using gray paper, use a white pastel stick.

• Sketch books

Strathmore Drawing 400 Series medium 80lb 4”X 6” sketchbook.
This is a good fairly heavy weight paper that does not buckle and takes the ink in the Tombow brush pens very well. If you are using pastels, use a middle gray value charcoal paper since it is easier to use than white paper.

Art Supply Warehouse (ASW)
5325 Departure Drive
Raleigh, NC 27616-1835
Phone: 800 995 6778
Fax: 1 919 878 5075

I use the Hughes easel when I am working in the studio. Because it has cantilevered adjustable weights, it is very easy to move your canvas up and down. It can hold a large painting as well as several small ones.

Hughes easel
Punta Gorda, FL
Phone: 800-485-6081
Email: hughes@sunletter.com

The Mabef easels are also good for use in the studio. They are less expensive than the Hughes easel, but not as flexible.

Mabef easels
Supplier: Dick Blick
PO Box 1267
Galesburg, IL 61402-1267
Phone: 800 828 4548
Fax: 800 621 8293

If you have little room in your house for a large easel, you can purchase a French easel that will pack away in a smaller space.

Jullian French easel
Jerry’s Artarama 5325 Departure Drive
Raleigh, NC 27616-1835
Phone: 800 827 8478

When you are new to painting, you can get overwhelmed by the variety of choices you have when it comes to buying paints. Not only are there different types of paints, such as oil paints, acrylic paints, and water-based oil paints, but there are also different grades to choose from, such as student grade paints versus artist grade paints. Here are some pros and cons of each to help you decide which is the best option for you.

Oil paints
• Pro: there are many colors to choose from
• Pro: it is easy to make corrections while you are painting since the paint stays wet for a long time
• Pro: in the right hands they can produce museum quality paintings with luminous color that will last through the centuries
• Con: they require special solvents to clean your brushes and palette
• Con: they contain toxic chemicals that can affect your health, especially if they get through your skin, and are usually not recommended for people with allergies
• Con: they take a long time to dry, up to several months, so you need special storage areas for them while they are drying

Water soluble oil paints
• Pro: they do not have the strong odors that regular oil paints have, and are better for people with allergies
• Pro: it is easy to make corrections while you are painting since the paint stays wet for a long time
• Pro: you can clean your brushes and palette with soap and water
• Con: there are not so many colors to choose from as with regular oil paints
• Con: the do not have the same “feel” as regular oil paints

Acrylic paints
• Pro: they do not have the strong odors that regular oil paints have, and are better for people with allergies
• Pro: acrylic paints are usually opaque so you can make corrections
• Pro: since the paint dries quickly, you can store your paintings almost as soon as they are finished
• Pro: you can clean your brushes and palette with soap and water
• Con: it is not easy to use the wet-in-wet technique as the paint dries quickly
• Con: there are not so many colors to choose from as with regular oil paints

Also, see information on the differences between student grade oil paints and artist grade oil paints.