OIL

PAINTING FAST!
By Angelina Bell
 Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1. What is Oil Painting

Chapter 2. A Beginner's Guide to Oil Painting Materials

Chapter 3. What Painting Equipment Need & How to Choose Them

Chapter 4. A Guide to Stretching your own Canvas

Chapter 5. The Basic Brush Techniques in Oil Painting

Chapter 6. Preserving your Work of Art

Chapter 7. Advanced Oil Painting Techniques and Material

Conclusion
 Introduction
First of all, I would like to thank you for downloading this great book, “OIL
PAINTING: Guided Lessons for Beginners”. Congratulations also since you are
about to become a great artist and this book would be the first step in your
journey towards becoming a great oil painter.
In this book, you will find proven steps and techniques that will guide you in
learning the basic techniques in oil painting. There will also be some more
advanced lessons here in this book and, in no time, you would be able to create
wonderful oil paintings in canvass which you could either display or even sell to
people. This is a nice hobby for people who are looking for extracurricular
activities and also for people who want to earn some extra money on the side or
even become a popular painter.
After finishing this book, you will be more knowledgeable about the different
styles and techniques that you could use in oil painting and which are used by
most professional and legendary painters in the world. This guide is very
complete itself and it was written to be easily understood by anyone even those
who have absolutely no knowledge or experience in the arts.
You would only need to follow the tips and guidelines here in the book to start
and gradually become a successful artist. Though this art of oil painting requires
a lot of patience and time in practicing and also studying the methods, it is also
very rewarding since the skill that you learn from all your hard efforts is
priceless and would last a lifetime.
Before you start your journey in becoming a great oil painter, I must give you
some advice that would help you go through the different situations that you
would be encountering on the way. You must be open-minded. Being open-
minded allows you to absorb more information that you otherwise would not if
you thought that you knew a lot already. This is important since everyone has to
start from a humble beginning to be able to learn and master the ar. You must
also be persevering. Perseverance is being patient and dedicated at the same
time. You must continue to develop your skills in painting even though you are
having a hard time in practicing. These are only a few advices to start off and
you would find more throughout the book.
Since you are a beginner in the art of oil painting, it is important for you to know
that the process of growing from a beginner to an advanced level artist is like a
funnel. A funnel in the sense that the first area is rather narrow and small and the
succeeding areas begin to get wider and larger. Just like a funnel, beginner
lessons in oil painting are very narrow and few but once we move into
intermediate and advanced levels, you will begin to learn new techniques and
skills that would be new to you. Also, your mind will be opened to the different
genres in painting that you could practice and the almost infinite painting colors
and techniques you will eventually understand and master.
Advanced oil painting, of course, is the largest part of the process where an artist
would need to have all the essential skills to be able to create a painting with his
own style and character. Creativity is also developed in the process and this skill
is an essential requirement of being a great artist.
After the funnel of advanced oil painting, an artist will be open to a limitless
development stage where he would work on his own identity, style and
technique. This is the stage where all artists strive to be different and unique.
You can build your own legacy in the world of art at this stage and, who knows,
you might be the next Leonardo Da Vinci in this generation.
Some people would find the last stage of the process very exciting and
challenging, but most people would feel fear since they are afraid of failure and
rejection. In my opinion, I would like to share with you my innermost thoughts
regarding fear. Fear is a big hindrance to your dreams; it is what blocks you from
achieving what you truly want. If you want to be successful in any career of your
choice, you must learn how to overcome fear and use it, to your benefit, to be
able to develop your skills and your personal character.
Thank you again for downloading this book! I hope that your passion burns
inside you as you read, enjoy and learn from this book.
 Chapter 1. What is Oil Painting?

Oil painting is an ancient art that has been around for centuries. The greatest
artists in history are mostly talented oil painters and wonderful and famous art
has been created through oil painting. Despite the amazing innovation of oil
painting, no one really knows who invented oil painting or even when it was first
created. This has been a mystery that, we, artists have been curious about since
we would want to be grateful to the one who introduced the art of oil painting to
the world since it is such a medium that inspires artists to pursue their passion
and be filled with creativity as they grow in their artistic existence.
For decades, most artists associate the art and process of oil painting to a
Flemish artist, namely Jan Van Eyck, and also Hubert, his brother. They had
remarkable talent in painting, especially in oil painting that most people
considered them experts in the art of oil painting. Their masterpieces were
legendary at that time with the process of oil painting being used. This caused
people back then to believe than using paint mixtures with oil instead of egg
tempera gave out more vivid and sharper colors.

Jan Van Eyck and Hubert Van Eyck made oil painting more recognize since they
executed the technique with near perfection. This may be why most people
associate oil painting with the Van Eyck brothers. But in reality, the Van Eyck
brothers were merely practitioners of oil painting and not its inventors. Oil
painting is believed to have been existent way before their generation and at
around the 11th century.
Basically, in this method of painting we use oil paint. This is a paint mixture in
which oil has been added in order to create a more vivid, colorful and also a
sharper work of art. Oil painting have been existent who knows when but the
earliest examples of oil paintings that were found and are still existent have been
estimated to come from the 11th century. Through oil painting there were also
other techniques that emerged such as the process of easel-painting with oil
colors. This process revolutionized at around the 15th century where a lot of
paintings were created using this technique and it is known now as a variation of
oil painting that creates a more textured work of art.
So how did oil painting develop exactly? Prior to oil painting there were many
other techniques that painters used in order to create beautiful pieces of art. Early
renaissance painting was effectively transformed to the technique of oil painting
because of the increasing number of painters in northern Europe and Italy who
preferred using oil paint in their paintings. Just like the Van Eyck brothers, other
artists discovered the wonder and use of oil paint. They started out by trying out
different substances as a pigment binder and they found that oil was very
effective as a pigment binder. This discovery allowed oil painting to open its
doors to the world of art and, thus, many renowned and famous art pieces were
born.
The discovery of oil as a pigment binder made artists compare this to the
traditional tempera which is the main technique of panel painting. Oil paint,
unlike its predecessors such as gouache, watercolor and acrylic paint, dries when
it is exposed to oxygen. The other paint mixtures evaporate instead which makes
it lose color and texture. On the other hand, oil paint is known to slowly
transform from liquid form to gel and to a very hard state once exposed to
enough oxidation.
Different types of oil are used in producing oil paint but the most popular and
recognized oil substance is linseed oil. Linseed oil is unlike any other vegetable
oil, it dries through oxidation. Although safflower, poppy seed and walnut oil
also have the same outcome when exposed to oxygen but choosing linseed oil is
merely an artist’s preference. Again, he must use materials that fit his style of
painting alone which makes him master of what he is going to use in his works
of art. Most artists prefer linseed oil because of its fast-drying process and its
more flexible paint film that can be manipulated easily. A note must be made that
different substances produce different effects and outcomes while also having
different degrees of fast-drying.
If these facts haven’t convinced you of the practicality and the purposefulness of
oil paint, you might be wondering of its other advantages. Well, the main
advantage of using oil paint is because they are flexible and their colors come
out more vivid and deep. Different techniques and styles can be used to
manipulate oil paint because of their flexible nature and because it is slow to dry
artists can edit their work for a longer time. This allows layering and other
blending effects that would not be possible in non-oil-based paint. The result is a
more lively and realistic work of art that has layers and deep textures to make its
viewers feel the painting more without having to get closer.
It was evident that oil paint has a lot more advantages and also it had the
potential to create more realistic and colorful paintings. By the end of the 15th
century, almost all of the artists stopped using tempera and switched to using the
oil painting method instead.
Many great artists were able to utilize oil in their paint while also combining it
with tempera. This hybrid technique was done by great Italian artists such as
Leonardo Da Vinci and Raphael. But most artists were not able to adapt this
hybrid technique since it was really challenging to mix two substances at only
one paint base and this method often led to undesirable outcomes.
At the time when Leonardo was creating his masterpiece Mona Lisa, the use of
oil was the standard medium for easel-type art and a few including Leonardo and
Raphael dared to experiment in mixing oil and tempera to create a unique paint
effect. This method was used in Leonardo Da Vinci’s masterpiece The Last
Supper, 1495.
 Chapter 2. A Beginner's Guide to Oil
Painting Materials

Just like in any art, craft or hobby you would need materials and equipment for
you to start with. These start-up materials are essential since it would be the
medium in which you would create something and also it is what you should
master and be familiar with. Devoting your time to study and become
knowledgeable of the different materials needed would be very rewarding in the
future. These also act as the foundation of your knowledge, a good foundation
would give better results and this is why we must always learn the basics first
before anything else and also before the more complex and advanced techniques.
The basic necessities in oil painting are publicly available and easy to find. Some
artists have different preferences and opinions regarding the ideal materials to
purchase and use. You should always remember that it is still up to you. You
must also be comfortable in what you are going to use to be able to unleash your
creativity and create beautiful pieces of art. But if you truly want high quality
materials to be able to bring out more life and color to your works of art then
you should invest in oil painting materials that have the best quality in the
market; but these don’t usually come cheap and affordable.
Unlike other guides that jump straight to steps and procedures in oil painting, we
will be working on your foundation and guide you in choosing the right oil
painting materials for you. Please do keep in mind that different artists have
different opinions, and while you can listen to each of their opinions, you must
still choose the one that is most comfortable for you. Because once you are
comfortable with what you are doing you would be able to think of more
creative art since your mind is free of the stress and thought of discomfort.
Before you could start oil painting, you would need to have oil paint and also a
canvass or any other surface to paint on. You must also consider the different
variations of the materials that you are going to use and also its quality.
The following are the materials that you would need before starting:
1. Oil Paint
2. Canvass
3. Thinner/Turpentine
4. Gesso
5. Charcoal Pencil
6. Linseed Oil

Oil Paint
Oil paint is a mixture of two substances, a drying oil and dry pigments. An
example of a drying oil is the ever-popular linseed oil which most oil paint
manufacturers use due to the compatibility of the substance to the painting
process. Pigments are in powdered form and contain natural minerals, dyed
minerals and sometimes, even, vegetable substances. Powdered substances, such
as minerals cadmium, titanium and led, become opaque colors when oil is added
to the mixture. Dyed materials or vegetable substances, however, make the oil
paint transparent once it is mixed with a drying oil. Glazing is a common
technique which uses transparent oil paint in creating a unique effect. Mixing an
opaque with a transparent oil paint would result in an opaque oil paint due to the
properties of both substances.
There is an optimal mix of different substances and minerals in order to achieve
a specific color in the vast color palette of the art world. Thus manufacturing
different colors of oil paint is no easy task, and this means that every brand of oil
paint will have slight variances with other brands. This is the reason why it is
important to select the right oil paint for you, for your painting and for the mood
of the painting you are going to create.
Now that you have basic knowledge in oil paint and their variants, you can now
begin shopping and selecting the ideal paint and colors you would need in
creating your own work of art. You must also know what colors would suit your
style. Would you paint dark and cold paintings or how about light and warm
paintings? This depends on your personality type and it is best to start with your
natural self, refrain from mentors or teachers to force you to adapt their style.
You must have your own style so that you would easily release the passion for
painting deep inside your heart and soul.
Aside from picking what type of oil paint to use, you should also select the right
colors that would fit your artistic creativity. The rainbow is an example of a
natural harmony of colors. These colors are divided into visible rays of light
where we could all distinguish one color from another. All the colors we see
with our very own eyes are only mixtures and shades which are derived from 12
colors.
White
White is the universal color of purity. White is usually used to highlight, and it is
combined with other colors in order to create lighter shades and lighting effects.
I suggest that you use titanium white since it is a non-yellowing and opaque
color. Some brands also add zinc to the paint mixture in addition to the titanium
white. It is best to get a balance of a titanium and zinc mixed paint. Since too
much titanium would make the paint chalky while too much zinc would make
the paint too transparent. It best not to use Lead White, Cremnitz White and
Flake white since they contain toxic lead.

Yellow
Cadmium Yellow Pale or Cadmium Yellow Light. Opaque.

Yellow-Orange
Cadmium Yellow sometimes called Cadmium Yellow Medium. Opaque.

Orange
Cadmium Orange. Opaque.

Red-Orange
Cadmium Scarlet. Opaque.
Red
Cadmium Red

Sometimes called Cadmium Red Light. Opaque

Red-Violet
Quinacridone Rose. Transparent.

Violet
Dioxazine Violet (Winsor Violet in Winsor Newton paints). Transparent.

Blue-Violet
Mix Dioxazine Violet with Ultramarine Blue when this color is needed.

Blue
Mix French Ultramarine Blue and Thalo Blue. Transparent.

Blue-Green
Thalo Green (also called Winsor Green, Grumbacher Green). Transparent.

Green
Cadmium Green. Opaque.

Yellow-Green
Cadmium Green Pale. Opaque.

Black

Mars Black. Opaque. Or Ivory Black. Transparent
Canvas

History has proven that canvas is the most used platform where artists paint their
masterpieces. It has been a long tradition to paint on a canvas surface for oil
painting. Even though oil paint is very versatile and can be used on almost any
surface, the canvas provides the best surface and also adds texture to the finished
work of art. A good canvass would need to be stretched properly with the proper
canvas material to emphasize texture and its flexibility.
There are different canvas surfaces to choose from, and some of these are
canvas-textured paper, canvas on a heavy board, pre-stretched canvas and also
primed canvas in a roll. In all of these options you should always apply Gesso on
the surface before starting your work of art. Gesso will be further explained later
in this book. But I would just like to advise you that it is preferred that you use a
neutral gray tone so that your light paint could be seen easily.
The first step in preparing your own canvas is to stretch your own canvas. This
may seem like such a hard task to do and would tempt you to purchase pre-
stretched canvases. But as you get used to the art you would find stretching your
own canvases practical and costs a lot less. Additionally, you would be able to
adjust the canvas to your own specifications.
After reading this part of the book, you would find stretching canvases as easy as
pie. This is a necessary skill that every great artist must possess since the
canvass is where he creates, where he designs and where he pours out his heart.
So it is natural that he would have sufficient knowledge in stretching and
preparing a canvas before painting.
Simply follow the guide at the chapter 4, and you would easily learn. Practice
makes perfect though, and you would need to fail a couple of times to be able to
get the hang of the right pressure and the right adjustment in your canvas. Also
be aware of the size and dimensions of your canvas and if it does suit the work
you plan to create.
Thinner/Turpentine

Turpentine, otherwise known as paint thinner, is an important substance to clean

up oil paint. Unlike watercolors and acrylics, you cannot clean up oil paint by
merely using water. Since oil paint is thicker, stiffer and composed of oil, it is
natural that it would be water resistant and hard to remove by using water. You
will need to use turpentine in case you would need to remove oil paint in your
brushes, your skin or elsewhere.
There is also a substitute to Turpentine, which is also an alternative that reduces
possible health problems that the toxic fumes of turpentine may bring about.
This substance is called a Citrus Thinner which is made with orange peels. It is
generally less toxic and has no harmful or foul odor that a lot of artists find very
distracting.

Gesso

Gesso is necessary to ready your canvas for painting since this is a substance that
makes your canvas ideal for oil painting. You can buy this ready made from art
stores. It has a thick white liquid that may be mistaken for white acrylic paint,
but it is a bit thinner than acrylic. When dried, it becomes hard making your
canvas stiff and easy to paint on. It primes the porous surface of your canvas
making a textured surface for oil paint to be applied. Without this substance the
canvas would be weak and hard to paint on. This can also be applied to
practically any surface, not just for canvas, and then you can use oil paint on the
surface which you applied Gesso on. Multiple layers of Gesso can be used in
different substances, making them less porous, which make oil paint stick and
dry up easily.
There are also different types of Gesso other than the traditional white colored
substance. There is black, clear and colored Gesso available in the market to be
able to fulfill your needs. It is also possible to tint your Gesso it could blend in
easily with the color of oil paint you are going to use. Gesso also has two
different grades, or qualities, which are artist grade and student grade. There is a
huge difference between the two when it comes to pigment and filler ratio. The
student grade comes cheaper due to more fillers and the artist grade comes more
expensive since it contains more pigments in the mix. Student grade Gesso is
usually available only in white.
Depending on the brand of Gesso you will purchase, the texture and quality
differ. Some are thicker than most brands, and it depends entirely on the
preference of the painter which type of Gesso he would prefer to use in
preparing his canvas.
You’ll have to experiment with different brands in order to figure out the ideal
Gesso for your painting. You can also purchase Gesso in squeeze bottles or
aerosol sprays, and it is up to you which could be more convenient and easy to
use.

Charcoal Pencil
It is easier to paint if you have already sketched out what you are going to paint.

This would leave you to fill merely out the spaces that you would need since you

already have a sketch. Charcoal is a very good medium for sketching on your

canvas because of its texture and ability to be easily seen on canvas. Your

sketches need not to be perfect since it is only an outline you would need to

understand. You will be painting over your sketch anyway. Invest in a good

charcoal pencil since these provide quality which would be longer lasting,

sharper and more dramatic.

Charcoal pencils are more dramatic, bold and daring than their counterpart

which is the drawing pencil. It is much darker than a pencil and has a rich color

that makes your drawings full of emotion and character. It is versatile in the

sense that you could create drawings and blending with different techniques and

moods. There is a more serious, and realistic feel in drawings made using

charcoal.

Charcoal can come in different types:
A charcoal stick which is soft and deep black.
A softer charcoal is easier to smudge and can get messy when used
improperly.
Pressed charcoal which is formed like a pencil. Less messy and can
be used to draw details.
A willow charcoal that actually comes from a stick. It has a great
texture ideal for drawing, but it is also smudgy at the same time.
Here are some tips on using Charcoal:
Use charcoal the same way as a pencil since it is practically the same
except for texture. Draw and shade anything especially parts of your
painting that would need to be more dramatic.
Charcoal is mainly used by painters to draw a sketch before painting
oil paint on a canvas. Only outlines are required so you would have a
better and more proportioned painting once you finish your work of
art.
Using charcoal requires a practiced hand but do not get discouraged since you
could practice drawing and shading with charcoal every day. Try experimenting
on the different types of charcoal to learn what would best suit you. Remember
that this is useful in outlining your painting before you start applying the more
permanent oil paint on your canvas.

Another tip is to always make sure that you keep your hands or yourself from

smudging your charcoal sketch on the canvas. Charcoal tends to be very messy

in use, and it can easily spread via your moist hands. So be careful in what you

touch while using charcoal and always be in working clothes since there is a big

chance that charcoal, and oil paint, would smudge to what you are wearing.

Linseed Oil

This material is optional, but most artists would not paint without it and is

essential for them. You will find it easier to mix colors if there is a little painter’s

medium added, in this case linseed oil. You could pour out a few tablespoons of
linseed oil before painting and merely dab your brush into the oil before you mix

colors. Once you get the hang of adding linseed oil to your oil paint, you will be

mixing colors more professionally and would cause you to work more efficiently

and faster.
 Chapter 3. What Painting Equipment
need & How to Choose Them

Brushes

Brushes are a very important part of your kit since these are the mediums in
which your oil paint flows and is manipulated. Brushes give you control over the
oil paint in your canvas, allowing you to play around with your will and
creativity and paint the most beautiful scenes inside your head. That is why a
good set of brushes is essential; most professional painters even find it hard to
paint on cheap and low quality brushes.
A good brush should be able to retain its shape when it is loaded with oil paint
and come back to its original shape after every use. It should be durable at the
same time efficient. It is very obvious to spot a bad brush since these type of
brushes are usually the cheap kind, and they easily get destroyed upon use;
meaning they do not retain their shape. A good brush set is an investment for
every great artist.
Brushes can also be considered as an extension to the hand of the painter since
when an artist paints with his brush, he becomes one with it, and they flow
harmoniously to create a wonderful masterpiece.
Like there are different types of oil paints, there are also numerous types of
brushes which serve a different purpose. In becoming a great artist, it is
mandatory to know by the heart what brush to use and when to use it. Only will
an artist be considered professional if he has mastered both the oil paint and the
brush.
Basically, there are a few brush characteristics that you have to keep in mind
when choosing the set of brushes for you. These would assist you in shopping
for new brushes so do not forget to do a quick background check before you
purchase your set of brushes.

Type of hair used: There are two different types of hair used in manufacturing
brushes. The first type is brushes that are made of bristle hairs which come from
pigs. Bristle brushes are best to start your painting. Usually it would be around
half inch wide or even larger and a whole painting can be made by only using a
bristle brush. In order to paint some finer details, you would need to switch to
another brush type. Brushes made from sable hair come from the hair of horses,
and this type of brush would be ideal to paint small and finer details. Usually,
sable hair brushes are about half an inch large or even smaller. A lot of
manufacturers make cheaper alternatives to bristle and sable hair, and these can
imitate the original brushes. They can be made from nylon, horse or mongoose
hair. These brushes come close to the quality of bristle and sable brushes, but
they will never be as good as the original. Be familiar between these two types
of brushes since you would be switching between the two of them in creating
your masterpiece.

Length of the Handle: Brushes differ in the length of its handle depending on
what technique it is made for. Brushes used for watercolor or house painting are
usually shorter to allow more control and a place to rest your palm while brushes
used for oil painting are longer to allow full control while avoiding hand contact
with the canvas. Short handle brushes are ideally used in a vertical positing with
your canvas held horizontally since liquid paint goes downhill. The short handle
will shift the balance toward the front of the brush for better paint flow. Oil
painting brushes, on the other hand, are used in a horizontal position while the
canvas is held vertically. The long handles allow better control at a horizontal
painting position.

Brush shape: Brushes have different shapes for different purposes and
techniques. There are four different shapes with each having its own unique
function and characteristics. It is important to look at the size of the brush since
numbers on the brush usually vary between manufacturers.

Flat brushes have hair arranged in a rectangular manner making its side narrow.
This shape of a brush is the most versatile among all the other brushes. You can
paint different strokes with this brush such as a broad stroke, a narrow stroke and
a triangular stroke. This is also the brush used primarily for blending.



Filbert brushes look a lot like flat brushes, but its corners are more rounded. Its
stroke is shaped in an oval manner or a half circle manner. You typically use this
brush when you want a smoother edge or a smaller blending than a flat brush.

Bright brushes are also similar to flat brushes but these brushes have shorter hair,
and the side is narrower than a flat brush. This shape is used when you want the
brush strokes to be visible in your painting. Paint is applied very thick using this
brush, and you can remove as much paint as you can apply with this brush.
Another great thing about the bright brush is that its short and stiff characteristic
allows your hand to control your strokes better in comparison to the other brush
shapes.

Round brushes have small and short hair that is ideal in painting highlights or
fine details. Some people are able to create whole paintings while only using
round brushes, but these brushes are the least versatile among all the brush
shapes. They only allow a few variations in strokes and its size and shape.
Rounds are often sable hair brushes since they are usually used for smaller and
finer detail.

Varnish brushes are thick and long in character and are made with the purpose of
varnishing or re-varnishing your painting. You must always clean the brush from
varnish using turpentine and then washing it with soap and water.

So these are the basic types of brushes that you would need to start oil painting.
It is important to have one of each type of brush so that you are more versatile to
handle different techniques while painting. You can start with cheaper brushes
just for practice since there are a lot of imitations that have overall good quality.
But if you decide to continue painting seriously and professionally, you should
invest in high quality and branded brushes that have lifetime warranties. These
brushes may be expensive at first, but the warranty allows you to save a lot of
cash in the future. Also, their quality is unmatched and would deliver the best
outcome while you use your painting skills to create a unique and beautiful work
of art.

Newspaper

Newspaper is important to reduce the mess you would create while painting

since oil paint is harder to remove compared to acrylic and watercolor. It is also

useful in cleaning your brushes after you paint but, most great artist would say,

newspaper is also very useful while you are painting. I know it may sound odd,

but I am not playing with you, but in painting you would be dealing with

different colors and different blending. To get the most out of your color and

prevent any unwanted color in the mix, you must clean you brush every time you

would work on a different segment or when you switch colors.

Believe me, you would be switching colors a lot of times while painting and you

would find newspaper very handy in cleaning your brushes. You don’t even need

turpentine or paint thinner while working; you would just need to squeeze your
brush between the newspaper to get rid of excess oil paint and prevent other

colors from contaminating your blending.

Palette

A palette needs not to be fancy; it should only be functional, non-porous and

able to meet its purpose which is a platform to mix paint in. It should be big
enough for all of your colors to fit with a lot of extra space for mixing colors.
Your palette should be possible to be held in one hand or placed on a near
surface. Most handheld palettes have thumbholes for an easy grip while painting.
Palettes are usually made from wood, but there are also varieties that are made
from safety glass or Plexiglas.

Before you could start using your palette, if it is wooden, in painting, you would

need to coat it with linseed oil. Then after coating it with linseed oil, it should be

wiped dry before its use. This allows better mixing and also an ideal surface to

put your oil paint on. You will see that linseed oil helps largely in mixing oil

paint since it would become more fluid and easier to mix. After using your

palette at the end of the day, it is also ideal to clean the palette and recoat it with

linseed oil and wiping it dry after.

Plexiglas is another good surface for a palette but, in my opinion, a palette made

from safety glass has the best results. In using these two types of palettes you

would need a neutral color backing. A neutral color backing is essential because

mixing colors on a white palette would cause difficulty in identifying some

colors. As an artist, it would be essential that you are quick to distinguish the
colors of your palette to refrain from making mistakes and wasting your

expensive and precious oil paint. Still, these palettes require cleaning after a

day’s work. A glass palette can be easily cleaned using a razor and scraping off

all the paint on the palette.

The top palette made of Plexiglas, the middle one is made of wood, and the last
one is made of safety glass.

This is an example of a hand held palette which is very convenient to use.

In using a hand held palette, oil paint is placed for convenient use and switching
of colors while painting. Pure colors are recommended to be placed at the edge
of the palette to be able to distinguish it from the color mixes you would be
creating. If you plan to mix colors, you will need only small amounts of pure
colors and a palette knife to mix the colors into a different color or shade. Then
you can easily apply this paint mix on your canvas. Of course a palette knife is
an optional tool that is used by more professional artists to mix colors.

The top picture shows examples of palette knives. These knives come in
different shapes, sizes and purposes.
A palette knife’s main purpose is easily to mix your oil paint which is composed
of different and varying colors. They come in various dimensions and forms
depending on its characteristics, and these various knives also have unique
purposes. If you see it fit, you can start painting with only one palette knife.
After each use, clean palette knives with turpentine or paint thinner. These tools
are used to remove the mess you have created by spilling excess oil paint on
your work area or such mistakes. You should also clean your knives well after
each use for easy use the next time you will be painting.

Painter’s Easel
A painter’s easel is necessary to be able to paint with oil paint. These easels are
usually made with wood or metal to allow a strong and firm foundation for your
painting. The expensive ones have the best quality and are ideal for professional
artists, but you can start with the cheaper easels so that you could get used to
using it and be able to practice painting with it. Your easel should be adjustable
to a level where it is comfortable to paint. You may either stand or sit while
painting with an easel, and it should be adjustable to both of your preferred
positions. A good easel should be able to keep your canvas intact and stable
while you paint on it.

A cheaper easel is advised for beginners, and you could even use this until you
master the equipment. After using a cheap easel for months, you would be more
comfortable to buy a more expensive one since you already know how to use a
painter’s easel. You should be able to tell know, by experience, what type of
easel would fit you and your painting style. Simple buy another easel that has a
higher quality from an art store.
It takes about three days for oil paint to completely dry and this is very useful
since you could easily work on the painting before it fully dries up,
reconstructing some parts of your painting until it looks a whole lot better. Using
an easel would hold your canvas vertically which allows easy painting using an
oil painting brush. Its main purpose is keeping the canvas secure and upright for
a more comfortable and convenient painting position.
Here are some examples of Easel styles:
A-Frame
Some may call this “Lyre Easels”, this type has a tripod
design for a stable base. This type of easel is ideal to use in
tight rooms and spaces and can be strategically placed on a
corner due to the triangular design of the base. This is a
basic type of easel that works well when you are using a
small canvas but would not be good for larger ones.

H-Frame

This type of easel is constructed with two to four vertical

posts, and the main wing of an H-frame looks like an “H”,
hence the name. This type of easel has a rectangular
silhouette, and it also have the same shape for the base.
Majority of the models of this type look like they are tilted
forward for the user to be able to paint the top of their canvas. Some models are
more advanced which include several features that enhance its efficiency and
also makes it easier for the users to work more comfortably and conveniently
even when sitting or standing. H-Frame easels are also compatible with different
sizes of canvas. This type of easel can even hold bigger sizes of canvas as it is
heavier and more massive that A-Frame easel types. The catch is that too much
storage and too much transportation can make this type topple down.

Field & Portable – As the name suggests, this type of easel is very distinct
when it comes to mobility. Easels of this type are perfect for outdoor painting
and transportation. You can take it to any place you feel like painting. It is
usually made of lightweight wood or aluminum to make
them easier to transport and assemble and disassemble. The
legs that hold up the easel fold up for easier moving. This
type of easel is recommended only for small canvas use
since it is a very light and small, compared to other kinds,
easel. There are a lot of styles of this kind, but the most
popular one is the sketch box or, as it is more popularly
known name, the French Easel. French Easels are like traveling studios as it has
a storage box that can hold supplies like paints, pencils, paper, and canvas.
Single Mast – These easels are great when it comes to
space-saving. This type of easel is designed for
functionality and space saving. They can be dismantled or
folded when not in use, a perfect feature if you live in a
room with limit space available. Compared to other easel
types, this type is cheaper than most because of the very
simple yet innovative design and thus make them very
budget friendly. But if you compare this type, in general, to the other easel types
you might say that this type is more prone to breaking and damage since it is not
that sturdy
Convertible – Some artists call this kind of easel also as a
hybrid since these are ideal for aspiring artists who are used
to using a variety of styles and equipment. If you wish to
work with oil or acrylic paints, you just have to tilt it
upright. Moreover, if you want to work with pastel or
watercolor materials, you just have to tilt it back down
again to make it horizontally flat. These multi-purpose
easels closely resemble H-Frame easels. In addition to its flexibility
characteristics, these easels are perfect for wide spaces, and it is also transferable
to where you would like it to be because of its weight.
 Table – This type is ideal if you want to be in a sitting
position while you paint on a canvas that is not large. Only
smaller canvases are perfect for this type of easel. When
you have this, all you need is a well-built table top, and you
are ready. Majority of newbies enjoy the ease of painting
using this easel since it is very user based and convenient to
use.

Giant – Now this type of easel is used if you are going to
paint on a giant canvas. Unlike other easels, this one is
larger and more equipped to handle the enormous weight of
an enormous canvas. They have the ability to hold bigger
canvas sizes. Some easels of this type are double-master to
give extra support. They also have additional
accommodations such as cranks and winches for when
lifting the canvas while moving. These easels also have features that are useful
to most artists, another benefit of using the Giant ease
Display – As the name would suggest, this type is more
suitable for the display of your paintings that are already
done or even almost done. A general characteristic of this
kind is that it weighs only a few due to its very basic
structure. As a simple structured easel, it is not as stable as
its other counterparts and would not be ideal for large
canvas painting.
Easel on the left is the traditional studio easel, the best for most use. In the
middle is tripod easel for small paintings or drawings. On the right a collapsible,
portable, paint box/easel designed for working outdoors.

Use a Thinner to Clean Materials

After each use, it is important to wash your brushed and your palette to prevent
the drying up of color pigments as it affects and contaminates the oil paint you
are going to use. Preventing it to happen in turn allows a cleaner and more pure
color palette on your next painting or artwork.
It is necessary to use turpentine or paint thinner in cleaning your brushes and
your palette as oil can be hard to remove by just water and soap. One type or
variation of thinner that is highly recommended for you to use is the Citrus
Thinner which consists dried up peels of oranges.
One of the advantages of Citrus Thinner is that it is unscented compared to other
variants. It is an important characteristic as most people nowadays are avoiding
oil paint due to the odor and toxic exhausts that the other variants are producing
that can have a bad effect on one’s health. As mentioned, another benefit that
Citrus Thinner offers is that with it, you would not be exposed to harmful
substances of the other variants.
The use of thinner can be costly so one should know how to minimize its use.
One way to save thinner is by putting it in a thinner jar, which stored your excess
thinner for the next time use. Thinner jars clean your brushes thoroughly after
previous cleanings. The screen on top of the thinner, in which you can punch
holes, is used for the mentioned purpose. To do this, just put the brushes on the
screen and leave it there to let the residue fall onto the bottom of the jar. The
thinner jar can last for years if you take care of it. Just always put a lid on it
when not in use

When You Need the Paint to Flow More
The liquid that is mixed with the pigment is called a medium. When you mix oil
and pigment, the end product is oil pigment. In this case, extra medium mixed
with the pigment will make it slickly and a bit lucid. Often times, the consistency
of the paint is perfect even right out of the tube. However, smaller details, which
make the painting more pleasant to look at due to the tiny details present, are
easier to paint.
An excellent example of an oil which can be mixed with a pigment is the oil of
linseed where, when mixed with pigments, can help with easing the use of the
paint. A medium of a mixture of half citrus thinner and half linseed oil is best
for almost every situation. I personally like using one- half of a paint thinner,
such as citrus, and also one- half of linseed oil.

Ideal Places to Create your Work of Art
A great place to paint in can be defined as being able to work freely without
worrying about stray paints or splotches on the wall. There should also be a good
lighting and it should also a safe place to keep unfinished works in. There should
be enough space that can provide accommodation for you and your paintings,
finished or not. You should also have room to back up and appreciate the
progress of your work. A well light room is recommended for painting, you must
be able to see clearly and differentiate all the colors on your color palette just to
make sure that you would be using the right ones.

Lighting for Painting
When judging if the shade of a color is the right one or the one you prefer, the
standard is the Natural North light. If, however, you would be using a different
light such as incandescent some colors would look different. Such colors like
blue would look a bit less intense since this light emits a yellow orange lighting.
A painting done in a yellow-orange light will look a bit on the blue side when
you see it in direct sunlight.
In addition, some lights emit a blue-green tint which would bring some colors
duller, namely: red and orange. Fluorescent lights are an example of a light
which emits this color. Unlike with incandescent light, paintings done with this
type would make it look far from cool, in terms of warmth, but rather a warmer
mood in direct sunlight.

When You Need to Save a Color: It would be better for you, especially
financially, if you learn to keep already mixed colors or pigments for later use. If
you want to save the remaining paint that is in excess, you should keep it moist
and prevent it from becoming useless. It takes at least three days for oil paint to
dry completely up, when exposed to oxygen in the form of air, from oxidation.
This means that it takes oxygen molecules from the air. When this happens, it
cannot be loosened. Below is some methods of preservation to help you save
paint and to prevent paint from having contact with air and drying up.



The best way to preserve the paint is to put it into an empty paint tube. This is
good if you need a lot of a particular color. It will last this way indefinitely. Load
the paint from the bottom of the tube. Tamp the tube on the palm of your hand to
get out air bubbles and seal the end.

There is also another option for preserving your paint, primarily paint in small
amounts unlike the previous example, and this is through the use of foil packs. In
foil packs, you would be able to keep your paint even for years without it drying
up. In using this material, all you need to do is make sure that no air will get
inside and completely sealing it. Also you can label the foil pack for future
reference.
 Chapter 4. A Guide to Stretching your
own Canvas

Stretching Your Own Canvas: Canvases come in different sizes and dimensions
and you must choose yours wisely since different artworks or projects require
different canvas dimensions. If you need a size that is not available in the
market, you can quickly build them yourself using some scrap wood that you
could find in your backyard. Be resourceful and learn how to become more
capable because a real artist always uses what’s around him to create great works
of art. Any serious artist should treat his canvas as his vehicle to success. No
matter where your canvas comes from or whether you made it yourself or not,
your canvas is an essential part of painting. It should have a weight of number10
or number12 which would be as heavy as a pair of denim jeans.

Step 1 Gather Wooden Materials

A canvas has a wooden foundation which we will call a wooden frame in this
book. It is usually rectangular in shape and can be used in either a portrait or
landscape orientation. To be able to stretch the material itself we will be using
the wooden frames as guides and bases. If you plan on making a small canvas,
you can easily do this by using commercially available stretcher bars. But for a
larger canvas you would need to purchase fir stretchers and cut them and nail
them yourself.

Step 2 Create Your Wooden Frame.

The canvas illustrated above is around 24” x 30” in dimensions. The short bars
are around 22 1/2 “and the longer bars overlap them. We put a center base to be
able to support the canvas further while painting. Triangular plywood is also
placed on the corners for additional support.
The canvas you are preparing should be at 6" larger than your stretcher.

Step 3 Stretching and Securing Your Canvas

Using a staple gun or tacks and a hammer, you should stretch the canvas and
stitch it on all four corners. The stretch should be just enough to be able to hold
all the paint that you are going to layer it with. Then it is also stretched and
tacked around the middle base to further support the canvas while you paint on it
later.

After everything is secured, make sure to cut off the excess canvas material for a
neat and professional canvas look. If you have bought a pre-stretched canvas
then you would need canvas pliers to be able to adjust the stretch of the canvas
you have bought to your liking. This is one of the most important steps in the
process since you would not be able to create a work of art with a weakly
supported and stretched canvas.

Step 4 Sealing Your Canvas


Now that you have secured your canvas foundation, you must now seal your
canvas since its material is still porous in nature which would absorb too much
of the paint you would be applying. Most artists traditionally use a material
called Rabbit Skin Glue in order to seal the canvas and prepare it for oil painting.
This glue looks like dry crystals and you should mix this with one cup of water
for every tablespoon. And then this material is cooked until it becomes a smooth
liquid substance. Apply the glue horizontally to the canvas while it is still hot
and the glue will tighten and seal the canvas closing those porous materials. You
should leave your canvas to dry for one night before you could fully use it in oil
painting.

Step 5 Applying Gesso

After leaving your canvas to dry and to seal overnight, you would need to apply
Gesso. Gesso further seals the canvas and also applies a coating which
complements oil paint. Before applying Gesso, you can lightly sand your dry
canvas in order to remove any unwanted textures. Coat your canvas with Gesso
with as many layers as you think is necessary. You may use water and a brush to
thin it out later on anyway.
Gesso is applied for the purpose of sealing the porous material of the canvas. It
is ideal to implement this substance before oil paint is used for maximum quality
and efficiency. This process also increases the lifespan of a painting because
linseed oil can cause an unprimed canvas to slowly but surely deteriorate,
destroying your work of art. Not only is it a perfect sealer for the canvas and also
a complementary substance to the oil paint by providing an optimal surface to
paint on, it also improves the general quality of the colors painted on the canvas.

Gesso was made from rabbit skin glue and chalk in the past but today it is made
from polymer emulsion and titanium dioxide which has been proven to increase
productivity and quality by more than 50%. Wow. Gesso is also bright white in
color and you need to make it a light neutral color for some paintings preventing
any color conflict. Acrylic paint is an effective toner and neutralizer that many
professional artists use in some of their paintings. Liquitex Acrylic Gesso is
highly recommended for priming your canvas.

Step 6 Begin Painting Your Masterpiece



Congratulations! You have now finished preparing your first canvas by yourself.
It wasn’t that hard wasn’t it? Anyway, you’d get used to that in the near future.
Now that your canvas is ready, you can now start painting your masterpiece.
Make sure to make a mental outline of what you would like to paint and also
consider the colors of oil paint available and if it would complement your
painting. This is your first step in becoming a very successful oil painter.
Continue reading this book and you will learn basic to advanced painting
techniques that would make you paint like a pro in no time. Always remember to
keep an open mind and try and try until you succeed. Nobody becomes a
Leonardo Da Vinci at the first few tries.
Chapter 5 - The Basic Brush Techniques
in Oil Painting

Design

Today, design can be defined by artists as how he/she mixes elements in colors,
composition, shading and blending in one painting. It can be either consciously
or unconsciously done but most great artists can create beautiful art pieces
unconsciously and with no effort. It can also be defined as how close the
outcome is to what the artist is trying to paint.
Technique

In oil painting alone, there are numerous techniques that an artist can use.
Technique is innovative, traditional and also varying. Technique evolves through
time and development in technology but the old principles and techniques
remained constant and appreciated as an art. Some examples of techniques used
in oil painting are: impasto, glazing, scumbling, masking, and feathering. This
can also mean an artist’s unique and individual style and character of painting.
Technique, today, is directly linked to the ability of an artist to execute his
creative and imaginative thought and images from his brain. This means that he
is capable of almost, if not completely, copying what he had in mind beforehand.

Creating a Sketch for Oil Paintings

Your canvas is a large rectangle with basically nothing on it once you finish
stretching it to the proper condition. A real artist knows that to create beautiful
art he must be able to execute the creative imagination he has inside his mind
and failing to do this would result in a great idea under poor execution. In order
to paint what you have in mind, it is important to have a rough sketch on what
you plan to paint on your canvas. Remember that oil paint is permanent and it
would cost you a lot if you waste your expensive oil paint. Charcoal sketches, on
the other hand, can be made on your canvas. Not a trace will be noticeable once
the painting has been finished since the oil paint can cover up the charcoal
sketch easily.
Always remember that when creating a sketch of a figment of your imagination,
it does not need to be in complete details. A very detailed design will only waste
your efforts since oil paint will only be covered by it. It is recommended to use
merely simple shapes, lines and curves in order to serve as guides for your
painting. An audience will only see the oil paint once it is done and not the
charcoal sketch.

As a beginner, you can try creating your charcoal drawing on a piece of paper
first and once you have finalized your design you can then transfer it to the
canvas. Always practice drawing this way and in no time, once you get the hang
of it, you will be able to create drawings directly on the canvas such as most
professional oil painters. When you outline your charcoal guide directly on a
canvas, you should use oil paint that has been mixed with a paint thinner since it
does not need to be separated from other colors.

The ideal material to use when drawing a sketch on your canvas is charcoal.
Charcoal pencils are darker and model as a guide for your painting. Be cautious
not to smudge the charcoal though because it can get a bit messy if the charcoal
gets smudged. In drawing using charcoal, always use a fixative so that the
drawing would still be isolated from the paint that you apply. Some artists prefer
using vine charcoal since it is easier to seal with a fixative, compared to its other
counterpart the charcoal pencil.

You could also use a pencil when drawing your sketch. You still need to use a
fixative before you use oil colors on the sketch. But you may notice once you try
using a pencil in sketching that, if you press the pencil too hard, the sharp point
of the pencil damages the gesso layer that you have applied previously. This can
be fixed by reapplying a small layer of gesso on the area to re-cover the harm
done. Fixatives may not be necessary after re-application of gesso.

A life hack in transferring sketches to a canvas is also available. You could use
tracing paper in this process to make it easier. Simply tape the drawing to your
canvas and use carbon paper in order to transfer your sketch easily to the canvas
while keeping your original design measurements. Congratulations, you have
successfully transferred your drawing with no hassle at all. Remember that you
would still need to seal this with a fixative or gesso before applying oil paint on
the transferred sketch.

Basic Brush Techniques in Oil Painting

Now that you have a bit of knowledge about everything you need to know about

oil painting and what you need to start oil painting, you can now begin learning

the basic techniques. Everything starts with the basics and without a good basic

foundation; you would not be able to execute more advanced techniques well.

That is how important basics are and why we should not skip this step. So

ideally, you must learn to master the basic brush techniques in this guide before

moving on to our advanced techniques chapter.

There are four different brush techniques that can give you a great foundation in

oil painting. Since this is a very comprehensive and detailed guide, we will be

discussing each and every technique in detail.

Gradient Blending

The first technique we will discuss is gradient blending. Gradient Blending is the
essence of painting, without it our paintings would look lifeless, fake and dull.
We need to blend different colors and different shades to be able to imitate real
world shadows, highlights and textures. Blending is always seen, take note on
the word “always”, in oil paintings and to become a great artist you must first
learn this process and also take time to practice it and eventually master
blending.
What exactly is gradient blending? It is the transition from one color to another
which makes paintings look more realistic. It is easier to blend with oil paint
since it takes practically days to dry up and you can therefore continue blending
before that time period. Other paint mixtures would dry up almost instantly,
making it harder to blend. Flat brushes are usually used for gradient blending
because it is easier to blend with a wide and flat brush.

Gradient blending is done by having two separate colors in your canvas; as

shown above. You then use your brush to drag back and forth, stroking the colors
until you see a blend or a sort of transition from color to color. This is simple
blending and can be done easily. The hard part is getting used to it even in small
details since most paintings require blending even in the smallest details.
To further smoothen the gradient blending, you can apply parallel strokes to
make the transition smoother and more gradual, thus imitating realistic lighting
and shadow effects. Try experimenting on blending in different shapes, sizes and
even light sources.

Once you get used to gradient blending, you will be able to create art such as the
one on top. Here you can see the different colors and styles blended into one
painting. Try to distinguish the different colors used in the painting and try to
imitate the artist’s technique in blending. He was able to incorporate cool and
warm colors in one painting which brought an intense feeling and it looks as if
the painting is touching your emotional and artistic side of the brain.
In this example it is very clear to see the possibilities that gradient blending can
bring to a painting. The beauty and a feeling of reality of the painting can be
largely associated with the process of blending. Feelings are also present when
the proper colors are blended properly with an image that can touch the heart.
In mastering blending, eventually you would be able to blend colors that make
your painting look real and undistinguishable at a distance. Reality can be fooled
with the proper skill of the artist. An example is shown below where the artist
has achieved near perfection in his blending skill and his painting looks very
real. You might not even believe me that the painting below is a painting and
was not taken from a camera. It takes a lot of skill and a lot more of practice to
attain blending and texturing like the one below. That is why practice is
important, especially in gradient blending. Keep practicing and we will move to
the next basic technique you would need to learn.

Wet-on-Wet Technique


The second basic brush technique is the Wet-on-Wet technique. This is done
painting a solid one layer of paint which is either clear or colored. This color will
serve as your background as you paint different other colors to create a work of
art. While the paint of your solid color is still wet, you can paint strokes of
different colored paint on top of the solid colored background.

The oil paint is then applied with the use of a paint brush or a knife, only a small
amount of oil paint is required since we would only be dabbing the brush on the
already present layer of paint.

Using the same brush size all throughout, you can space your strokes at will to
be able to imitate blending of a gradient effect. In this brush technique, it is
important to make your paint strokes randomly done and not in an orderly and
purposefully looking fashion. This is to excite the senses of spectators since they
would be seeing an image out of seemingly random paint strokes over a solid
colored background. The best type of brush to use in this method would be a
round bristle brush. Then the unique process in this technique is that you would
leave your painting as is, how it ended after all those small strokes. You would
need not to worry about not blending these colors to create a more realistic feel
since this method incorporates an uncommon and abstract idea.
The process of painting using the wet-on-wet technique does not require any
firm decision making and planning. This is a rather spontaneous technique that
goes well as it is itself no matter if you make numerous small mistakes. You
would need to be aware of all the materials beforehand to be able to create a
painting with this technique on a flowing manner, without disruptions. Since oil
paint dries slowly, you will have a lot of time for minor revisions in case your
flaws would be so big and noticeable.
As I have said above, a specific plan is not required since a spontaneous wet-on-
wet painting is better. Even though, it can still be a great help to do a quick
sketch of what you would like to draw and it is completely alright if that sketch
would lack a lot of detail since you would need just a guide before you start.

Additional tips in using the wet-on-wet technique:
Use your sketch to as a guide only but do not copy it exactly
You must loosen up about the direction your painting is going to go
and what it would look like.
Build up layers and gradually your main picture will come into focus.
It is okay to go back another time in painting your work of art just to
recharge your creative juices.
Use visuals based on your own life experience; those places in which
you have happy memories or even sad memories.
Scumbling
The next technique we are going to introduce to you is Scumbling. Scumbling is
basically applying a layer that is cracked and broken over another layer. This
creates a very classic and vintage look that would make the painting look
physically more realistic and valued. There is a deeper sense and color variation
when we apply this technique to our painting.
Scumbling is ideally done using opaque or transparent colors. But if you are to
compare these two paint mixtures, the opaque paint has greater effect when you
apply a lighter color on the top of a dark colored layer. In looking at this effect at
a distance, you would see the colors blending in and creating an optical illusion
that makes your brain believe it to be blended and realistically painted.
Using this technique would require you to paint straight into your canvas,
making the bristles splay out, while rotating your brush to create a mottled
effect. This process is then repeated for the whole painting to create a very
unique texture and style to the painting. Keep in mind that you must practice this
technique since it would take some time before you would get used to it. In my
opinion, a flat bristle brush works best in using the scumbling technique but this
all depends upon you. Try experimenting on the right brush you would find
scumbling easiest to do.
You can try using a piece of cloth that is crumpled in using the scumbling
method if you would like an alternative to a brush. It is very similar to sponge
painting made on a wall, most artists would realize. All you have to keep in
mind that you simply have to use your dry brush with a little amount of paint at a
time. You would be saving paint while doing this since you would only be
applying oil paint by small amounts. It is wiser to go through an area numerous
times rather than start out with a lot of paint which can result in a lot of wasted
oil paint.
To start scumbling, simply dip your dry brush into a little oil paint. Using a piece
of cloth, wipe the tip of your brush gently to remove excess paint, leaving a very
thin layer of oil paint on the bristles of your brush. Once you begin painting, you
will notice that the paint you apply is a bit stiff and it would not spread as easy
as before. Throughout the process, you should keep your brush dry to maintain
consistent stroke techniques. If, however, your paint brush becomes a bit wet,
you can use your cloth in drying your brush from moisture.
Basically, the scumbling technique is like applying the excess paint from a dried
brush into your painting. The effect would result in a very faint area of color
which is the opposite of other methods which results in bright and vivid colors.
The idea is not to fill up the whole canvas but rather work on specific areas to
produce a unique effect with this technique.
The ideal set of brushes to use to scumble is an old set of brushes. Using a
newly-bought brush could lead in destroying its bristles which would quickly
degrade and devalue your newly bought paint brush. You can also use a cheap
paint brush which would easily degrade anyway.
Scumbling using a paint brush that is wet and filled with oil paint will result in
the oil paint mixing and spreading. This removes the ideal scrambler effect that
you would want to produce and instead it would look like a mere circle of wet
oil paint which can easily be achieved through simple circular strokes.

Mastering this simple technique can create variations in your style of painting
since it has a very unique and fading effect. A lot of great artists have honed their
scumbling techniques and produced a wide variety of paintings with scumbling
as a main technique. All you need is a little patience and lots and lots of practice.
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect.

Other Basic Techniques to Master
Composition
Composition is an element which is always present in a painting. No matter what
type of painting you are creating, you can cause a person’s eye to move in ways
to convince that person of physical distance and position of all the things in your
painting. If we draw a small object and a larger object near it, it would appear as
if the larger object is the nearer one and the smaller object is the farther one. This
is a very basic element that assists our brain in functioning well by giving out
logical hints as to the reality of the image we are looking at. In composition, an
artist must be aware of how a viewer’s eye would move and react to the painting.

In the picture above, the road is drawn diagonally which leads our eyes from the
center to the background, following the road. This allows us to mentally walk
down the path in the drawing. This is a simple technique in emphasizing
movement and interaction with viewers.

In the picture above, your eyes would move from one object to another, from the
biggest object in the picture to the smallest one we can see. Our brain functions
in a way that we notice the big pictures first rather than the smaller ones. If you
analyze your eyes’ movements, you would notice that it moves in a triangular
pattern as shown in the drawing.

In this last picture above, there are two circles drawn, one smaller and the other
larger. It would appear to the viewer that the larger one is nearer and the smaller
one is further away from him.
Light and Shadow

Our rational thinking makes us see lighter colors advancing towards and darker
colors moving away from us. This is how our brain functions so that we could
logically figure out what is happening with a picture such as the one above. The
mixture of light and shadow complement each other in different and a lot of
ways.
Light and shadow are complementary to each other in the sense that lighter
colors allow more emphasis on darker colors while darker colors allow more
emphasis on lighter colors. In painting, we must use a mixture of light and dark
colors to make our painting more realistic and easily imagined. If we, however,
use purely light or dark colors, this would flatten your whole painting and create
a very empty image. In the example above, the white ball appears nearer than the
black ball. But truth be told, balls are the same size.
Now that you have knowledge on the basic skills required to start oil painting,
which are mixing colors, painting light and shade, gradient blending and
brushwork dynamics, you can now move on to improve these basic techniques
through constant and consistent practice. You may do this every day on your free
or leisure time. Every minute of practice counts since it would slowly but surely
improve your skill and in no time you would transition from the beginner stage
to the advanced stage.
Through the exercises and techniques that you learned in this book so far, you
have been able to increase your knowledge and skill in oil painting. You are also
more informed and familiar with the different equipment materials that you
would be needing, using and even buying. In a couple of months, you would
then realize your personal style and continue to develop this until it would be
close to perfection. Practice and actual painting will help you visualize your
ideas more easily and more accurately which is a skill that most great artists
possess.

 Chapter 6.Preserving your Work of Art

A finished work of art would be nothing if it would naturally degrade in a few

months. It is essential to protect and preserve your painting so that it would last
not only years but decades. There is a technique that helps maintain the quality
of your picture for the years to come and this is called “varnishing”. Varnish is a
liquid substance that dries up into a thin and glossy layer which protects your
painting from dirt and dust while also improving your painting’s final look.
As your varnished painting ages through the years, dust and dirt will still build
upon the varnished layer. In case this happens to your picture, or any painting for
that matter, the varnished layer on your painting can be removed and you can
apply a new coat of varnish.
In using varnish, you should avoid applying this substance if your painting looks
dull. This dullness is due to the oil paint sinking into the surface of the canvas.
The appropriate remedy for this problem is to use an artist’s painting medium to
oil it up.
Artists also varnish their picture to add texture to the painting. This stabilizes its
surface and adds a texture or repairs damaged layers. But it would take a lot of
time for the varnished layer to be removable without damaging or even
destroying the painting.

Types of Surfaces that can be varnished

Varnish is ideally used with paintings created by mainly oil or acrylic paint.
These color types are thick and separate from the canvas which makes the
varnish substance complement the paint mixture.
Varnish would not work with watercolor and drawings. These would result in the
varnish being absorbed by the paint or the paper which would cause the picture
to discolor or even to become disfigured.

It is important to if it necessary to apply varnish to all your works of art. Varnish

is a substance that finds very useful purpose in the painting industry, if used
correctly, of course. Do not hesitate to double check this part of the book
anytime for reference just in case you forget the guidelines regarding the use of
varnish on paintings.

Type of Varnish to Use for your Painting

Here is a list of different kinds of varnishes you can choose from:

Dammar Varnishes – a very popular choice for a varnish. Most artists
still use this type even though there are newer types of varnish.
Gloss Varnishes – This choice give a dazzling and broad effect to add
with the colors in your painting. It is also very glossy and has a lot of
reflection.
Matt Varnishes – This has a matte effect for your painting which does
 not have any reflection but the colors on your painting would look
duller and darker.
Winsor & Newton Varnishes – Can be used in paintings used with oil,
alkyd, acrylic or artisan paint. All varnishes under this category are
made of specific color sets.

Varnishes of Winsor & Newton for Different Purposes:
Oil Color Varnishes
Winsor & Newton is very traditional if you want it used as your medium which
most people do. Using distilled turpentine is necessary to remove this type of
varnish since a high solvent would only remove an oil color varnish by Winsor
& Newton.

Professional Gloss Varnishes
The most used varnish in the painting industry. When you use this type of
varnish, expect a very high gloss finish which improves the overall color and
quality of your picture. As time goes by, you would require stronger solvents to
remove this type of varnish.

Professional Matte Varnishes
A very modern type of varnish which can be easily removed anytime you
would like to remove it. Applying this to a painting would give a matte finish
to it but in turn would cause colors to darken and become duller.
Note: You can mix Professional Gloss and Professional Matte varnishes to
achieve an ideal glossy or matte effect that would suit your painting and the
colors that you have used. An ideal ratio would be 50:50 which would give a
very optimal glossy and matte finish.

Professional Satin Varnishes
This type of varnish is superior in quality but expensive. It has a UV resistant
ingredient that protects your painting from getting damaged by the rays of the
sun. It can be removed with the use of artists’ white spirit or distilled
turpentine.

Re-touching Varnish
This type of varnish is also UV resistant and has a glossy effect that
enlightens your painting. It is very quick drying and is only used in thin
layers since the varnish itself is very concentrated and powerful.

Some Tips in Applying Varnish

Before applying varnish to your painting, you must wait until the
paint is completely dry for the varnish coat to be able to protect the
painting.
Make sure to wipe your painting off of any dust or dirt before
applying a thin layer of varnish as a coat. This would, in effect,
allow you to preserve the painting at its finest and the sharpest
condition.
Use a brush that is flat and wide to apply the varnish easily over
the whole painting. Make sure to clean it well and use it solely for
the purpose of varnishing.
Apply varnish on a flat surface. Avoid applying varnish on your
painting while it is in a vertical position. This is important to
flatten down the varnish layer on your painting.
Your varnish should also be mixed well before application. Pour
 the varnish on a clean saucer and always make sure to wipe the
sides of the dish to avoid any mess the varnish drippings may
cause.
Use three thin coats instead of one thick coat in applying varnish.
Allow each layer to dry up first before applying another coat of
varnish in your painting.
Use strokes that are even in a top to bottom fashion. Also remove
any bubbles that appear on the layer of varnish.
Refrain from going back to areas that you have already applied a
layer of varnish. You can apply a thin layer of varnish once again,
anyway, once the previous layer is thoroughly dry already.
You can also use a “tent” to protect your painting further. A shield
is a protective plastic film that can shield your painting further
from dust.
It is recommended to avoid sticking anything to the varnished
painting once it is in the process of drying up. The reason is that it
may stick to anything which would destroy the varnish coat that
you have applied. Avoid hanging your paintings in bathrooms,
kitchens and every other area that would cause a Quick dirt
buildup on the painting


How to Conserve your Paintings Further
Most artists and collectors find paintings treasured and one of their greatest
assets. A regular check and examination on the condition of your painting/s is an
important step to take if you want the painting/s you have to last for decades or
even centuries. Some signs of deterioration may appear and you could treat most
of these by yourself.
Some canvases have its corners split up at the edges. Some canvases would also
look brittle in the perspective of an audience. In these cases, your painting would
need a lining to be able to repair these. If you see tiny holes on the wood, it may
mean that insects have infested the frame and it is advisable to stretch your
canvas on a new piece of wood. Check for any loose keys in your painting and these should be
smoothened out by applying the right tension in your canvas. It is important that your canvas is stretched

well for an even picture. Too much pressure applied in adjusting tension may destroy your painting and that
is why I recommend you to be cautious when dealing with the problem.

The last step in checking your painting see if the wire cord is frayed and if the
brackets and screws are tight and secure. This is very important since you would
not want the main frame of your painting to collapse one day suddenly. The
hooks should also be able to hold your picture when it is hung on a wall.

Transferring your Paintings from One Place to Another
In carrying your paintings, if ever you would need to transfer them from one
place to another, avoid holding the painting by the top part of the wooden frame.
You should take more care and certain precautions in handling your paintings.
The outer edges and the bottom part of the frame are where you should carry
your paintings to prevent any damage done to them.
Exercise extra care in handling older paintings as the frame of these old
paintings would usually be weaker due to degradation. You would not want to
damage your paintings accidentally, risking them by mishandling and
miscarriage. Also, you can repair some broken pieces of the wooden frame by
using generic wood glue to piece them back together and to increase the overall
stability of the old wooden frame. It is also an option to change the entire
wooden frame if necessary but it would be a very hard and risky task.

Wiping off the Dust and Lint

In handling any painting, you must always wash your hands before touching the
painting; this is to protect our painting from any other microorganism or dust
from contaminating your painting. Clean hands prevent any additional dirt or lint
on the canvas which also makes it easier and more convenient to clean. Always
grip two sides of the painting frame so that you would prevent any loosening in
the canvas and its frame.
To clean your paintings just use a soft hair brush or a soft cloth to wipe away the
dust and lint that forms over time. Be careful in cleaning the exterior, especially
the part with painted art, since any loose or flaking paint has a chance to get
pulled off in the process of cleaning. This would then damage the entire painting
and also lower its market value.
Aside from brushing the dust and lint off the front part your paintings, you could
also use a vacuum at the back of the canvas to clean any excess dirt. If you see
any grime or spots on your painting you can use a small amount of mild dish
soap and a wet cloth to clean this up. Remember to test the soap’s reaction to the
paint first before you try on the whole painting. If you are not experienced in
cleaning paintings, you will be safer to hire a trained restorer to restore your
paintings back to their finest quality.

Place your Paintings in Proper and Safe Locations
One of the most important steps in conserving your paintings is eliminating the
risk of its damage due to the location where it is placed. You would want to
avoid various extreme factors that would be able to damage your paintings such
as temperature, humidity, and lighting. The room should at least revolve in an
average room temperature which is an ideal location for displaying oil paintings.
Any extreme temperature increase or decrease would cause the paintings’
textures and color to change or even crack. An increase in humidity would cause
your canvas to warp. This is the reason why it is not advisable to display any oil
painting in the kitchen or the restroom.
To avoid damages such as scrapes or even bumps to your paintings, hang them
appropriately and securely using hooks and a hanging wire. These materials can
be easily found and bought in most art supply and hobby shops around the city.
A periodical check would help, indeed, since you would have knowledge if the
painting’s structure is stable. All the nails, wire, and hooks should be secured to
an extent that it would not let the weight of the picture cause them to break and
as a result the painting to fall from the wall it is displayed on.
Hanging a painting near high risk places such as near a fireplace, near a gas
stove, near the window and etc. would have a great chance that the painting
would get damaged due to heat, fire, smoke, rain, water, sunlight and other
external factors that would directly affect the oil paint on the painting.
A room lacking of moisture and humidity would dry out your paintings and
affect their supporting framework directly. Also, this dryness if paired with heat
would damage the oil paint present on the canvas. This is one main reason why
you should avoid placing oil paintings near a fireplace or any other source of
heat such as your gas stove. You can purchase a hygrometer to measure a room’s
humidity at any hardware store. Ideally, a 45% humidity level is recommended
to protect your paintings further.
Direct UV light is harmful for your paintings no matter if it is an artificial or a
natural source of light. This can cause discoloration and fading of the paint
which you would not want in any case. Try not to point the light source directly
to the oil painting when you display it. This would help in reducing the negative
effects of UV rays.
If you still wish to place your paintings near a window, it is recommended to
apply a glass tint to the window glass to reduce incoming UV rays from the sun
which may damage your paintings. Also use incandescent light bulbs in the
room since florescent and halogen lamp emit UV light similar to those that come
from directly from the sun.
Following these steps would allow you to conserve your paintings and make
them last decades or even centuries. Always remember that proper maintenance
and extensive care are necessary if you want your oil paintings to last long.
Since most oil paintings are worth an enormous amount of money, it is wise to
take care of them so that in the future they would be easier to liquidate and you
could sell them for a higher value after some years has past. As long as you
properly maintain the oil painting’s beauty and overall quality, you would be
able to sell it easily to collectors and wealthy clients.
It is also ideal to use the standard materials and wooden frame that is generally
used by artists and newbies alike. A frame made of glass would either smudge or
stick to the paint, in turn, destroying the painting you own which would have
sold at a great price after a few years.
The process of conserving your paintings is not really hard and time consuming.
Simply follow the steps and guidelines provided in this guide and you should be
good to go with appropriate knowledge in preserving oil paintings.
In very moist and humid areas, you can expect mold to grow on your paintings.
Sometimes even small insects start to contaminate the canvas. These situations
are an artist’s nightmare since they can be really damaging to your paintings. In
case one of these happens, isolate your painting from the other paintings and
have a trained specialist to advise you about steps to undertake to remedy the
situation. You should not attempt to remove these by yourself since you may just
make matters worse.
 Chapter 7. Advanced Oil Painting
Techniques and Materials
How do you define a Beautiful Painting?

In the past, most people and art critics judge pictures with respect to an
individual criteria but, in this modern era, there are no standard criteria in
judging a picture. As the old saying goes “Beauty lies in the eyes of its
beholder.” we begin to realize that different people have different opinions
regarding what is beautiful to them. Some people look for a painting with a
direct message and a clear image while others find paintings that make your
mind work, since the meaning and the image is projected indirectly, amazingly
beautiful. It is not only in the eyes that we appreciate beauty but also in the heart
and the soul where we see what the eye does not see.

In large art galleries and art exhibits there is usually a guideline regarding the
individual criteria in judging the beauty of a work of art. Though we all have
different perspectives, as mentioned in the previous paragraph, most of these
galleries and exhibits want a particular genre or mood in which the paintings
present there should be in line with their theme.

For example, a traditional art exhibit would not want modern and contemporary
paintings since these are out of their context. Though these large displays may
have preferences on paintings, smaller art galleries and art exhibits tend to
accept paintings regardless of the theme, mood and genre it belongs to. These
smaller events also allow local and small time artists to display their art which
would help them further develop their artistic skills and character.

Looking At Art

Though, as I have discussed, beauty is a variable element which differs in every

individual, there are traditional factors that can be called as guidelines in judging
artwork. These guidelines are called “aesthetics”. In the past, aesthetics was the
firm basis and principles of beauty but, today, beauty is known as variable and
differing.
Aesthetics is a study that deals heavily on the topic of beauty and how a painting
could be considered beautiful according to its laws. There are a lot of references
where you could further read about the principles and basis of beauty according
to the aesthetic point of view. Some books that are good to read are as follows:
A Painter’s Guide to Design and Composition by Margot Schulzke
Color by Betty Edwards
Art and Visual Perception by Rudolf Arnheim

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards

Getting more Professional Painting Materials

A professional painter has a wide array of oil paint colors which he could choose
from. Along with this large collection of different colored oil paint, a
professional painter also has different brands of each or selected colors. Through
experience, you would learn that in oil painting different colors have different
effects on our brain’s perspective of an image.
Most people may find themselves amazed by simple colors simply because their
brain has a positive reaction to the colors present on the painting. A good artist
would also know that there are a lot of big differences between oil paint brands
and their colors. Some brands have rich colors while others have bold textures
and it is up to a painter to figure out what brand would be good for his style.
You can even mix and match different colors and different brands. Try
experimenting with different colors and brands of oil paint and eventually you
will have your own personal preference on what you will be using.
Experiment on different color themed paintings, it is easier to know if a color or
brand works well by looking at the outcome of a painting. Some students
purchase paints merely to test them by making works of art. The best thing about
this method is that you won’t have to waste paint since it is already on your
canvas as a finished work.
Though what this guide suggests may be costly and time consuming, you could
always observe your fellow artists’ paintings and merely ask them what brand of
color they are using. In this way, you are able to gather free information which
you could use. Ask for their opinions too regarding what oil paint colors and
brands to use. Some of them would even describe in detail the main differences
between oil paint brands.
But never forget that you get what you paid for. Some paint brands may be cheap
but these means that they contain more fillers than the more expensive oil paints.
Fillers are mixed in a paint substance to save on raw materials cost and thus to
sell the paint at a cheaper price. You should prefer more expensive paint with no
to fewer fillers. This ensures the overall quality of the paint and the color since
you will be getting more pigments for better colors. Expensive oil paint also has
a thicker texture and a more compatible ability to mix with other paint colors and
brands. This is a grand plus for expensive oil paint which you would have
though unnecessary before reading this guide.
Canvases
Canvases are one, if not only, of the most important materials in painting.
Looking for canvases can be hard but it can also be part of your learning.
Standard, also known as academic or student grade, canvas has a quite
significant position. This means that the canvas has been sized and measured so
that the façade resist oil paints from going through. But if you want more from
your canvas, there are other types of canvas that can suit your needs but it comes
with different prices. Other types offer a more resistant surface and a more
stretchable frame which, sometimes, is what is needed.
Economical canvases are stapled at the edge and will have to be placed in a
frame for finishing. This type of canvas will be perfect for you if you plan to
staple your finished work. Although many artists today prefer not to frame their
works anymore, there are still artists that need their work to be framed so they
can paint the edges as well. This type of canvas will seem to cost more at the
start but will save you money in the future as you will not have to buy another
frame, unless you want to.
Brushes

As an artist, brushes can define you. Sizes and shapes of brushes are an
extension of your hand and over the time you will come to have your own
favorites. There is a wide variety of brushes on the market ranging from
inexpensive to costly ones. There are two things to think about when purchasing
a brush; the first one is, what will you use it for specifically? And secondly, how
will it stand up repeated use? Keep in mind that a more expensive brush will last
longer. For oil painting, students are encouraged to experiment with hog bristle,
synthetic hair brushes until finally choosing a brush you feel the most
comfortable with.

Thinners and Mediums
Oil paint thinners such as turpentine, turpenoid and paint mediums like linseed
oil and dammar varnishes will alter the body of your paint as well as the façade
of the finished painting as they help change the texture and flow of the paint.
There are products that you should use with caution like turpentine, unrefined
linseed oil and other thinners. These products may work well with house paints
but are often not of good quality and can cause artwork to turn yellow, crack,
and/or change in the future. Turpenoid is somewhat odorless which makes it
preferred by most students.
Bear in mind that these products are important for the eminence of your artwork
so choose the ones that are of artists’ quality as they can affect the color and
permanence of your work.

Your signature style
There are many layers and obstacles that fulfill your whole painting experience.
Some of these are finding your expressive statement and finding out how you
prefer to develop it, your materials and learning which ones you are most
comfortable in, and the incessant responsibility of updating and improving your
way of working and your style to keep accustomed to your creative journey.
There are a lot of everyday things that affect your mood and emotions that shape
your ideas and shift your expression techniques. As an artist, you need to spend
time on research, creative thinking and development to create the best artwork
you can. It is important for artists to keep the essence of their work lively.
Below are some suggestions to further polish your skills and test your artistic
methods. A self-testing method will help you perceive what and how you are
doing with your work. This step is vital because as you get more attached and
occupied with your work and your signature style, you also need an overview to
perceive it on a different light. For this purpose, it is good to have contact with
an instructor or a gallery.
However, if you are not comfortable with showing your work to other people or
if you do not want outside input, you must check your work from time to time in
light of self-check exercises to be used to your own work.
Below are some self-check exercises to help you see your work from a different
perspective.

Self-check 1.1 – Self Portrait
This requires three canvases and canvas boards. Set up a mirror that is at a
standstill and experiment with different positions of your face. How will you
pencil in your face and yourself? What kind of mood will convey with your face
and later sketch? What kind of environment do you see yourself in?
First, draw and outline your portrait with a pencil so it can be erasable until your
final touch. It would be your draft which you can correct later on. After that, you
can then use a brush and paint diluted with turpentine to fill in the shape of the
face, hair, and background. You are encouraged to use a more energetic color
palette and a smaller brush if you want to define line and certain areas. Work
quickly and do not spend too much time on a detail so you will not lose your
momentum and the whole idea. You can touch up the details later on.

Self-check 1.2 – Self Portrait
Start your second self-portrait. Again, start with the draft and this time, when
you paint it, use a different color palette. Experiment and learn to have fun with
your work. Try changing the mood, emotions, and environment of the painting.
Try different ways of expressing emotions through your painting and get out of
your comfort zone. Learn to use your heart and feelings instead of your mind.

Self-check 1.3 – Self Portrait
As instructed earlier, after the drawing, which you have done with pencil, block
in the colors with thinned washes. You can use any color you prefer but decide
what color palette you want to use. There is vibrant, subdued, and there is also
the combination of both. After doing the washes, slowly upsurge the colors,
including the shadows and the highlights. Include a more subtle color for
shadows and highlights.
Work on the details like hair strands, eyebrows, reflections in eyes and various
shading and color for the face. Look closely; look for details you might have
missed or ones that you would like to enhance. Details can define your whole
artwork so do not cut corners on this procedure. Take all the time you need on
this one.
Now put all the three paintings you have done beside each other and compare
them. Which do you like best? Why do you think it is better than the other two?
How do they relate? Do the paintings have one characteristic that you would like
to include in your next artwork? By looking at the paintings, you can already see
your signature style emerging.
You might enjoy painting but not painting self-portraits. It is alright, just keep in
mind that it is important that you enjoy what you are doing. It is one in
committing to a specific style. Just continue your work until you find the one
that suits you best.
The following are examples of three portrait studies.

Painting Study One – Washes of vibrant color
Painting Study Two – Use of subdued color palette, emphasis on dark and
light contrasts

Painting Study Three – Use of cool color palette and working in more detail
and attention to light and shadow gradation

Setting and focusing on a direction

At this point of your progress, a piece of constructive criticism from your
instructor or mentor will be a lot of help for your work and your overview. It
would be better if students interacted with their instructors and/or mentors to
help them refine their signature style. An outside opinion would not hurt and it
would help you ease on to your work by receiving a fresh outlook.
It is vital for you to keep your goal in mind for and use it to guide you in your
development, although creativity can be affected when an artist presumes works
to be done in the future. This usually occurs when artists let art sales and the
market dictate their works for the sake of the money they might earn. You can
still keep working, and be successful, in the way you want, regardless of the
changes in the society and the environment. However, this would be hard to
prevent when an artist finds a more successful and profitable circle where the
artist would not have any other choice but to repeat the same subject, and style
and methods over his or her future works. The society is usually looking for the
same or similar product and style as they want to make sure of the quality and
they want works which they already know the value of. It is disappointing to see
many artists in today’s society not fully-developing their creative capabilities
and stay continually focused on the monetary benefits of their work.
Each new part of your current artwork can cause a little adjustment in direction
and can give you an original realizations that will alter your whole approach to
your work. You can think of this as the work coming to life and is
communicating with you. It is a natural occurrence, just go with the flow and be
spontaneous. This will determine your output and can help you discover and
refine your signature style.






Five Different Abstract Painting Studies

Art paintings have been exponentially diversifying through the years. There are
different styles and genre in painting and advanced techniques which show how
important art and oil painting is to our culture and social lives. In the 1880’s,
there were a lot of art movements that consisted of creative and imaginative
artists that blossomed one or two painting techniques. Since the variety of art
forms and techniques used in oil paintings is currently a lot, everyone can adapt
to each of them or even create one on his own. Today, painting styles can range
from abstract painting where spectators need to use their mind and imagination
to create an image in their mind and photo-realism where the spectators see the
paintings as almost close to reality.
A good practice to finely hone your style and oil painting techniques is to offer
free painting jobs to people. This would free up your mind and allow you to
concentrate on the materials you are using and also the style that you wish to
master. At any rate, you would easily increase this skill since you will be doing
repetitive practices every single day. You can also charge a small fee but
charging too high would cause a lot of people to look for other available oil
painters in the vicinity with a cheaper and a fair price. Regardless of the price,
always keep in mind that you are not painting for yourself but rather for
someone else. It should be your goal to satisfy that person and make sure that
your painting delivers a unique ambience in the room the painting is going to be
placed.

Painting Exercise
Okay now that you are ready to paint a work of art for a specific someone, you
must now conceptualize and prepare your painting materials. Put colors in your
palette since you would need most colors that would fit the theme of your
painting. It is easier to conceptualize by tearing off five pages from your sketch
book. This will serve as your guides in concept generation and you would be
able to see easily whether what you have in mind is beautiful, unique and
attention grabbing.
Each paper should be roughly 6” x 6” in dimensions and this would be your
standard size for your conceptualization sketches. Do not think much of what
you are doing or of what you are painting. Let your ideas flow from the artistic
side of your brain, through your blood and into the paper. If you always work
like this, you will be able to free your imagination and creativity which is stuck
inside the gates of being close-minded and dull.
Keep adding details and unique ideas to your sketches, in this way you would
end up with having five differing and unique concepts. You would then need to
choose the best sketch and idea you were able to survive and, once you have
chosen one, treat this particular sketch as the backbone of your masterpiece.

Abstract One
Once you have spent a generous amount of time in conceptualizing in sketch
book paper, you can now move on to conceptualizing in canvas. This will
require a small canvas for you to work on. You have to apply what you have
learned at the previous activity and simply let your thought and ideas flow out of
your mind and into the canvas. Once you are finished, set the canvas aside and
observe your finished piece of art. Now this painting should show your
personality and overall character. They once said that you can see an artists’
emotion and hardships through his paintings.

Abstract Two
Start another painting study using a new canvas. Repeat what you have done last
time and continue painting until you are fully contented. After your second
experiment is done, set it aside next to your first painting. Observe the paintings
and compare the both of them with regard to the style, colors and mood.
Do you see a pattern developing? You may see a repetition of colors, blends and
brushworks that would make them look similar but not quite. In theory, if you
were to continue this study about five times then you would easily see a definite
pattern present in all of them. This pattern is your style, your character, your soul
as an artist and the trait that would differentiate you from all the other artists in
the world.
Once you have recognized your own painting style, try to develop this and create
a unique character in your paintings. People would not like to see the same style
present in all the paintings and that is why it is that important to have your own
unique style when painting. Eventually, you will realize the strengths and
weaknesses of your own style and you could improve it more through constant
practice.

Notes from the Author about Abstract Painting
The essence of abstract painting is learning how to release yourself from control
and not the other way around. Unlike other styles of painting, abstract painting
should come in instinctively and not purposefully. The exercises above are very
useful in learning how to release yourself from control and freeing your mind to
produce artwork that comes straight from the heart. As you get deeper in your
practice sessions, you will soon realize your true capabilities, creativity,
imagination and skills in painting. Most of the artists, regardless of experience
and number of years in the profession, have the artistic part of their brain
untapped and undiscovered.
All of these may not make any sense right now but the important thing is that as
you learn more things about yourself and your hobby, you will eventually realize
the truth in what I am saying. Art should not be made fully on purpose,
especially in the case of abstract painting; there must be a major contribution
from your heart and soul as an artist.
Abstract painting is a style that lets you paint what’s inside your subconscious,
the colors, the waves, the blends and all. Our subconscious mind is very
powerful after all and a lot of images could be made from the seemingly random
patterns that we create.

Personal Artistic Growth
As you begin to develop your artistic and creative skills, sharing insights and
ideas with other great artists is a good idea to develop your skills further. This is
a mutually benefiting activity where you both benefit from each other’s
knowledge and experience. Every artist has a unique and different experiences
and skills which could be shared with his fellow artists.
Another way to further develop your artistic skills is to be fully aware of
different innovation, discoveries and events in the art industry. This way, you
would have more knowledge coming from national and international art experts.
The information that you obtain from merely being updated with the latest news
is practical knowledge applicable to the art that you create.
A lot of mediums are available to you where you can get the most recent guides,
tips and trends in the world of arts, these include: national and domestic art
galleries, art magazines, online articles, online forums and art TV channels.
What you learn through these channels is very useful to your life as an artist.
Look at these as opportunities to increase your knowledge of every aspect of
your professional hobby.
There is a significant advantage to artists that interact with their fellow artists
and are updated with the latest news in the art industry. That is why it is
important to be open minded and accept the opinions and perspectives of
different people because your own opinions are merely limited.

Thoughts about Permanence and Creative Mediums
Years back, permanence was a very important criteria and factor in oil painting.
Artists before created their own oil paint mixtures and inspected the quality of
their oil paint for quality standard checks. In this art age today, permanence is
being less and less significant as it used to be. Different commercial paint and
painting materials are readily available in the market without current artists
working hard to create their own materials and equipment. Different qualities
and features are available in the market, you may have already figured out, and
all these are long lasting and have passable to high quality.
Contemporary paintings can be either permanent or non-permanent. For
example, performance is as stable as its production capacity. A lot of artists
today work in very temporal mediums such as the four elements, namely: earth,
wind, water and fire which will all be affected by life’s ever constant element,
change.
In reality, majority of the artists in this generation are unaware of the rules and
guidelines of the past regarding the topics of how a painting should look like and
how long it should last. Contemporary artists are usually involved in multi-
platforms and multi-media in expressing their creative minds. When we look at
it closely, there are still a lot of creative mediums that do not belong to any
category and are either underdeveloped or uncommon. As time goes by, artists
continue to innovate on more ways on how to express their creativity and deliver
beautiful art to the whole world. In line with this, even the criteria for beauty in
works of art are also affected since more and more people are being open
minded and unique in what they would want to see and what they consider,
themselves, beautiful.

Now that you could paint, what should you paint now?

A lot of people that I personally know, who have of course entered the field of
oil painting, have already mastered the basic techniques in oil painting and are
doing quite well in advanced oil painting. I find it a problem, on their part
though, that they are having a hard time looking and thinking of what to paint
next.
They seem to have invested more of their time to technique and they have
forgotten that they would also need to improve their creativity skills and the
ability to execute the creative and imaginary ideas in your mind. Ironically, most
of these people pay an enormous amount of cash for oil painting lessons yet they
lack the creativity to use the skill which they were successful to obtain.
There are a lot of types of painting to choose from such as still life, landscape,
portrait and abstract and it is up to you what you would use in your next
painting. Believe me, a lot of people become discouraged to continue their
dream since they lack the creativity that is needed to become a great artist.
One reason why some people would still lack creativity is due to trying out every
aspect related to oil painting and loving each and every one of them. Therefore,
the opportunity cost of being a jack of all trades is that they are merely average
in all factors but they actually never mastered any of them. So in other words
they could do a lot but could not compete with these aspects since he did no
focus on improving one aspect merely.
Knowing what to paint about is based on experience and your ability to organize
your thoughts. You can paint anything you have seen in the past if you have been
traveling or you have some memorable experiences in your life which are
emotional and heart-touching. You can also get ideas with the places you have
visited in your life. But it should be something that interests you so you could
visualize and paint it successfully.
So the next time you wonder what to paint next, just keep recalling your past
experiences to get ideas. You could also paint present situations and still images,
which is easier to paint accurately compared to painting solely from memory.
Remember to paint from the heart because if you do everything will flow
naturally and beautifully. Try to take a look at everything around you and
appreciate the beauty of every small thing in your surroundings.

 Conclusion

Now that you have finished reading this book, I would like to wish you good
luck in your future as an artist. Oil painting is just one of the great mediums you
would use to express your creativity and share it with the world. It is also the
most popular medium where artists are able to freely express and manipulate the
colors and mood of their painting.
This guide is composed of everything you would need to learn and all the basic
knowledge essential to becoming a great artist. What you lack right now are only
practice, experience and commitment. I give you my word that once you put
these three aspects and apply it in your journey to being a great artist; you will
successfully get there amidst all the hard work, obstacles and long hours of
practice. Do not stop striving for your dream, for me, myself, was also a dreamer
once. You can become a great artist if you choose to be and I know you have the
right choice in mind.
Art is beautiful and I will always love the art that is present in our modern era as
well as the art that has been existent ever since which has brought significant
changes and development to the craft. I still idolize a lot of painters that are
globally recognized for their masterpieces. Their legacy will continue for
generations and generations, for decades and centuries or even for millenniums.
Always remember to paint with your heart and soul and not merely with your
mind. Allow the thoughts and creative ideas to flow out of your hands as you
paint on your canvas. A true artist creates art without much thought and effort
and through practice and self-recognition you would be able to know your own
character, your own style and your own purpose.
If ever you decide to paint full time, you would need to be able to sell your
paintings for a living. This is where art galleries and exhibits come in because
you would be able to attract a lot of rich people who are willing to buy beautiful
paintings at a good price. The market for oil paintings has great potential and
would be very rewarding. Since paintings do not have any exact copy, making it
instantly a rarity, prices would shoot up especially if you’re painting was
auctioned. I know a lot of artists who are able to support themselves and live
very comfortably through selling their paintings.
I hope that, in all my efforts, I have inspired you as other artists and mentors
have and continue to inspire me to this very day. Do not forget to share your
knowledge with other people who have a dream of being a great artist one day.
We must spread this success and inspiration because the world needs more artists
to be able to express different messages through different means and levels of
creativity.
I hope that my book has been very helpful to you. I have shared all my
knowledge regarding oil painting and it is up to you to use them to develop your
creative and artistic skills. When the day comes when you would be successful
through the lessons that you learned from this book, I will be a proud teacher and
author since I was able to mentor and help an individual reach his dream.
Once again, thank you for downloading this book and congratulations since you
are now starting your journey in becoming a great artist. What you would need
now is the strength and perseverance to improve your skill. Always remember to
keep living and experiencing things, this is an excellent way to get new ideas on
what to paint since you are more exposed to the real beauty of our world. I wish
you good luck in your journey and I hope that one day I would be able to meet
you when you are already a professional artist.