Oil Painting Techniques Section
Oil painting techniques have been practiced by countless artists for hundreds of years.
Centuries ago, only the most dedicated professionals - or those with money and time to spare in abundance - used oil paints. Until the nineteenth century, if you wanted to develop your oil painting techniques, you first had to mix your own paints.
This meant acquiring the basic pigments and then laboriously grinding them down to a powder, before mixing with oils and other additives. Incidentally, that's why, even today, colors with names like umber, ultramarine and ochre are still used, as are terms like 'earth colors'.
They were and are still made from natural products found in the ground. It was only about 150 years ago that oil paints became available in tubes, for the first time making it feasible for the keen amateur to indulge themselves in this wonderful pastime.
On these pages, you're just a couple of clicks away from a whole series of articles on oil painting which will help you get started in this classic painting medium.
Find out which colors are the best ones to start with. Paint skies, trees, flesh tones, water, buildings - anything you want to.
Paint thick or thin, detailed or impressionist. You'll find each tutorial will be full of hints and tips and put into practice via a simple but complete painting exercise which you can produce yourself from start to finish. So you'll improve your oil painting techniques almost without realising it!
You can find out about the different properties of oil painting additives, which brushes to use; what should I look for in oil paints, and artists canvasses and so on, from the informative pages elsewhere on the site which provides a wealth of detail written in a non-technical style.
And to find out lots more about how to draw and paint in all sorts of different painting and drawing media, subscribe to the Free Newsletter Starting Art (see below)...
Oil Painting Technique Articles
Oil Painting Tutorial - President's Putt Part 1
This oil painting tutorial is the first of a three part series which looks at how a commissioned painting is developed from start to completion...
Oil Painting Tutorial - President's Putt Part 2
This is the second part of the three-part series on how a commissioned painting was produced from the initial blank canvas through to completion...
Oil Painting Tutorial - President's Putt Part 3
This oil painting tutorial is the final of the three part series...
Oil paints and all you need to know about this wonderful medium
Oil paints are a hugely popular medium amongst all level of artists...
Mixing oil painting mediums to develop your oil painting techniques
There are a whole host of oil painting mediums to tempt you but which ones do you really need...
Choosing an oil paint set to get you started
You're all keen to develop your oil painting techniques, but which oil paint set to choose...
Using oil and acrylic paper for your paintings
Don't dismiss the various types of oil and acrylic paper available to the artist as being just for practice work...
The various types and qualities of canvas explained
Have you ever thought how painting on a properly stretched art canvas somehow makes you feel like a 'real' painter...
Love to Paint With Oils? What Tips Can You Share With Us?
If you like to paint with oils, you’ve almost certainly discovered some handy little tips without even knowing. It may seem insignificant to you but don’t underestimate how much you can help others...
Maybe you have some great tips for color mixing? Perhaps you're good at capturing realistic water or a beautiful still life? Or it could be something as simple as "how to keep brushes clean".
By sharing your experiences and tips, it will help us all to enjoy this wonderful past time even more! Here’s how to do it...
See Oil Painting Tips From Other Visitors
Click below to see oil painting tips from other visitors...
Wet Canvas Technique
I'm sure most artists are familiar with good old Bob Ross's wet canvas technique,which for me personally was an immense revelation from which my work benefited ...
Using Liquin
To add just the right ammout of liquin to your paint without contaminating the remainder, get a syringe, the type that come with ink jet refill kits, as ...
How to make a super-fine texured canvas
Take a small old canvas painting (yard-sale item) pull the staples to remove the canvas, iron a hanky, stretch and staple the hanky across the frame. Give ...
Painting Shadows
I have often been asked "how do I mix and paint a shadow?" I just thought I'd share it here for those who might be having a problem with it. Before you ...
Baby oil to clean brushes
Baby oil is a perfect thinner for cleaning brushes without the odor. Just replace baby oil for whatever you have been using. After cleaning the brushes ...
re-using canvases
If you have painted a picture that you do not like and wish to re-use the canvas, you can remove the old painting by spraying it with oven cleaner.
After ...
Water based oils - the most under-rated thing ever!
I've recently bought a set of water soluble oil paints, due to the fact I now have a very nosy small boy, poking around with thinners and turps!
I can ...
Make your own canvas surface
You will need 1 sheet of untempered masonite cut to standard art board sizes. Wood glue white kind. Canvas. Pure acrylic paint white.100 grit sandpaper
...
Grand Assortment of Greens
Using the gray scale ( grisaille ), mix your basic gray colors. To each color add cadmium yellow and you will have greens in 9 shades.
Divide ...
Shade and texture for a palm tree trunk
I painted my tree trunk with a brown line,then with a pallet knife,painted the sunny-side with a thin white stripe followed by a thin black stripe on the ...
Final details
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I had a painting background to the point I liked and I was ready for the final details but was unsure what I wanted. I took a picture of the painting ...
how to repair a damaged canvas
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Get a sheet of oil canvas practice paper. Cut to cover damaged area, and extend a little beyond. Coat back of paper with pva glue. Apply to back of canvas....
