Oil Painting being one of the most oldest forms of painting and one of the most widely used paint mediums in history by great artists, definitely makes any artist interested in starting it, so lets begin!
Contents of Discussion
We've all heard of famous oil paintings like the Mona Lisa and The Starry Night, and when viewing such masterpieces one can't help but question whether you yourself could make something like that or even better? Many artists consider oil paints to be a medium of the masters. So not many people who are beginners start their painting journey with oils. That's why I'll assume you have somewhat understanding of painting as I take you through the steps to get started with oil painting.
What are Oil Paints?
Oil Paints are a type of slow-drying paint which consist of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. Oil Painting dates back to as far as the 7th Century. It is one of the oldest forms of art, that is still popular today. Oil Paints are a very unique and fun paint medium to work with. They have some distinct features that make it stand out from other paint.
- They have a very slow drying time, giving an artist peace of mind when working with them
- They have a rich texture and depth of color that cannot be replaced by any other paint medium
- The colors of oil paint maintain their vibrance.
- They allow easy mixing and blending of colors.
- They require oil for thinning.
- They require turpentine or mineral spirits to get paint off of brushes.
- They are good to work in layers.
Essential Supplies to Start Painting with
1. Surface
There are primarily three surfaces mostly used for oil painting. Canvas, Canvas Boards and Canvas Paper. Oil can be painted on other surfaces as well such as wood. However Canvas being the most common surface would also be suggestion to you. Canvases can be weaved with either linen or cotton, with linen being harder to prime and stretch and cotton being the easier option. Cotton is also more affordable than linen canvases. So if you intend to work on canvas I would suggest a linen canvas but a cotton one would work as well.
The second option of a canvas board is also suitable for oil painting, but I'm personally a fan of canvases. But canvas boards also have the advantage of being easier to carry around, and they don't get damaged easily, so they save you from the hassle of a stretched canvas.
Lastly Canvas paper, is not my favorite surface to use, but it might be for you so I'm keeping it on this list. Canvas paper is exactly what is sounds like, it comes in the same form as a sketchpad with their being sheets of canvas paper instead of traditional paper. It's also a surface on which many artists paint, but I've personally never had that great of an experience with them. I suppose I simply like the feel of a canvas instead.
2. Paint
Now that we have a surface in mind, let's move onto the paint. I would suggest getting a small packaging of the colors you want (If you have a specific painting in mind) or to get the primary colors and a white. The primary colors in oil paints also have several variations in shades so to tell you the exact shades of the colors you should get : Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow Light, and Titanium White. You should try to understand color theory and obtain the color you want by mixing the primaries instead of going and buying that specific paint color. But suit yourself, if you think you're gonna use that specific shade a lot, buying a tube of it won't be such a bad investment. Now oil paint tubes come in varying sizes, and since you're just starting out, I would suggest getting a small tube around 37ml or 40ml. That's gonna be enough paint to get you started on your journey.
3. Brushes
Now that we have our surface and paint done with, lets move onto brushes. Now brushes come in different shapes and sizes. I can't guide on the size as that totally depends on the size of the painting you intend to make. And when it comes to shape there's three main ones out there, Round, Flat and Filbert. Personally, I'm in love with flat brushes. The crisp edges, the controlled strokes, oh I absolutely love using them. But I can't say the same for everyone else. All I can say is we all feel comfortable with different shapes and you can only figure out which brush you're most comfortable with if you try some of them out. So you could get a brush set with several shapes to figure out which one you want or you could just get a couple of the main shapes like the Round and Flat brush.
Now there're certain pointers when getting a brush for oil paints. Oil paints are thick so they need a brush that can survive the thickness of the paint and also blend the pain smoothly. Paintbrushes are made of different kinds of hair and the bristles need to be firm for oil paints. Getting a paint brush with hog bristles would be a good start. But if you don't want to get too deep into it, using the same brush that you use for acrylic painting would work as well. But keep in mind that once you use a brush for oil painting it gets reserved just for oil painting because of the oils used. That's why it's best to have separate brushes for water-based paints and oil-based ones.
4. Solvent
Now this is where the difference between oil and water-based paints come. Water-based paints simply use water to clean up their brushes and maybe a little bit of natural soap. But when it comes to oil paints, as they are oil based, water doesn't affect them one bit. So to clean your brushes after using a certain color or once you're done with the painting as a whole, you'll need a solvent to wipe your brushes with. This solvent can be either Turpentine or Mineral Spirits. I personally use turpentine. You can see which one is most convenient for you to get.
5. Thinning Medium
Alright, one of the key features of oil paint is their consistency. The paints are really thick which gives the painting texture, but sometimes you really need to thin them a bit, because you want your strokes to flow properly, but the paint is too thick. What do you do in this situation? Use a thinning medium! The most commonly used medium to thin oil paints is Linseed Oil. If you compare the thinning between an acrylic and oil, you would notice that in Acrylics which are water-based you simply start with a wet brush and due to the water used during the rinsing of the brushes, acrylic paints get thinned out easily. Since oil paint is oil-based you simply thin it out by using Linseed oil. Since you don't use linseed oil for rinsing off your brush you need to keep it in a bowl or container and dip your brush in every here and then when you require a thinner stroke.
6. Palette
7. Towel Cloth/ Tissue
This is also an essential item to have to properly clean your brushes after every rinsing through the solvent. Otherwise the solvent alone isn't enough to clean your brushes. So keep either a tissue or towel cloth handy.
After Painting
The clean up process for oil painting is comparatively messier than acrylics or watercolor. If your oil painting is complete and there's still paint on your palette, you can wash it but if the oil painting isn't complete you can keep your palette from drying out by frequently giving the paint some drops of oil, or to cover it in a plastic wrap and store it in the freezer if you intend on using it the next day. In case you're done with oil painting, you can clean your brushes with turpentine or mineral spirits and clean your palette as well.
Conclusion
I am a huge fan of oil paints, despite them not being my most used medium. I recently got into oil painting and every single experience with them has been so much more serene than with acrylics. The fact that they dry slowly is such a blessing and a curse at times when you're dying to get on to the next layer. But I love their texture and colors and their unique finished look. I would say oil painting is not for a complete beginner artist because it isn't as simple to get started with compared to Acrylic. But it has an incomparable and irreplaceable charm that hasn't changed up till now and may never change.
Thank you for Reading!
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