Welcome to the Free Oil Painting for Beginners by New Zealand Landscape Painting Artist ‘Andrew Whyte’.

by

kiwi

Some people think that painting in oils is a messy business with smelly fumes and hard to clean up. Well YES! that can be right but how often do you say that about a nice roast dinner? Oil paints are not as convenient as acrylics but the flexibility and texture is well worth it. If you are like me and take ages producing a painting then you will love the way oil paint stays wet for a long time and you can save the paint in the freezer for future use, so wastage is minimal. Oil paint is proven to stand the test of time and an oil painting carries a prestige value.

The idea is to keep it affordable and easy to paint. Keeping all your products together in a safe place away from children will motivate you to begin your painting session.* Canvas board or prepared canvas* Palette (something to prepare and mix paints on)* Oil paints* Clean cloth for clean up* Turpentine (in a glass jar)* An Empty glass jar* Brushes: Sable brush, large brush, a medium sized soft brush, and a fan brush* Palette knife* Fat Mix (more linseed oil than turpentine) in a glass Jar* Lean Mix (More Turpentine then Linseed oil) In a glass Jar* Linseed Oil (if you wish to prepare mixes )* Clean up liquid: Concentrated dish wash liquid or hand cleaner is best* Subject material or idea for a painting* Charcoal pencil for sketching on canvas* A strong box or storage container* An easel to stand your work up unless you wish to work on a flat surface.* A sealed container to store excess paint. (Place in the freezer at home and your paint will last)Detailed instructions can be found in the ‘Painting Landscapes’ ebook.Depending on your budget there are many types of oil paints and premixed colours on the market. The choice of brand remains with you.There are three levels of quality on the pigment market…Chinese paints: These are normally in a packaged selection of colours. They are cheap and beginner is advised to choose these paints at least until you are ready to invest more into your paintings. Disadvantages are the overall durability of the paint can be questionable. They do the job at an affordable price.Student Quality: The major brands in oil paints have their cheaper pigments for the student market. Examples are Rowney Georgian (UK) and Windsor Newton Winton (US) They come in many pre mixed colours. Another option is the Atelier and Archival oils from Australia. There are water mixable pigments available too.Artist Quality: These are labelled “Artists”. Examples are Rowney Artists or Windsor Newton Artists. They are what the serious or professional artists use. They are more expensive. An experienced artist will notice the difference when moving to artist’s quality. They are much smoother to use and easier to applyBy far the easiest option for the beginner is a prepared stretched canvas or canvas board, which can be purchased from any art supplies shop. They are primed and ready to go. These canvas are now very affordable and come in a large selection of sizes. I suggest you do this.If you wish to paint direct onto board because of the smooth surface . Your board will need to be primed with gesso primer. There are options in canvas types and levels of qualities.Cotton duck: This is a natural fibre. Over time it will lose its strength. It is best if none of the finished surface is left untouched, as it will rot if left exposed to the air. The back of cotton stretches should be sealed with primer after the painting has cured.Linen: Is slightly more durable. Its main disadvantage is swelling in humid weather and shrinks in the dry. This can and will crack solid oil pigments over time. Being a natural fibre it will break down over time.Polyester canvas: Must be bought Loom State, which is before any chemical additives have been added. It is chemically inert and does not rot. It does not shrink or swell or creep when it is worked on.Canvas that is pre-primed is an advantage, as you will not have to apply gesso primer. Raw canvas can be sealed using a binder membrane and then a good quality Artist Gesso primer. At least 2 layers of Gesso primer is a good option and will mean you can use less of the more expensive oil paints. Do not use cheap undercoat if you wish your paintings to last. This this will affect the paint because of the acid in these products. Use an acrylic Gesso primer such as Liqitex Acrylic Gesso Primer. Gesso can be purchased in 500ml quantities or even up to 2 L containers. There are many kinds of pigments and the choice of colours remains with the individual. If you choose to pick your own then these notes will come in handy.* Ochre’s: These are earth colours and are a must for landscapes* Sienna: Are earth pigments too* Chrome Pigments: These are dominant and bright. They are more expensive* Cadmium pigments: Are very dominant* Prussian Colours: Such as Prussian blue or Hookers green are very dominant* Cobalt pigments: Are medium in their intensity. Cobalt blue is a versatile colour for sky and water.* Whites: We have the choice of Flake White, Zink White or Titanium White. Titanium White has a better coverage. Colour mixing is better explained in the ebook ‘Painting Landscapes’.Colour ChoiceArtists are bombarded with the choice of colours and this will change as you progress. I can only give you a list of colours, which will give you a good selection and an easy way to start.* Blues: Prussian blue, Ultra Marine and Cobalt.* Greens: Teraverte, Hookers Green, Cadmium Green and Sap Green.* Reds: Vermilion, Cadmium Red and Scarlet Alizarin.* Yellows: Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Yellow and Lemon Yellow.Some other handy colours are Cadmium Orange, Blue Black, Olive Green, Raw Sienna, Vandyke brown and the list goes on.You may wish to purchase any number of secondary colours to make mixing easier. Colour mixing is a real craft and combinations are limitless. I suggest you take notes when you discover a new combination you like. I have included a basic science lesson on colour mixing in my follow up ebook ‘Painting Landcapes’ Happy mixing!After mixing your palette, application to the canvas is the next step. I suggest you do most of your colour mixing on the palette rather than the canvas, as a muddy effect will result with too much mixing on the canvas. Unless of course this is the effect you are after.Generally oils are meant to be worked wet on wet in layers. This may not be practical as your work may tack off during the process. Acrylics are designed for wet on dry painting. If you are working in layers of oils then you must place the top layers of paint on heavier than the under layers.Oils do not evaporate when they cure, they oxidize. That is the oils mix with oxygen to cure. Acrylic paint dries by evaporation. If a thin layer of oil is placed over a heavier layer then the picture may be prone to crack.An oil painting may take anything up to 12 months to cure properly. The term used for heavy oil painting is “IMPASTO”Because oil paint mixes with oxygen to cure then we must assume that if a pigment has higher oil content it will take longer to cure. To prevent cracking of paintings then we must remember that what is in the under layer must cure faster then what is on top. The under layers must be lean and the upper layers must be fat.We can control this using a lean mix (Less Oil than turps) in the under layers and a fat mix (more oil than turps) in the over layers. Prepared fat and lean mixes can be purchased from your art supplies shop and are a good easy option. Be aware that some pigments naturally contain more oils than others. Also be aware that lighter colours attract less heat then dark pigments and will oxidize faster.It’s a juggling act that comes with experience and even then sometimes problems will result.The general rule is do not use too much mix as all you really need to achieve is to loosen the paint slightly so it is easier to apply.Pre-mixes for both fat and lean can be purchased at any good art supplies store and I prefer to use these for absolute ease of preperation.A good selection of brushes is advised. From a fine brush to a very handy fan brush for blending colour. I will expand on this in the ‘Painting Landscapes ebook’.What ever you choose the brushes will have a very limited life span unless you remove all the oil and solvents from the bristles. It is best to spend ten minutes cleaning your brushes properly. This will save you unnecessary expense and keep them in good condition.STEP 1: Remove the majority of oil paint in turpentine. I advise you to have two glass jars. After rinsing the brushes pour the excess turpentine into the storage jar. The heavier paint will settle in the bottom leaving clean turps on top. Simply pour off the clean turpentine into the clean up jar to rinse brushes.STEP 2: Use a cleaner such as dish wash liquid or even hand cleaner. Work any turpentine and residual paint out with your fingers, rinse in water and do it again until the bristles are 100% clean. Straighten the bristles with your fingers and leave to dry upright in a jar.Pre-mixes for both fat and lean can be purchased at any good art supplies store and I prefer to use these for absolute ease of preperation.An oil painting must be properly cured before it can be varnished. This is because varnish will cut off the supply of Oxygen reaching the painting and it will take a lot longer to cure. Why Varnish?The advantages: You do not have to varnish a painting but it will improve the finished look, as it will even up any variation in sheen across the painting. Also a painting that is varnished can be wiped clean with a damp cloth. Generally it provides a protective film and this film can be removed with Turpentine. (Very Carefully!!!)The disadvantages: Cheap varnish is prone to yellow with age. Use a good one or not at all. I suggest Windsor Newton Artists Gloss Varnish or Matt Varnish. A semi Gloss Varnish can be achieved by mixing the two together. Bear in mind that gloss is dominant. Use more flat than gloss to achieve semi gloss. Varnish can by brushed on with a large brush. Lay it flat or it will run. Spray varnish can also be used but should be also be done on the flat.Oil Paint is for use by adults and properly supervised children. They contain potentially hazardous materials and require care in use.* Keep all artists material well out of the reach of children.* Work in a well-ventilated space and do not smoke.* Use acrylics if you have respiratory problems.* Protect you hands by using barrier cream. Avoid prolonged skin contact with paint and wash your hand thoroughly.* Do not suck your brushes. Do not spread butter with a palette knife.* Replace lids on all paints. Keep lids on Turps at all times to avoid breathing the fumes. A very common bad thing is leaving a turpsy rag under your nose when you are working as it slowly fumes away.Remember! Health is wealth.I hope this free ‘Oil Painting for Beginners’ has been inspirational and helpful. To make sure your contacts get the latest updates, fresh from my website linked belowAs a favour to me, you could pass the knowledge of my website to at least two people today who would also benefit. Any time in your life is a good time to start painting and I am sure you will find it a rewarding and satisfying hobby. Let me show you more!The e-book ‘Painting Landscapes’ focuses on oil painting techniques and guidance that will get you started and well on the way to your first paintings. The e-book features photos, demonstrations and gems of knowledge that will save you time and money

Andrew Whyte is an artist and photographer based in New Zealand. Go to his website to see his work.

http://www.andrewwhyte.com/ Andrew and his wife Cathy also photograph weddings in New Zealand. See http://whyteweddings.co.nz

Article Source:

Welcome to the Free Oil Painting for Beginners by New Zealand Landscape Painting Artist ‘Andrew Whyte’.}