Fun and Easy Oil Painting Instructions

Talk to any artist and he will tell you how you should paint, or more likely, how he paints. So when it comes to oil painting the method is mostly left up to the artist. But here are a couple of things you might like to know to help get you started painting your picture.

If you are going to paint with oils you need a surface to paint on that is made for oil painting. There are many different canvases to choose in different sizes and prices ranges. Most of the canvases are ready to use and if you don’t mind spending the money you can get a canvas made out of linen.

When you paint with oil you do need to follow the rule “fat over lean”, which is where the paint you apply first is leaner (less oil), than the coat that follows, (this coat will have more oil).

To follow the rule “fat over lean” you dilute the first coat of paint with a solvent, an odorless solvent is best, start diluting the paint until it has a consistency like that of watercolor and using a stiff brush fill in the area with a stiff brush.

Pick your brush according to the size of area you will be painting, if it’s a large area use a large brush, if it’s a small area use a small brush. You might want to use a different brush for each color, sometimes this makes it easier if you are using a lot of different colored paints.

Make sure you wait until the first coat of paint is completely dry before applying a second coat. The second coat of paint does not have as much solvent as the first coat and is applied after the first coat is dry. During this step you cover over the first coat with a more uniform coat and begin modeling. This is where you soften lines between areas, define hard and soft edges, and lighten the lights and darken the darks.

The next coat is the longest coat that you will apply. Use the consistency of paint that comes out of the tube, you don’t have to cover the entire painting with this coat. Make the necessary adjustment to your art work, defining shadows and lights.

Next you will be placing a finishing coat over your art work. Add a small amount of linseed oil to the paint following the “fat over lean” rule. During this step you will see that the paint has a slight transparency because of the medium, but this is desirable. Use this step to modify what you have already painted on the canvas. Define the darks and lights and model the areas that need it.

You can apply as many coats of this as you like, but remember, less is better in this case. Adding too many coats can change the color of your painting over a period of time.

Don’t be afraid to have fun, experiment, and express yourself when you’re painting.

Copyright 2007 Janice J. Sterling - All Rights Reserved

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