| If you want to learn how to oil paint and not sure | | | | on paint and canvas, one should never work with |
| how to begin, then the following article will prove | | | | cheap brushes. In my experience, cheaper |
| to be quite helpful in your pursuit to become a | | | | brushes are simply not worth it. The biggest issue |
| good painter. | | | | with cheap brushes is with the hairs falling off and |
| Before you read on, you will have to try and | | | | becoming embedded in your painting. It is quite |
| forget everything you ever learned about oil | | | | annoying. |
| painting and look at your painting from a new | | | | One of the biggest mistakes artists make, myself |
| perspective. A recent art class I attended, taught | | | | included, is not reloading the paint brush enough. I |
| by a master painter, has completely changed the | | | | am not sure if this is an act of laziness or fear of |
| way I approach oil painting and has opened up | | | | wasting paint. Whatever the reason may be, |
| many new creative doors for me. I hope it will do | | | | make sure you always have enough paint on your |
| the same for you. | | | | brush so that there is always a layer of paint |
| START WITH A CONCEPT | | | | between your brush and the canvas. Do not try |
| Up until just recently, I was a very frustrated oil | | | | and scrub the paint into the canvas. Paint your |
| painter. I have 10 or so incomplete paintings | | | | strokes and leave them be. Don’t over work |
| collecting dust in the corner of my small studio. I | | | | your brushstrokes. |
| would attempt to complete these 10 or so | | | | MASSING |
| paintings over and over again, until finally I had to | | | | One great way to get the main ideas of an oil |
| take a step back and try and understand what I | | | | painting down is with a technique called Massing. |
| was doing wrong. | | | | Massing is about seeing your subject as a whole |
| The reason I lost interest and was unable to | | | | and not concentrating on all of the fine details. |
| complete these paintings, was because I did not | | | | For instance, lets say you subject is a pineapple. |
| have a concept in mind before I started. I would | | | | Instead of trying to get down all the various |
| start haphazardly painting without a clear vision of | | | | textures and details on your pineapple, think in |
| what I really wanted to accomplish with my oil | | | | terms of “planes” of light and shadow. |
| painting. | | | | Add in those planes first and then later on you |
| Concepts are methods for solving problems in a | | | | can put in all of your finer details. |
| painting. I bet you never saw painting as being a | | | | COLOR |
| series of problems. Neither did I , but this way of | | | | Nothing in my opinion, can confuse a painter more, |
| thinking really does make learning how to oil paint | | | | then working with color. I know one of my |
| more interesting. | | | | weaknesses in the beginning was working with |
| What do you want your painting to be about? | | | | too many colors in the same painting which |
| Instead of thinking: “My painting is about trees | | | | resulted in a muddy nightmare. |
| in a field”, start thinking in terms of , “My | | | | I never really took the time to understand how |
| painting is about the light that falls on the trees in | | | | colors interact with one another. |
| a field”. | | | | Here are some great tips to keep in mind while |
| When you have a blueprint or roadmap in mind | | | | working with color in your paintings: |
| before you start painting, there is no room for | | | | - If you add white to another color, it will make |
| diversion. You must stick to your plan. | | | | that color cooler and more opaque. |
| MASTER YOUR BRUSH | | | | - Instead of adding white to a color to make it |
| A very important aspect of oil painting is learning | | | | brighter, try adding more color instead. |
| how to control your brush. Without good brush | | | | - Don’t be afraid to use black. Many teachers |
| control and technique, your effectiveness as a | | | | recommend staying away from black, but I beg |
| painter is truly limited. | | | | to differ. Did you know you can get some very |
| Make sure you have the best possible brushes | | | | nice greens by mixing ivory black with certain |
| you can afford. While it is possible to save money | | | | blues and yellows? |