Oil Painting Class Resource Center
If you are currently an oil painting student of mine, please proceed to the password protected Oil Painting Resource Center with its vast library to explore techniques, color theory, composition, and practice exercises.
If you are not yet a student please consider becoming one: Live Oil Painting Classes In Seattle.
Check out my free Tips and Tricks below.
If you are currently an oil painting student of mine, please proceed to the password protected Oil Painting Resource Center with its vast library to explore techniques, color theory, composition, and practice exercises.
If you are not yet a student please consider becoming one: Live Oil Painting Classes In Seattle.
Check out my free Tips and Tricks below.
Painter Tinna Z and Loki
Free Tips and Tricks
Let’s say you squeeze some oil paint out of the tube and a load of oil comes out with the paint, what should you do?
When oil paint comes out too oily, using a palette knife, scrape the oil paint onto a piece of cardboard. The cardboard will draw the oil out of the paint and soak into the cardboard. After that has happened, scrape the paint back up, and go do your thing.
What to do if your canvas gets loose and floppy.
Spray ‘Tight N Up’ on the back of it. It will tighten up.
Free Step-by-Step Oil Painting Exercise
INTERMEDIATE TIP
What gesso should I use?
Golden. It contains more calcium carbonate than cheaper brands. The calcium carbonate gives the ground more tooth. Stay away from oil gesso. Yes, technically it is slightly better for conservation, but it is extremely toxic to apply and is very messy to clean up.
What’s the best white to use?
If you do not want anything showing through a white layer, then use Titanium White for opacity. Zinc White for subtlety, if you want very delicate, subtle shifts in whiteness. Titanium-Zinc White (Some call it “Mixing White”). Best of both worlds. Good opacity and good for subtle blends.
What is Liquid White?
Bob Ross used what he called “Liquid White” to coat his canvases before painting on them. It is made of part Titanium White and part Gamsol (Actually he used turpentine, but since we don’t use Turpentine these days, Gamsol is the modern, safer equivalent). The slick coat of Liquid White would allow Ross to paint faster, given that he only had about 25 minutes to complete a painting on each episode.
What black should I use?
Ivory Black. It is semi-transparent and good for all-around usage. Mars Black has great opacity, if you want to make sure nothing underneath it shows through.
I have heard that you should never use black in a painting.
This is a bigger topic. Simply, you have to know how to use it properly. The danger is that is can make a painting look dull and ashen if not used correctly.
Learn lots more tricks in my painting classes! Sign up here.
INTERMEDIATE TIP
Why can you paint oil-over-acrylic but not acrylic-over-oil?
Acrylic-over-oil: On a microscopic level, the surface of dry oil is so slick that acrylic paint is unable to adhere to it. On the other hand, when you paint oil-over-acrylic the oil dries to form a firm mechanical bond to the dried textured acrylic surface. Technically however, the best bond is to paint oil-over-oil which forms a completely fused molecular bond.
What brush should I buy when just starting out?
Pick up a few sizes of Filbert Bristle brushes. They are good all-around workhorse brushes.
What size of brush should I buy?
It depends on what technique you are going for. If you are not sure then stick to a middle of the road size.
Should I paint on canvas or board?
They each do different things. Canvas has a nice springiness, and board has great firmness. Experiment with both.
INTERMEDIATE TIP
What oil do you recommend?
Depends on the situation. I use linseed oil, stand oil, walnut oil, safflower oil, and Galkyd. But my everyday go-to oil is a mixture of 50% Galkyd Lite with 50% Gamsol. But if it is a hot and humid day I’ll switch to Linseed oil because t has more viscosity. FYI, some people think you must use oil in an oil painting. In reality it is not necessary all the time.
What oil paint should I buy?
Cheaper paints are poor quality. High-end paints are very expensive. I recommend a middle priced oil paint. I use Gamblin Brand which is high quality and a moderate price.
What colors should I use to start a painting?
This may sound boring, but starting with black and white is a great way to learn how to paint. Seriously. But if that sound too drab to you, then break out all the colors and go for it. You will definitely learn something that way too.
What should I paint as a beginner?
Keep it simple. Paint something like a banana or an apple. One of the mistakes that new painters make is trying to paint a subject that is beyond their ability. You will go further and faster if you go slow and keep it simple.
INTERMEDIATE TIP
Why do my colors look different in different lighting conditions?
When you paint, you are most likely painting is an environment that has both natural light, like from a window, and indoor lighting. However, if you paint closer to a window your colors will appear bluer, because sunlight has more blue in it. And if you are using only indoor light your colors will appear warmer. I recommend using Halogen, or Chromalux lights because they are balanced in the middle of the light temperature spectrum.
Learn lots more tricks in my painting classes! Sign up here.
Let’s say you squeeze some oil paint out of the tube and a load of oil comes out with the paint, what should you do?
When oil paint comes out too oily, using a palette knife, scrape the oil paint onto a piece of cardboard. The cardboard will draw the oil out of the paint and soak into the cardboard. After that has happened, scrape the paint back up, and go do your thing.
What to do if your canvas gets loose and floppy.
Spray ‘Tight N Up’ on the back of it. It will tighten up.
Free Step-by-Step Oil Painting Exercise
INTERMEDIATE TIP
What gesso should I use?
Golden. It contains more calcium carbonate than cheaper brands. The calcium carbonate gives the ground more tooth. Stay away from oil gesso. Yes, technically it is slightly better for conservation, but it is extremely toxic to apply and is very messy to clean up.
What’s the best white to use?
If you do not want anything showing through a white layer, then use Titanium White for opacity. Zinc White for subtlety, if you want very delicate, subtle shifts in whiteness. Titanium-Zinc White (Some call it “Mixing White”). Best of both worlds. Good opacity and good for subtle blends.
What is Liquid White?
Bob Ross used what he called “Liquid White” to coat his canvases before painting on them. It is made of part Titanium White and part Gamsol (Actually he used turpentine, but since we don’t use Turpentine these days, Gamsol is the modern, safer equivalent). The slick coat of Liquid White would allow Ross to paint faster, given that he only had about 25 minutes to complete a painting on each episode.
What black should I use?
Ivory Black. It is semi-transparent and good for all-around usage. Mars Black has great opacity, if you want to make sure nothing underneath it shows through.
I have heard that you should never use black in a painting.
This is a bigger topic. Simply, you have to know how to use it properly. The danger is that is can make a painting look dull and ashen if not used correctly.
Learn lots more tricks in my painting classes! Sign up here.
INTERMEDIATE TIP
Why can you paint oil-over-acrylic but not acrylic-over-oil?
Acrylic-over-oil: On a microscopic level, the surface of dry oil is so slick that acrylic paint is unable to adhere to it. On the other hand, when you paint oil-over-acrylic the oil dries to form a firm mechanical bond to the dried textured acrylic surface. Technically however, the best bond is to paint oil-over-oil which forms a completely fused molecular bond.
What brush should I buy when just starting out?
Pick up a few sizes of Filbert Bristle brushes. They are good all-around workhorse brushes.
What size of brush should I buy?
It depends on what technique you are going for. If you are not sure then stick to a middle of the road size.
Should I paint on canvas or board?
They each do different things. Canvas has a nice springiness, and board has great firmness. Experiment with both.
INTERMEDIATE TIP
What oil do you recommend?
Depends on the situation. I use linseed oil, stand oil, walnut oil, safflower oil, and Galkyd. But my everyday go-to oil is a mixture of 50% Galkyd Lite with 50% Gamsol. But if it is a hot and humid day I’ll switch to Linseed oil because t has more viscosity. FYI, some people think you must use oil in an oil painting. In reality it is not necessary all the time.
What oil paint should I buy?
Cheaper paints are poor quality. High-end paints are very expensive. I recommend a middle priced oil paint. I use Gamblin Brand which is high quality and a moderate price.
What colors should I use to start a painting?
This may sound boring, but starting with black and white is a great way to learn how to paint. Seriously. But if that sound too drab to you, then break out all the colors and go for it. You will definitely learn something that way too.
What should I paint as a beginner?
Keep it simple. Paint something like a banana or an apple. One of the mistakes that new painters make is trying to paint a subject that is beyond their ability. You will go further and faster if you go slow and keep it simple.
INTERMEDIATE TIP
Why do my colors look different in different lighting conditions?
When you paint, you are most likely painting is an environment that has both natural light, like from a window, and indoor lighting. However, if you paint closer to a window your colors will appear bluer, because sunlight has more blue in it. And if you are using only indoor light your colors will appear warmer. I recommend using Halogen, or Chromalux lights because they are balanced in the middle of the light temperature spectrum.
Learn lots more tricks in my painting classes! Sign up here.
