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Friday, March 18, 2016

How To Use Oil Painting Techniques

By Susan Bell


Considering the many paint mediums such as tempura, acrylics and watercolors, the one most consider to be the most versatile to use and work with are oils. The pigments in this type of product apply to the canvas in a buttery rich consistency and keep their true hue and vibrancy as they age. There is a full range of useful oil painting techniques that make a virtually endless array of creative possibilities.

There are several reasons why this medium is favored by many artists around the world. This type of paint has the broadest color spectrum and tonal range of all available options. The slower drying time is a huge advantage for most as it allows the painter to blend strokes more smoothly and to make more precise corrections.

Yet another advantage to using this kind of paint is its suitability for whatever genre one prefers and practically any style. Both artists who prefer to do rapid style paintings and those who like to go slower and add carefully controlled details enjoy this medium. With this medium, certain nuances which are typically not possible to achieve with other types, come easily.

No matter one's chosen genre or style, the tools of the medium are basically the same. The necessary items include an easel or tabletop work space, canvas, paints, gesso, color palette and flat knife, a variety of brushes and towels or rags to clean with. Using these products and using one or more different applications, an artist can produce wonderful art.

A good foundation is the key to starting a successful work of art. Color blocking, which is a method where the artist applies sections of diluted pigment to an area of the canvas, using either small or long brush strokes, to map out where various elements will be painted. This creates an base background for building the picture using layering options and purposeful details.

Giving dimension to one's work can be done with a variety of applications, often being used in conjunction with each other to get some interesting results. Among these are the thickness of paint, layering, brush stroke size, contrasting colors, as well as methods such as pointillism and crosshatching. Each of these, alone or in combination, create depth and lend the feelings of movement and space.

This particular type of paint can be very successful in creating a look of transparency that appears like crystal, still waters or glass. The main aspects of accomplishing this are the purity of the pigment and its creamy smooth consistency as it flows across the canvas, along with using contrasting colors and shading. Through long, unbroken brushstrokes, they are blended so smoothly that they appear seamless and it becomes near impossible to tell where the tones actually switch, similar to a reflective surface.

There are a lot of ways in which an artist can use the application methods such as brushstroke size and direction, pigment purity, irregular blending, and dilution to create whatever look they desire. Texturing with thick layers, stippling and deliberate stroking, is another avenue to provide convincing depth to the piece. Learning how to effectively utilize the power of pure blacks and whites can also be extremely effective tools.




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