| As with most things, an oil painting begins with | | | | not quite as bad as it seems! |
| good planning, and the art graceful oil painting is | | | | The canvas should be of a good quality, primed |
| the same. Start with plenty of good brushes, #1 | | | | several times beforehand and ideally it should be |
| to #10 (round kolinsky brushes are a good choice) | | | | rubbed afterwards with fine sandpaper, all for the |
| together with one or two #20 brushes to cover | | | | purpose of covering and hiding the texture of the |
| larger areas, and not forgetting turpentine to | | | | canvas. |
| wash the brushes afterwards. | | | | To create a work of art, the painting itself should |
| The palette should be of hard, dark wood, wiped | | | | be planned out also. It can be either be drawn on |
| beforehand with linseed oil. | | | | the canvas initially, or drawn on separate paper |
| The paint itself should be of good quality and of | | | | and transferred to the canvas by carbon paper. |
| the basic colour range, making sure that all paints | | | | Either way, it should be sketched very |
| are compatible. Again, planning is needed here as | | | | approximately to start with, making sure that the |
| you may need to purchase any specific colours | | | | overall basic dimensions are in proportion, and then |
| according to the subject of your painting. The | | | | the increasingly finer details can be added. |
| paint is a vital ingredient, obviously, and as with | | | | The subject of the painting should be something |
| most things, you get what you pay for. Do not | | | | close to your heart. Invariably, the more interest |
| use cheaper paint for things they are not capable | | | | you have in a subject the more success you will |
| of doing; realise their limitations. If you intend to | | | | achieve. Large areas of the background should be |
| use thick paint and bold colours, then cheaper | | | | painted first, allowing sufficient time for drying in |
| paint can be a practical alternative. However, with | | | | between coats. Some people tend to wipe the |
| cheaper paint, apart from using cheaper pigments, | | | | surface after each coat with half an onion in order |
| the pigment is not ground up so finely. The | | | | for subsequent layers to be absorbed better. |
| manufacturer may also use a base filler to bulk up | | | | Foreground details and finer details are added last. |
| the volume of the paint. This all means that the | | | | A final coat of lacquer can also be added. |
| colour of the paint will fade over time, so the | | | | These are only some of the basics of creating an |
| brighter colours may well be alright but the more | | | | oil painting. Much can be learned by watching an |
| subtle colours will suffer. Therefore, do not use | | | | expert at work, regardless of the topic, so you |
| them to mix the more subtle colours or for | | | | should make every effort to find a competent |
| paintings that are intended to last. | | | | artist who can create a work of art, with flowing, |
| The more expensive paints, on the other hand, | | | | graceful lines in his oil painting. But the internet is |
| have much greater tinting power. Therefore, | | | | also an ideal place to gather a great deal of |
| when mixed with a white paint, which are usually | | | | information about different oil painting techniques. |
| inexpensive, they will go a lot further and so it is | | | | |