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Oil Painting Medic is a practical guide to oil painting techniques, materials and troubleshooting. NOTHING on here is AI. Begin with Home or Start Here. Browse my Artbooks and Whats Trending. With copious articles covering portraiture, landscapes, still life, and problem solving, this blog helps artists improve technique and overcome challenges. Navigate by theme in the sidebar.

Focus On Planning a Painting: Drawing, Photography, Composition and Finding Art Ideas

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The studio space is ready; the art materials fill the drawers. The easel holds a blank canvas in the corner. Now what? Every painting begins long before the first brush touches the canvas. Colour, art technique and the art materials are all well and good, but what does the art paint? Such ‘ artist’s block ’ can solidify over time unless something happens. This hub page looks at how to get started with your first painting or next piece of artwork. Planning a Painting from Start to Completion A balance needs to be drawn between overplanning and just getting on with it. Part of the journey consists of the idea conception, the visual resources, the art materials and the composing. All this before even opening a tube of oil paint. Where does the artist begin? Strong preparation will lead to good reference material, drawing accuracy, and quality art materials. These will prevent common problems from arising later in the painting process. Beginning Artwork from Scratch Let’s start from the ...
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Focus On Colour in Painting: Pigments, Mixing, Tone, Temperature and Behaviour

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Colour is often the reason someone chooses to paint. Even tone has colour. Black is a mix of all colours; white has nuance. Nothing is truly black or white. Blue brings notions of coolness, distance. Red advances with warmth and intimacy. Every colour from green to purple stirs mood and longing. The artist pigment becomes the tools from where the language of colour can be placed onto canvas. But which pigment should the beginner choose? What does the perfect collection of art pigments look like?   The Meaning of Colour This hub-page brings together my selection of articles on many aspects of colour mixing. See it from a painter’s perspective, covering everything from colour mixing and translucency to tonal values and colour temperature.   Colour remains one of the most confounding aspects of painting. Many artists struggle with what pigments to choose from; what colours to mix. Frustration blooms when their colour mixtures fail to match what is imagined. Muddy hues, dull patch...
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How do I Paint Blonde Hair on My Portraits?

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Blonde hair in oil painting often looks chalky, muddy or flat when the artist relies too much on white or browns. True blonde hair contains an array of hues — blues, earth colours and violets. By understanding how blonde hair behaves tonally and chromatically, the artist can mix cleaner pales, richer darks and convincing highlights. The True Colour of Blonde The portrait artist faced with painting blonde hair may automatically reach for titanium white and vary it with black or dark brown for shadows in the belief that these colors will create convincing blonde hair. Instead, the hair looks lifeless. What colors should the artist use for blonde hair? How Not to Paint Blonde Hair How to Paint Blonde Hair Rachel Shirley Before making changes to a portrait with blonde hair, the artist may identify what went wrong with the hair aspect of the painting, which could be any of the following: Making blanket assumptions about blonde hair in that it always contains lots ...
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How do I Make Gold Look like Gold with Oil Paint?

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The artist trying to convey metallic effects with oil paint may be disappointed if brass ornaments or gold jewellery resembles dollops of mustard in the still life painting. How can the artist get gold effects in painting? Gold: An Introduction Gold is one of the most tricky colours in oil painting. Many artists expect it to behave like yellow, only to end up with mustard‑coloured jewellery or dull brass. The secret to painting convincing gold isn’t brightness — the secret lays in contrasting neutrals, and unexpected cool hues. Problems with Painting Gold Jewellery How to Paint Gold   A still life setting featuring gold objects such as jewellery may appear tarnished or plastic-like due to misconceptions about the colour gold, causing the artist to use a lot of yellow, orange or ochres. Such idealistic concepts about the colour gold may be indicative by the following notions and practices. Having the subconscious idea that all gold is basically yellow, yellow-orange or ochre. ...
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How Can I Paint the Mona Lisa in an Hour?

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The painting of the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is the most famous portrait in the world, partly due to the subtle and hard‑to‑define shadows around the face known as sfumato . Sfumato is one of the painting modes of Renaissance art and is difficult to achieve. I decided to paint the Mona Lisa and post it on YouTube as speed art. Here are the common pitfalls of painting a face with a subtle expression. Tips on Painting the Portrait of the Mona Lisa See my two YouTube clips on painting the Mona Lisa. The first glaze (above) was completed in around twenty‑five minutes. Once the first glaze was touch‑dry, I began the second glaze (below), which took a further half‑hour. The second process enabled me to elaborate on shadows and refine shading. Both processes have been speeded up so viewing time is compacted to a few minutes. The most common problems with painting a portrait with delicate detail such as the Mona Lisa are the following: 1. Expressing shadows on th...
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My Oil Painting of Clothes Looks Rigid and Plastic

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Figure painting often entails painting clothes. But the idea of illustrating folds, textures and patterns on clothing may bewilder the artist to the point that it end up looking a confused mess. The folds and patterns contradict one another, leading to a flat representation of fabric suggesting plastic or sheet metal. What is the secret to painting clothes effectively? Problems When Painting Clothes Technique for Oil Painting Material Rachel Shirley Many problems can be avoided when oil painting figures in clothing. The following practices must be addressed before the artist can make improvements in rendering fabrics. Illustrating the detail in the fabric at the outset of the painting session, causing the area to become muddled. Using black to darken the colour of the fabric when painting shadows or creases. Illustrating folds in a linear way where lines may not always be visible. Assuming that the contours in the clothing are always darker on one side than the other....
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How to I Treat Craquelure in my Oil Painting?

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Craquelure are fine hairline cracks that appear in an old oil painting. Some art restorers may not decide to treat it, for it is the normal process of ageing and adds charm to the appearance of the artwork. Solving the Craquelure Problem in an Old Painting This old oil landscape painting shows cracks in the paint layer called craquelure. This is caused by the aging process of the oil paint that has dried out over time. The proper preparation of gesso will minimize the appearance of these cracks. A close up of this painting showing craquelure. Image right shows distortion in the canvas due to botched restoration. Masking tape had been stuck onto the back of the canvas to hide a hole. Sadly, the resultant stresses in the canvas have exacerbated the cracks. Any restoration work would now require extra care. How to Tension an Old Oil Painting in Restoration The image shows the painting after I had removed the offending masking tape and repaired the holes i...
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The Ellipses in my Still Life Look Wrong

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The artist struggling with ellipses in a still life may end up with a painting dotted with doughnut-like formations that are supposed to represent the rims of cylindrical vessels; some ellipses appear lop-sided, others look like UFOs. In other cases, the ellipses appear to inhabit a different space to that of the vessel concerned. How can the artist overcome the problem of painting ellipses on objects? Step by Step Drawing of Ellipses How to Draw Ellipses The still life artist may find painting ellipses difficult to avoid, as many household objects contain ellipses. The list is endless: vases, teacups, teapots, mugs, urns, saucers, eggcups, tankards, vanity mirrors, dishes, plant pots, pipes, cake tins, wine glasses and bottles. This can be a real headache for the artist wishing to steer clear of such challenging elements. But the hurdle of drawing ellipses is a common one which can be overcome. Before making improvements, the following practices need to be addressed: Giving the ...
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How do I Make Glass Look Like Glass in My Painting?

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Trying to paint glass in a still life may seem impossible due to its elusive quality. The artist strives to make glass look solid, yet it is partially invisible. In other cases, reflections and shadows may confuse the painting. How does the artist make glass look real? How to Paint Glass Painting Glass in a Still Life Rachel Shirley Before improving a still life with translucent objects, the artist must identify the causes of unrealistic glass: Assuming glass is completely transparent and painting objects behind it without altering the palette. Ignoring refraction or distortion caused by curved glass surfaces. Outlining the glass with definite dark lines. Using neat white for reflections and highlights. Why Glass is Difficult to Paint Unlike opaque objects, glass contains multiple visual elements at once: Reflections on the surface (windows, people, furniture). Shadows cast onto the glass by neighbouring objects. The glass’s own shadow — solid ...
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Repair a Damaged Oil Painting: Dos and Don’ts

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An oil on canvas can be easily damaged during transit or stored inappropriately. A tear can work into the canvas if resting against a sharp object, and the weave, fray if under undue tension. Damp, sunlight and temperature extremes can rob the canvas of natural oils and therefore cause the canvas to brittle and liable to tear. How does the artist repair a torn oil painting? An oil on canvas can be easily damaged during transit or stored inappropriately. A tear can work into the canvas if resting against a sharp object, and the weave, fray if under undue tension. Damp, sunlight and temperature extremes can rob the canvas of natural oils and therefore cause the canvas to brittle and liable to tear. How does the artist repair a torn oil painting? Saving Money on Art Restoration Art restorers can be costly and hard to find. But I have fixed this oil painting myself. The damaged painting is an old master showing Bracebridge Pool, Sutton Park, UK by a Victorian landscape artist Willis Pryce....
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Focus On Landscape Painting: Trees, Skies, Water, Mountains and More

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Think about a landscape and many ideas come to mind: woods, mountains, lakes, skies, snow and ruins. Think of colour, light, texture and atmosphere. Where does the artist begin with landscape painting? This hub page gathers my best landscape art tutorials and more are on the way. Find tips, fixes and art materials required to get started. This page provides an easy navigation to the desired landscape content. Painting Trees and Woodland Find articles on trees and foliage , woodland scenes, autumn colours, spring buds, and seasonal greens. Learn how to paint dappled shadows from canopies, bare trees and the coarse bark of tree trunks. Learn to paint flowers and to avoid muddy colours. Painting Skies, Clouds and Weather And how about skies and atmosphere? I used to keep weather records and learned about the clouds. Terms like cirrus, cumulus and mackerel became familiar terms and enhanced my understanding of the sky. This focus page pulls together tips on how to add drama to your sky ...
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How do I Paint Reflections in the Eyes of my Portrait?

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Illustrating the eyes of a portrait will make or break the oil painting; but the highlights in the eyes are equally crucial. The portraitist might take great pains to achieve great skin tones and suggestion of hair with a good likeness to the subject and then with the finishing touches applies highlights to the eyes as two white pinpricks. Whilst this might be acceptable, why leave it there when a more sensitive depiction of reflections in eyes could make a good portrait brilliant? Painting Highlights in Eyes Painting Reflections in Eyes I have written a separate article offering tips on painting eyes in portraits . Issues such as painting the pupil, the iris and the area around the eyes are essential for a successful portrait. But eye-highlights are such a vital element that improper application could ruin the whole portrait painting. This is because very often, the highlights give the eyes light and life. How Not to Paint Eyes in Oils The following issues with painting moisture in...
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