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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.

How to Paint a Lighthouse in a Storm in Oils: An Exercise in Alla Prima Painting

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This art demonstration shows how to paint a lighthouse standing against a stormy sea. Explore how to create an expressive coastal scene with a limited palette and alla prima. This landscape painting was completed on primed card using titanium white and just five other colours (listed below). Together with a selection of fine bristle brushes, various art effects can be achieved. The aim is a rough, atmospheric painting capturing the energy and force of a stormy sea, crashing against the coast. Scudding clouds against a cadmium sky suggest a storm brewing up. Art Materials Needed For this painting, I used: Thick card primed with a wash of burnt sienna and white acrylic paint (but any mid-brown will do). Oil colours : Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue, Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, and Burnt Sienna. Several fine and medium bristle brushes, a ruler and soft pencil. Old rags. The limited colour palette enabled me to work quickly so I can focus my brushstrokes on creating energy...
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Focus On Oil Painting Demonstrations: Step-by-Step Tutorials and Projects

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Welcome to my collection of oil painting demonstrations. Each tutorial shows the development of a painting from the first sketch to the final artwork. These demonstrations reveal not only how each painting was created, but also the art materials needed, the painting techniques explored and what you will learn. Where to Start with Oil Painting The aim of this section is to prompt the artist to get painting. Whether you are a beginner in oil painting or an experienced artist looking for further practice, these demonstrations are designed to provide guidance that can be applied to your own work. Every project explores artistic principles such as colour mixing, tonal values, composition and brushwork. What You Will Find on Each Demo Page Each art demonstration will be structured similarly. Here is what you’ll find on each tutorial page. An introduction on what you'll learn. This might be colour-mixing, tonal judgements, alla prima or painting shadows. Themes will vary from dramatic la...
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Focus On Artwork Restoration, Repairs, Painting Problems and Art Defects

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A painting starts to crack, the canvas begins to warp, dull patches spread over the paint layer, and water damage threatens to spoil months of work. A painting that has high financial or sentimental value can cause further worry. How can the artist save an oil painting from the bin? Cure for Damaged Oil Paintings The good news is that an oil painting can be remedied, regardless of the damage. A torn canvas can be repaired; dirty varnish can be removed and the artwork restored to its previous vitality. Understanding the root cause of these defects will help the same thing happening again. This collection of articles explores practical solutions to a wide range of oil painting problems, from surface flaws and structural damage to conservation and insurance. Common Defects in the Oil Pigment An oil painting is the most durable, robust and tough medium in existence. Take a look at the Old Masters, paintings that have survived time, heat, damp and handling. An oil painting will never crack ...
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How do I Paint Blonde Hair on My Portraits?

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Blonde hair in portrait 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 painting 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 of ...
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How do I Erase a Mistake from My Painting?

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An otherwise effective oil painting can be spoiled by a garish tree, a black splodge or a grey expanse of water that clashes with the painting’s vibrant colours. In trying to fix the problem, the artist may fiddle with the area, overworking the paint until it becomes a muddy mess. How can the painting be put right? Culprits to Making Mistakes in Oil Painting Correct an Oil Painting Few things are more frustrating than completing a satisfactory oil painting except for one particular area. An oil painting is only as good as its weakest point. No matter what the artist does, the offending area continues to draw the eye. Scrapping the painting may seem the only option. The following may have led to this point: Completing the painting in one go, causing the final part to be rendered when tired or rushed. Guessworking an area, such as using green paint straight from the tube for grass or trees. Working from a poor photograph. Fiddling too much with an area, causing it to lose life and...
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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 painting 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 sha...
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My Photographs are so Poor, I Can’t Use them for my Artwork

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Producing a work of art often involves using photographic reference. The artist may prefer to produce photos rather than source from other image banks, but soon discovers that poor photos could have an impact upon the painting. Blurred images or elements too small could force the artist to fill in the gaps, resulting in an unsatisfactory piece of art. How does the artist create photographic resources that will support the artwork ? Mistakes with Photography Photo of Iraqi man, (Christiaan Briggs)  The artist may feel disappointed with photos meant to support an oil painting or similar work of art. The photos might be blurred or contain insufficient visual information to be of any use. The following comprise common reason why photos are immediately deleted from the pictures file on the computer. Images appear pixellated. The images are blurred. The subject matter appears too small in the photo. The subject exhibits little detail due to poor lighting. Vital elements are either ob...
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How do I Paint Porcelain in my Still Life without it Looking like Clay?

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A still life with ceramics may challenge the artist wishing to achieve smooth blends in oil paint. But regardless of how carefully the paint is applied, unwanted brush marks and chromatic ridges remain. Dark crescents seem to inhabit spherical teapots; colour-streaks blot porcelain vases. How can a smooth finish be achieved in still life oil paint to suggest porcelain, glass or chinaware? Smooth Effects in Oil Paint Common Mistakes That Ruin Smooth Blending Creating a perfect blend to represent a gradual chromatic or tonal shift offers challenges for the artist wishing to suggest smooth ceramics in a still life. But before making improvements, the practices that sabotage this objective needs to be identified, which could be any of the following: Applying oil paint alla prima, or in one layer, will often exhibit broken glazes, uneven paint layers and brush marks. The effect is enhanced if applying dark paint over a white painting surface or over an under-glaze of a conflicting colour....
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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. I have a dedicated focus page on oil painting defects for related problems like these. 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 sh...
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How Can I Paint Alla Prima without the Painting Looking Fiddly?

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Alla prima is the simplest practice of oil painting, describing the completion of a landscape painting in one sitting and in one oil paint layer. Alla prima can be exciting as the painting seems to evolve in minutes instead of over several days. A finish akin to the Impressionist might be the end result. Painting in alla prima in oils However, there is always the danger of the paint looking ‘fussed over’ and fiddled with if one area doesn’t work out. The painting ends up losing life. How can the artist retain that freshness and vibrancy that defines alla prima art technique? Problems with Alla Prima Painting The artist might be disappointed with the end product of a landscape painting or portrait when it seemed to be going so well during the alla prima painting . Colours suddenly appear fussed over and lifeless and brush marks no longer inform on light and shadow, but seem to exist for its own sake. The following practices might cause an unsatisfactory painting completed in...
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What Art Techniques can I use to Paint Underwater Scenes?

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A fascinating subject matter for painting is undersea scenes such as the Great Barrier Reef or the deep. Having completed many oil paintings that feature marine images underwater, I have perfected great art techniques in oil paints to suggest this watery world. Here are some tips on how to paint water whilst retaining pure colours . How to Paint Ocean Scenes Painting Underwater Scenes (Rachel Shirley)   I have completed dozens of paintings that feature coral reefs and the great deep for my children’s picture books, the Katie’s Magic Teapot series that tells the story of a young girl’s adventure travelling under the oceans in her magic teapot. But I wanted the effects to be realistic. Painting marine animals such as clownfish and dolphins required detailed effects in themselves, but how can an effective background create the impression that the scene is set underwater? To complete these scenes, I used the following art materials, beginning with the colors: Ultramarine blue, pthal...
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How do I Paint Reflections in the Eyes of my Portrait?

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Illustrating the eyes in a portrait painting 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 m...
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Painting Skills

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Books & Resources

Artbooks by Rachel Shirley
Explore practical guides on oil painting, materials and colour mixing.
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Winsor & Newton Art Materials
Professional-grade paints, mediums and brushes.
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Mirror Image Shattered by Madeleine Watson
An identical twin's true story of her dark toddlerhood.
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The Shuttered Room by Charles Jay Harwood
A gripping thriller about a house that seems ordinary on the outside.
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Painting Objects

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Still Life & Restoration

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