OIL PAINTING MEDIC

The artist may set up a still life without due thought to the lighting. Shadows being non-solid may be overlooked, and may appear to fall off one side of the canvas when painted. This may compel the artist to fade them out as though diffused by strip lighting. The artist may further forget that pale objects may appear dark if lit from behind, portraying instead the object’s local colour. Such treatment may result in a painting that lacks atmosphere. How can the artist make best use of the light in painting? The Best Lighting for Painting Light is a vital factor in a composition, for light and shadow appear as solid to the eye as the objects themselves. Forgetting that shadows contain shifting hues and tones may result in black shapes that resemble holes in the painting. Subtle effects such as varying outlines and reflected light may also be overlooked, robbing the painting of all mood. But the following might help raise awareness of using light for painting. The Best Use of Light f...

Poor lighting may make the brightest still life objects appear dull. The artist may find colour mixing more difficult, which will have a knock-on effect on the painting. Artificial lighting serves only to make the still life setting appear lurid, creating fuzzy shadows with no contrasts. But outdoors, even on a cloudy day, the contrast can be breathtaking. How does the artist prepare for still life painting en plein air? Painting a Still Life Outdoors Tips for Alfresco Art The artist does not have to go traipsing off into the landscape to paint alfresco; one’s own back yard is ideal. The light that floods the garden is often far brighter than the light that filters indoors, even on a cloudy day. Objects appear more vibrant and contrasts between colour and tone more intense. As a bonus, new possibilities for still life subject matter seem to open out: tomato plants, wheelbarrows, deckchairs, trellises, gardening tools, swings, hanging baskets, urns, water-features, bird tables, ...

Embarking upon a painting featuring lots of elements regarding textures, patterns and colour shifts may overwhelm the artist wishing to try something challenging. Striations on seashells, embroidery on curtains or layers within red cabbage may cause visual overload where the artist does not know where to begin. What is the simplest technique for painting detail without compromising the quality of the finished artwork? Common Mistakes When Painting Intricate Detail Applying Detail in Oils Rachel Shirley The idea of embarking upon a painting with lots of detail is often appealing. The reward of completing an exacting work of art that catches the eye and entices the viewer to take a closer look may cause the artist to go in with both feet with such a project. However, once faced with the reality of emulating a multitude of patterns and textures, the artist may experience the wind go out of the creative sails. The following may cause an unsatisfactory painting with detail. Tryin...

With the aim of supplying contrast between the old and new, the artist may include corroded objects in a still life. Rusty tools, watering cans or engine parts are sure to challenge the artist wishing to explore different textures. But despite attaining the desired colour mix, the objects portrayed do not suggest oxidisation. What art technique can the artist use to portray rusty metal convincingly? Aged Effects in Oil Paint Aged Objects in Still Life Rachel Shirley Aged textures on metal may sometimes defeat the artist who is unsure of how to capture the texture of rust or peeling paint. Sensitive colour mixing is not always enough to suggest rust, and in some cases will merely make the object appear brown or orange. This situation is not helped if the paint is applied evenly and with uniform brush marks. The secret to painting rusty objects effectively lies partially in colour-mixing; the rest is down to how the paint is applied. Rusty Objects for Still Life Partially-oxid...

In a bid to recreate the luscious greens of foliage, the artist may reach for any blue and green pigment and blend them together, but murky brown materialises. Hopes for a vibrant purple, as seen on grapes could be quashed when a blend of blue and red yields a dingy grey. In other cases, the colour is too garish, too dark or too wishy-washy or just doesn’t hit the mark. How can the artist mix any colour required for subject matter in painting? hy Colour Mixing Goes Wrong for Artist The Language of Colour Explained Rachel Shirley If asked what the primary colours are, the automatic reply might be red, yellow and blue. However many artist pigments containing these labels contain other pigments. Lemon yellow, for instance, has a greenish cast. Cadmium red contains a lot of yellow. Ultramarine blue contains a lot of violet. Since Ultramarine is biased towards red, it would not be a fitting blue counterpart if a piercing green mixture was the objective. The true definition of a p...

Subtle features on still life objects such as the pectin on the skins of grapes or condensation on strawberries may often be overlooked in preference to the fruits’ colour mixture or shape. The fruit painting may turn out as expected, but the still life misses something, an extra factor that could make the still life great. What art techniques can the artist use to suggest pectin on grapes or water droplets on food? Techniques for Painting Pectin on Grapes How to Paint Grapes In many cases, the artist’s first rendering of any object, grapes included, is an exercise in capturing its most obvious elements: its shape, its dimensions, its hue and its tone. Subtle detail may easily be overlooked. The following practices may curtail sensitive observation of such objects: Perceiving objects in symbolic and idealized ways and reflecting this in the painting. For example, grapes are small round objects, often found in bunches, that are either green or maroon in colour. A white dot can...

The paper-thin texture of flower petals or popular imagery or flowers in delicate watercolour washes may compel the artist to reflect this view when mixing colours for flowers in a still life. Candyfloss pinks and peaches make parts of the painting appear bleached out or faded like a photo left out in the sun. How can the artist paint vibrant flowers in a still life without the risk of the colours looking garish? Why Flower Colours Often Look Washed Out Dark Colours in Flowers Rachel Shirley Flowers often provide the focal point within a still life, which may lead the artist to take extra caution when mixing colours. However, dissatisfaction may occur if using the following practices: Assigning flowers with simplified chromatic labels according to type, and then applying the colour concerned without further observation, such as: lilies are white, daffodils are yellow, poppies are red and roses are pink. Applying a pale colour mix such as pink or pale blue onto a white paint...

Diverse textures on a still life, which may feature furry toys, smooth brass, crumbly bread or delicate rose petals, may confound the artist wishing to capture all these qualities on canvas. Oils being versatile may also seem bewildering to the beginner who is unsure of which application to use for optimum results. What are the main oil painting techniques to suggest any texture in a still life? Why Still Life Textures Challenge Beginners Textures in Still Life Rachel Shirley Because oils have been around for hundreds of years, many artists have conceived novel and wonderful ways of using oil to serve a particular effect. The beginner would be forgiven for thinking that oils are complex and require several processes. In reality, oil paints can be simple or it can be applied in more complex ways. The following describe the main oil painting techniques that can be used to suggest different textures in a still life. Techniques for Creating Smooth, Polished Surfaces Smooth objects...

A stereotypical still life setting may result from the subconscious collation of images depicting fruit, a bowl, a bottle or a vase of flowers to be requisite subject matter for still life painting. The artist may place such objects in a row and standing to attention beneath artificial light. On reflection however, the artist may suspect that opportunities for making the still life stand out may have been overlooked. How can an interesting still life painting be created? Troubleshooting for a Captivating Still Life Original Ideas for Painting Rachel Shirley Although the aforementioned objects can in fact be used to create an eye-catching still life study, the following practices and assumptions may lie at the core of a still life painting that lacks interest: Not trying other possible object combinations and merely opting for the first objects that present themselves. Going for the most orthodox viewpoint without shifting the angle from which the objects can be seen, su...

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? Common Mistakes That Ruin Smooth Blending Smooth Effects in Oil Paint Rachel Shirley 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 ...

The bright colours of vegetables and fruit in a still life may sometimes appear garish when rendered in paint. Any red at the artist’s disposal might have been used to portray tomatoes, peppers or pomegranates and then neatly applied in the fashion of colour-by-numbers. Darkening such a bright colour may cause further dissatisfaction when dirty colours result. How can the artist recreate bright-coloured food in still life with deep colours and intense shadows? Why Bright Fruit Often Looks Garish in Paintings Still Life with Fruit Rachel Shirley Portraying bright fruit in painting may prove difficult if the artist has poor understanding of the colour theory, ruining what could be a great focal point to a still life. Before improvements can be made, the following culprits need to be identified, which could be any of the following: A poor selection of oil pigments, which do not contain the true primary colours means the colour needed for a still life cannot be mixed. Using any ...

How to Draw Objects in Foreshortening Rachel Shirley A still life painting containing an object in foreshortened view may appear skewed. Long objects pointing at the viewer such as chair legs, breadsticks, grinders, cutlery, shoelaces clothes pegs or tin openers do not appear to inhabit three-dimensional space as it should. Regardless of how well the other objects have been painted, the skewed object continues to draw the eye, spoiling the effect. How can the artist paint objects foreshortened in as still life convincingly? Why Foreshortened Objects Look Skewed Trying to draw an object in foreshortening or in other words, pointing at the viewer, is a common stumbling block for beginners trying to paint from life. The “long” object appears squashed to one side, or out of true. The following culprits are often to blame for such an unwanted focal point in a still life painting: Giving in to the inner voice that insists that the object is long, regardless of how it appears in fore...

Painting reflections on shiny objects such as silverware, glass or China may bewilder the artist who may not know where to begin. An array of abstract shapes too complex to tackle may cause visual overload that may result or a muddled mess. In other cases, reflections might be rendered as simplified white squares supposed to represent reflections from a window, or single white dots that fails to match up to the true complexity of reflections. How can the artist paint reflections on objects effectively? Troubleshooting Still Life Reflections How to Paint Reflections Rachel Shirley The task of painting reflections could be made more difficult if trying to paint a still life under complex light conditions which can be found in a multi-windowed room, fluorescent lighting or from reflected light bouncing from other objects. The following practices might also create an unsatisfactory painting of reflections. Assuming that all reflections are white, leading to the exclusive use of ...

Despondency may descend upon the artist who assesses a completed still life for the first time only to be met with garish flowers, wonky ellipses, insipid colours or a foreshortened object that appears skewed. The rendering may have a naïve quality or one where the problem is difficult to identify; the painting just looks wrong. Such dissatisfaction may cause the artist to throw in the brushes, but such a decision might be hasty. Troubleshooting Still Life Art How to Paint Better Still Life Rachel shirley The artist who ventures into painting for the first time since childhood may understandably need to learn about the different techniques and visual skills needed for creating an authentic piece. Leniency must be exercised during the learning process. However, the following issues might also have contributed to a childish-looking painting: Executing the painting whilst sitting close to the canvas will cause imperfections and errors to become invisible until viewed from afar....

After spending hours arranging a still life setting, the artist may suddenly be struck by the emptiness of the background. This element might be left until last, when the artist has run out of steam, leading to the blocking in of one colour, often brown, grey or white. In an attempt to make the background more interesting, a shadow might be introduced behind the objects, which is likely to appear unconvincing if painted from memory. How can the artist create interesting backgrounds for a still life painting? Troubleshooting Backgrounds in Painting Still Life Backgrounds Because objects in a still life are solid entities that inhabit empty space, the artist may forget that this space is also a visual element, and more importantly, may take up more surface area of the painting than the objects themselves. Relegating the background as unimportant could cause compositional problems later. The following might also create problems with backgrounds: Not thinking through the colour c...