Oil Painting Medic

Art stores exhibit different types of stretched canvases for various painting needs, from cotton duck, synthetic fabrics to linen. Various grades and textures can also be found. But when it comes to exploring various oil painting techniques, which canvas would be best and of which grade regarding texture? Guide to Types of Canvases for Oil Painting  From top left: untreated, coarse, medium and fine grain canvas Canvas broadly speaking is woven fabric, often cotton, linen or hemp that has been entwined into a fine weave. The resultant fabric can either be rolled up for storage or pulled over a ‘stretcher’ ready for priming and painting. Oil paint or acrylic can be applied onto prepared canvas. Oil painting panels have been superseded with stretched canvas, but oil paintings on canvas can be found as early as 1400s. Canvas was traditionally manufactured from ‘hemp,’ the cannabis plant for its tough fibres, but is now produced from linen or cotton. The term ‘cotton duck’ is ...

Water soluble oil paints offer an alternative for the artist who wishes to explore oil colors without having to use solvents. Various reasons might be allergies, painting in a small space or simply an aversion to the smell. With this in mind, oil paint manufacturers have found a way of making the oil in the paint soluble with water. With this new product, their associated oil mediums have been developed. Harsh solvents may never be used. But what are all these mediums for? Oil Mediums that can be Thinned with Water Water soluble oil mediums Artisan oils and Cobra are two such examples of watermixable oils. But with these oils come an array of water-based oily mediums that can be used to alter the properties of the paint in similar ways to the traditional oils. Also known as ‘water miscible oil paint,’ the oil in the paints possesses altered molecules that make them bondable with water. Find a guide on how these water mixable mediums can be used. (separate articles have been ded...

Alkyds are special painting mediums that are made from an oil-modified resin treated with alcohol and acid, hence the fusion of both words to create a new word, ‘alkyd’. The result is a honey-colored substance that dries quickly to a hard enamel. All alkyd mediums dry much faster than the ‘ drying oils’ used with oil paint, enabling the artist to apply a second coat of paint on the following day. How Alkyds are used in Oil Painting Types of Liquins for Oil Colors Alkyd is the carrier of alkyd paints, which is a painting medium in its own right and is different to oil paints. However, the alkyd medium in isolation can be added to traditional oils, to create ‘alkyd oils.’ Alkyds are designed for glazing techniques as the medium adds translucency and accelerates drying of oil paints. The drying rate of tradition oils can be speeded up to fifty percent, although factors such as the thickness of the paint and environmental factors will come into play. But an oil painting that bec...

Cold pressed oil, thickened oil, drying oil, refined oil, stand oil, poppy oil, linseed oil, safflower oil. What are they all for? It would appear that an array of oil mediums is needed for oil painting, not to mention alkyds (covered in another article). Does the artist really need all these oil mediums? Find a list of oil mediums and what they are for below. What Oil Mediums are For Oil Mediums in Art Techniques Although great oil paintings are possible without such oils, it helps to know what they are for. The artist can then make informed decisions on what medium to use to attain certain effects. Separate articles have been dedicated to alkyd mediums and watermixable mediums for oils . Simple Guide to Oil Painting Mediums for Oils Oils and solvents alter the properties of oil paint to serve a particular purpose. Linseed oil is the carrier of oil paint anyway, and by adding more will make the paint more translucent and runny, a bit like adding water to watercolor. Thi...

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 (Rachel Shirley) 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...