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Welcome to Oil Painting Medic, a practical, solutions‑based guide for artists working in oils.
This blog brings together copious articles on every aspect of oil painting — from materials and preparation to colour mixing and colour mixing techniques.
If you’re new here, this page will help you navigate the main themes of the site and find the posts most relevant to your work.
Below are the key themes of the site. Once labels are applied, each section will link to its full list of posts.
This blog brings together copious articles on every aspect of oil painting — from materials and preparation to colour mixing and colour mixing techniques.
If you’re new here, this page will help you navigate the main themes of the site and find the posts most relevant to your work.
What You’ll Find on Oil Painting Medic
Oil painting is a practice with many moving parts: materials, technique, colour, subject matter, and the problems that can arise. This blog is designed to help you understand each part, with practical advice you can apply immediately.Below are the key themes of the site. Once labels are applied, each section will link to its full list of posts.
The Artist’s Subject Matter
Portraiture: Guides on painting eyes, mouths, noses, skin tones, hair, babies’ faces, and advanced portrait techniques.
Figures: Articles on achieving realism in the human form.
Landscapes: Natural greens, trees, shadows, mountains, water, ripples, flowers, skies, clouds, snow, and other weather.
Animal Art: Techniques for wild animals, pets, fur, eyes, markings and wildlife portraits.
Still Life: Composition, lighting, textures, foreshortening, reflective surfaces, food, glass, metals, and everyday objects.
Unusual Subjects: Fire, underwater scenes, reef fish, and other challenging topics.
Figures: Articles on achieving realism in the human form.
Landscapes: Natural greens, trees, shadows, mountains, water, ripples, flowers, skies, clouds, snow, and other weather.
Animal Art: Techniques for wild animals, pets, fur, eyes, markings and wildlife portraits.
Still Life: Composition, lighting, textures, foreshortening, reflective surfaces, food, glass, metals, and everyday objects.
Unusual Subjects: Fire, underwater scenes, reef fish, and other challenging topics.
The Artist’s Methods and Processes
Art Techniques: Colour mixing, impasto, glazing, alla prima, realism, detail, texture, light and atmosphere, and problem‑specific technique guides.
Art Materials: Brushes, mediums, watermixable oils, alkyds, canvas, boards, easels, art surfaces, varnish, and odourless painting.
Art Preparation: Underdrawing, priming, sketching, viewfinders, and the foundations of a successful painting.
Drawing: Foreshortening, ellipses, underdrawing and negative space.
Art Materials: Brushes, mediums, watermixable oils, alkyds, canvas, boards, easels, art surfaces, varnish, and odourless painting.
Art Preparation: Underdrawing, priming, sketching, viewfinders, and the foundations of a successful painting.
Drawing: Foreshortening, ellipses, underdrawing and negative space.
The Artist’s Troubleshooting Guide
The heart of Oil Painting Medic is found here. Find solutions to the most common (and uncommon) oil painting problems. Things like, muddy colours, insipid mixes, cracking, warping, garish flowers, lifeless skin tones, dirty sunsets, childish drawings and feeling in an artistic rut
If your painting has gone wrong, this section will help you put it right.
If your painting has gone wrong, this section will help you put it right.
The Artist’s Critique
Art Critique: Objective feedback, critique guides, and analysis of submitted artworks from readers.
Artbooks by Rachel Shirley: Find a section on my artbooks and where to buy. All my art instruction books are available on paperback and Kindle, via various outlets, including Amazon, Kobo and Apple.
Find a guide on where to begin on oil painting, the art materials needed, portraiture, landscapes, still life, and guides on painting the old masters.
Each book expands on the topics covered in this blog.
Artbooks by Rachel Shirley: Find a section on my artbooks and where to buy. All my art instruction books are available on paperback and Kindle, via various outlets, including Amazon, Kobo and Apple.
Find a guide on where to begin on oil painting, the art materials needed, portraiture, landscapes, still life, and guides on painting the old masters.
Each book expands on the topics covered in this blog.
The Artist's Starting Point
If you’re new to oil painting, begin with these foundational topics:
Art Materials: the brushes, canvas, mediums, and surfaces
Art Preparation: the underdrawing, priming, and planning your composition
Colour Mixing: controlling colour temperature, opacity, and clean mixes
Troubleshooting: quick fixes for common painting problems
Portraiture, Landscapes or Still Life. Search via the desired subject matter.
These sections will give you a strong grounding before exploring more advanced techniques.
Art Materials: the brushes, canvas, mediums, and surfaces
Art Preparation: the underdrawing, priming, and planning your composition
Colour Mixing: controlling colour temperature, opacity, and clean mixes
Troubleshooting: quick fixes for common painting problems
Portraiture, Landscapes or Still Life. Search via the desired subject matter.
These sections will give you a strong grounding before exploring more advanced techniques.
How to Explore the Blog
Once labels are applied, each section above will link to its full archive of posts. You can also browse:
the most popular posts, the latest posts, posts by theme, posts by subject matter. And posts by problem type
Oil Painting Medic is designed to be a practical reference you can return to whenever you need guidance, inspiration, or a solution to a painting challenge.
Thank you for reading.
the most popular posts, the latest posts, posts by theme, posts by subject matter. And posts by problem type
Oil Painting Medic is designed to be a practical reference you can return to whenever you need guidance, inspiration, or a solution to a painting challenge.
Thank you for reading.
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