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.

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Welcome. Oil Painting Medic brings together my oil‑painting guides, teaching resources and troubleshooting. I explore portraiture, landscapes, drawing, and colour theory through books, tutorials and videos. Are you a beginning in oils? developing your drawing skills? Or exploring art techniques? Here is the best place to begin.

Nothing here is AI generated. I have painted since the age of six and love the feel of oil paints, the smell of linseed and the daubing on of pigment. I graduated from Kingston, London in 1986 and taught life drawing and painting at my local college. I work hands-on with no digital aid whatsoever.

For me, nothing beats oil painting.

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Use the sections below to explore oil painting and methods, such as art materials and preparation. You can browse my art‑instruction books, follow painting and drawing tutorials to learn how to improve. Each area offers guidance and insights drawn from years of studio experience.

Painting figures and portraits from the Old Masters Rachel Shirley
Learn oil painting and associated techniques

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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 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 resemble 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 lies 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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I Have no Interesting Objects for a Still Life Painting

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The artist struck by an itch to produce still life art may loot the cupboards for something interesting to paint and pass up apparently mundane objects, such as bottles, fruit or toys, for something more exotic. In the hunt for the unobtainable, the artist may assume that objects present will not produce a good still life. What are the ideal objects to include in a still life painting?   Why Ordinary Objects Make Powerful Still Life Subjects Selecting interesting subject matter for a painting may prove a challenge if the artist is unsure of what to include. Making assumptions and generalisations about objects can often result in a still life that fails to live up to expectations. The following ideas need challenging when selecting still life objects. The ideal still life must include exotic or unusual objects; an artefact, a valuable piece of jewellery or other item exhibiting convoluted shapes, textures or bright colours.   Including objects at their best; a showy bouquet w...
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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 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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I’m Confused about Alkyd Mediums for Oil Paints. What are They For?

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Alkyds are special painting mediums made from an oil‑modified resin treated with alcohol and acid, hence the fusion of both words to create the term “alkyd.” The result is a honey‑coloured substance that dries quickly to a hard enamel. All alkyd mediums dry much faster than the traditional drying oils used with oil paint, enabling the artist to apply a second coat the following day. For certain artists wishing for fast-drying oil paint, can be an essential art material for oil painting . How Alkyds Are Used in Oil Painting Types of Liquins for Oil Colours Alkyd is the carrier of alkyd paints, which is a painting medium in its own right and different from oil paints. However, alkyd medium can be added to traditional oils to create “alkyd oils.” Alkyds are designed for glazing techniques as the medium adds translucency and accelerates drying. The drying rate of traditional oils can be sped up by around fifty percent, although the thickness of paint and environmental factors play ...
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How do I Erase a Mistake from My Painting? A Guide to Tonking

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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. What art technique can the artist use to remedy the error? Correct an Oil Painting Culprits to Making Mistakes in 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. Guess-working 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, ca...
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Tips on Painting Brown Hair for Portraits: Brunette and Russet Colors

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The artist assigned to paint a portrait of someone with brown hair may reach for any brown pigment in the hope that it will do, resulting in hair that looks flat, dull and wool‑like rather than fine strands. How can the artist paint brown hair realistically? How to Paint Brown Hair on Portrait The artist may reflect upon what went wrong when painting hair. Any of the following practices could be at fault: Assuming any tube labelled “brown” will represent all shades from brunette to auburn. Illustrating every strand in a linear fashion with a fine sable, resulting in a synthetic wig‑like appearance. Leaving harsh dividing lines between tonal areas, making the hair appear solid or plastic. Mixing brown with white for highlights or black for darks, resulting in dirty grey colours. Treating the hair as separate from the face and omitting cast shadows over brow and cheeks, creating a cut‑out look. Tips on Painting Brunette Colours Brown hair is a blanket term for diverse earthen colour...
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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 ...
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Oil Pigments Color Temperature, Paint Transparency and Hue Saturation

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The artists’ first encounter with oil painting will be presented with a vast array of oil pigments in art shops. Many blues, browns and reds could cause confusion on which oil pigment to choose for painting. The cost of art materials will also influence the number of oil tubes to purchase. Which are the best oil colors to buy and how does each oil color differ regarding color temperature, coverage and intensity? Different Blues in Oil Colors Types of Pigments in Oil A walk into the art shop will educate the artist on the number of art pigments available in the art shop. For instance, in regards to blue, the following can be found: French ultramarine, cerulean, Prussian blue, Monestrial blue, Pthalo blue, cobalt blue and more. The same applies to reds, greens, yellows and browns. I avoid packaged sets of oil colors, which do not work out cheap in the long run, as unnecessary hues are often included (and often the omission of an essential color). I will purchase the tubes separately, c...
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ART ESSENTIALS

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PAINTING OBJECTS

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STILL LIFE & RESTORATION

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ART POSTS FROM MY OTHER BLOG

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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.
Shop Materials
Mirror Image Shattered by Madeleine Watson
An identical twin's true story of her dark toddlerhood.
Read More
The Shuttered Room by Charles Jay Harwood
A gripping thriller about a house that seems ordinary on the outside.
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