Intro to Oil Painting
Something I wish was easier to find is the perfect oil painting guide for beginners.
Paints
My oil painting journey began just a few years ago, and like most artists that prefer to mix and create their own secondary and tertiary colours, I started with the three primary colours:
Red
Yellow
Blue
These three colours along with white and black can be used to create lighter and darker tones. Another choice of colours worth trying are the CMYK palette:
Cyan
Magenta
Yellow
Black
These create a more muted colour palette compared to RYB. My current brands of choice for oil paints are Gamblin or Winsor & Newton.
Mediums
The more difficult part is learning about the different mediums that can be used to create different textures and forms of blending. Oil paint itself is very thick, so in order to thin it down and make it more fluid, Gamsol is one of the easiest options to use. Something to remember is that you don’t NEED mediums, oil paints can be used on their own.
Gamsol can be combined with other mediums such as linseed oil and solvent-free fluid. (There’s many other mediums out there but this is the combination I currently use to achieve slower drying times in order to be able to blend my colours for a longer period of time). The main differences between mediums include drying time, wetting abilities, and yellowing effects.
Disposing of Oil Paint and Mediums
All oil-based paints are hazardous waste, so when it comes to disposal they have to be dropped off to a recycling facility. This has to be delivered at large quantities, so if you decide to use oil paints, the left over residue can be stored in a large container to be taken to a recycling location when needed.
Guide to Materials
Winsor & Newton Paint
Gamblin Paint
Gamsol Medium - Odorless Mineral Spirits
Linseed Oil Medium
Quick Drying Medium for building layers in a shorter amount of time
Gamvar Varnish
Brush Care
The type of brushes and bristles you decide to use will greatly effect your handling and cleaning method. In the past, I’ve found cleaning oil paint out of natural bristles to be more difficult than synthetic bristles.
Types of Brushes:
Types of Bristles:
Cleaning the brushes after use is important to avoid the bristles from hardening, and allowing them to last a longer lifetime.
Wipe off any excess paint left on the brush
Dip them into linseed oil / gamsol
Wash with warm water and dish soap
Gently re-shape the bristles with your fingers or a cloth
Lay down to dry on paper towel or clean cloth
