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Message
Posted
Hello, I've been keen on drawing and watercolours for a few years now without ever really having much time to devote to it. I've just invested in some oil paints to experiment with, and will post some efforts into the forums. I've already picked up some really useful tips by browsing through so thanks.
Posted
Hi Darren, welcome to the website.
The best place to post your work is on the gallery, you will get more comments on there, and you can invite critique if you’re brave enough!
The forum in general, (there are exceptions such as challenges etc), is for discussion on any art related issues that you may have. I see you’ve posted an oil painting asking for advice, that’s fine and you will get help with that question from some of the members I’m sure.
Good luck on your journey into oil painting - a fabulous and exciting medium to work with!
Posted
I prefer oil painting to watercolour, it's easier to use although it's messier.
Oils can take three or four days to dry, which can be inconvenient if you don't have a space dedicated to painting. You can cut down the drying time to a day or less by using a medium called Liquin, by Winsor and Newton. Put a blob of the gel on the palette and add a small amount of it to the colours you mix.
I suggest you paint small or medium size pictures to start with - most of the time I use painting boards/canvas at 10" x 12" (24 x 30 cms) and occasionally 12" x 16". I don't work for hours on a painting. I'll spend two or three hours at the most and that's it. I rarely go back and improve a painting, it's better to start a new one.
Painting on a white canvas can make it harder to judge tonal values and colours. You've also got to paint the whole of the canvas, otherwise any remaining white areas of canvas look peculiar. It helps to paint an undercoat (aka imprimatura or ground) onto the white canvas. This is easy to do. Mix a small amount of burnt sienna with some turps and quickly paint it onto the canvas with a big brush. Then lightly wipe most of it off with a painting cloth. The canvas will then have a warm, light brown colour, a bit like a biscuit. It's a good background tone for lanscapes and portraits.
Best of luck.
Edited
by keora