Wednesday, 1 June 2016

Understanding The Oil Painting Process

By Robert Smith


Many artists have had oil paints as their first priority for many years. Artists use selected oils to mix dry powder paints in the process of making their colors. They blend these products to get a stiff paste and this paste usually has consistency. Consistency is an essential property for these paints. The recommended standard for this paints is to have a buttery smooth paste which is not either stingy or tacky. Nevertheless, artists have made the oil painting a top choice over many years due to its benefits.

The fact is colors are gorgeous as well as beautiful and usually lasts longer. Since they dry much slowly, they allow time for the artists to make any correction or get rid of whatever they do not want before the paint dries up. But still, even when the paint become dry, they still can paint over it.

As stated, consistency is an important feature for these paints. Nevertheless, in case a flowing quality is sought, a liquid medium could be added such as turpentine. Besides, a siccative or even a liquid drier may be added so as to speed up the drying rate. With just basics on oil paints, you can be able to use them with ease.

During this artistic work, the artist uses canvas as the ideal support. After it is cut to the right size, it is laid on a wooden frame which is then fastened using tracks or staples. A primer may also be used to lower the absorbency of the canvas so as to get smooth surfaces. This primer should be given some allowance to dry before you begin the painting process. Common primers used are such as rabbit skin glue, gesso and lead white. In other cases, smoothness and rigidity could be preferred over springiness and texture. In such a situation, a sized or primed wooden panel or even a processed paperboard could be used.

A brush is an essential tool in this particular work. The artists use brushes to apply paint over the sketch. The brushes can be made from various varieties of fibers so as to give different effects. Some of the brushes used in this work are the red stable brushes and bleached hog bristles. They are also made of different sizes and shapes, for instance, they could be oval, flat or round.

After painting, a coat of varnish can be used to keep the picture from dirt accumulation, minor abrasions and atmospheric attacks. However, this varnish can be removed using solvents such as isopropyl alcohol. Still, this varnish adds uniform luster, and color intensity as that of original wet paint.

There are several benefits of using oil paints. Usually, the paints often dry slowly compared to other watercolors. This is, of course, a huge benefit for the artists because it allows them to have sufficient time for working with their creations as well as make changes before deciding the painting process is complete. Again, these paints are able to resist wear and tear.

Finally, after the painting process is over, you can correct any mistakes when the paint is wet. If you have unused paint save it for the next project. Also, ensure you clean the brushes since the paint can ruin them if they are left to dry.




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