How to work with oil paints for beginners. Basics of painting with oil paints. How to paint trees in oil

Greetings, dear readers!
In this article we will talk about the basics of working with oil paints. Of course it is the most popular technology in the world. The greatest masters of painting have studied, improved and created with oil paints for centuries.

By the way, do you know when the first oil paints appeared? Most likely you thought about the 14-15th century and... you were wrong. Many people think so. But just recently, scientists did... Open this news too!

Detailing the painting with a thin liner

It is quite logical if you want to start your creativity with oil paints. And if you have never done this before, but really want to start, you should first find out what a beginning artist should have on hand and how to start painting with oil paints.

How to create your own artist kit?

• We buy the necessary paints

My main advice to aspiring artists: buy quality paints immediately, don't try to save money! Cheap paints will not be of much use, but they will cause a lot of headaches. When you constantly practice, you will be able to evaluate the quality of your work, which will directly depend on the quality of the paints.

Absolutely you don't have to buy a big set, since there are always colors left that are never used. To start painting with oil paints, just use a few separate tubes. To develop a skill, a novice artist is recommended to have the following palette:

In general, the paint palette consists of 3 main (primary), from which all other colors (secondary and tertiary) are obtained by mixing. And when you learn to mix them, you will understand how and from what it is obtained. Everything around us consists only of red, blue and yellow... Amazing, isn't it?

• Choosing brushes

Second important advice for new artists: Be careful when buying brushes! Inspect them to ensure that the connection (clamp) between the pile and the handle is as tight as possible. Believe me, it’s not very pleasant when the lint comes out of the brush and you have to constantly remove it from the damp canvas!

From experience I will say that good brushes will last you many years, if they are of high quality and you handled them correctly.

For beginners painting with oil paints, I recommend starting with flat and semicircular flat brushes. It is enough to purchase 4-6 different sizes. Round brushes are also needed to detail objects in the painting.

High-quality brushes often become favorites

Over time, you can add retouching, fan brushes and liners to the collection. In another article-tip you can find out in more detail what brushes come in size, shape and

• Selecting thinners and solvents

To dilute (liquefy) oil paint to the desired consistency, you need special liquid substances: mainly turpentine or refined linseed oil. Also, many artists use “Doubles” and « Tees" - auxiliary means for thinning paint. On the market of foreign manufacturers there are various mediums, which I also use. In principle, these are the same tees in our understanding.

Important things for every artist

Not recommended for dilution, use pure solvents (white spirit, turpentine), because they break the structure of oil paint and “steal” its shine. But you will still need solvent to clean brushes and other tools, as well as paint-stained hands.

• Buying a palette

It is impossible to imagine an artist working on a painting without a palette in his hands! This useful thing performs several functions: paints are placed on it, paints are mixed on it, oil cans (special containers) with oil paint thinners are attached to it.

Therefore, in order to paint with oil paints correctly and create many shades, I recommend acquiring a suitable palette. Wooden or plastic, large or small, square or round... The choice is yours.

• Preparing the canvas

Canvas is most often used as a basis for oil painting.Fortunately, a modern artist can buy a ready-made primed canvas on a stretcher.

Almost every art store sells canvases of different sizes and from different materials: natural (linen, cotton) and synthetics. I recommend natural materials, they are denser and do not sag much over time.

If you want to prepare the canvas yourself, then to do this you need to prepare a stretcher and stretch the fabric very tightly over it. Then you need to prime the fabric to create a canvas. Sagging of the canvas is a common phenomenon, so After priming, you need to re-tighten the canvas a little tighter. Read more about how to make a canvas with your own hands

We prepare the canvas ourselves

Note: the best base for canvas is linen. It can be fine-grained, medium-grained and coarse-grained. The stroke on the surface depends on the grain of the canvas. About choosing a canvas

• We purchase an easel

Of course, you can learn to paint with oil paints without an easel by attaching the canvas to any surface. But still, it is much more convenient with an easel: it is installed at the desired angle at eye level and gives a better overview of the painting.

With an easel it is convenient not only to write, but also to find flaws in the work, and correct them immediately. An easel is a reliable stand for your future painting! They come in different heights and convenience, as well as tabletop mini easels for small canvas sizes.

• We stock up on auxiliary accessories

Have you already thought about where your brushes will go? Where will you wash them? How will you wipe paint off your hands and other utensils? Be sure to stock up on jars in which you will wash your brushes, paper napkins, old newspapers and a few cotton rags.

These important little things should always be at your fingertips, so that you can work calmly and focus your attention on the picture and not on the materials. All this will be indispensable for you in your work to clean your brush or palette knife, or, for example, to remove excess paint from the canvas and wipe your dirty hands.

• Other Important Materials and Accessories

An indispensable tool for working with oil - palette knife! With its help, it is convenient to remove excess paint from the canvas and transfer it to the palette. It also leaves amazingly voluminous strokes! In principle, one palette knife is enough.

But if you decide to learn how to paint well with oil paints and devote a lot of time to this activity, it is better to purchase several of these tools of different shapes and sizes.

Sketchbook – a special box for transporting paints and painting supplies. You will really need it if you decide to go out and paint in oils in nature or plein air, as it is also called (from the French Plain air - outdoors, in the fresh air)

Oilers- small containers with a clip with which they are attached to the palette. There are two types: simple and double.

Another important element is protective varnish. The finished painting is usually varnished 6-8 months after completion of the work. The varnish protects the painting from ultraviolet radiation, moisture and darkening.... Well, there are a number of other reasons why you should varnish a painting. In addition, varnish makes the colors richer and brighter, adding intensity to the paint layer. How to varnish a painting

Howstart painting correctly with oil paints when the artist's kit is assembled?

So, you have collected everything you need and secured the primed canvas. What to do next? Start writing!

I know that Many novice artists have a fear of a white canvas, something can go wrong and everything will be ruined. Don't be afraid, because the main thing is to just start! Here's how to stop being afraid and start painting.

You can start with a simple plot that comes to mind... For example, a mosaic drawing with selected bright colors, which consists of different figures, shapes and symbols. Well, like the ancient Egyptians, remember? Or you can take a finished image and try to copy it onto canvas...

Start drawing - feel the power of color!

Exist . The most common of them are - And . Most of the most famous paintings are painted in them, although there are many other techniques.

For those who are just beginning the path of an artist, the main thing now is to start just to feel the structure of oil paint, how it lays on the canvas, how the paint layer is formed.

By the way, did you know that creative people have Read, maybe you are a naturally creative person, you just didn’t know it!

Here are some more tips:

• Set up a drawing corner in your apartment. There must be enough light to work during the day without additional lighting. It is in the place of the best natural light that we place the easel. If there is not enough natural light, use additional lighting to provide good light on the easel.

• Try to apply oil paints evenly, achieve uniformity on the canvas. If you really want to apply a second coat, take your time; Sometimes you need to give time for the first layer to dry.

• Mix colors! Experiment with shades. Remember that white makes any color lighter, and black makes any color darker, with their help it is easy to achieve the desired shade of shadows and highlights. But don’t get too carried away with black and white, since titanium white, for example, makes some colors cloudy, and black is generally rarely used in classical painting. Although each manufacturer has several black shades on sale. An alternative to black can be dark indigo... it is softer and more delicate in appearance.

“Painting is the most accessible and convenient of the arts” - Johann Goethe, German poet, philosopher and thinker

Additional Video Tips:

Ask your questions below in the comments, I usually answer all questions quickly

Oil painting- this is the most popular and favorite technique of many world-famous artists, both of past centuries and of our time. Due to their plastic structure, oil paints dry for a long time, which makes it possible to correct the drawing over a long period of time. Oil painting always looks elegant and sophisticated. Learning to paint in oils is a difficult task, but it brings a lot of pleasure to the artist. If you have not yet mastered this technique, start right now: who knows, maybe the future Aivazovsky or Vasnetsov is hidden in you? What does a novice artist need to have for oil painting?

List of necessary items for oil painting

1. Oil paints.
2. Brushes: you can use natural bristle or synthetic brushes (the choice of brush depends on how much money you have and what result you want to achieve).
3. Wooden palette.
4. Oiler for thinner.
5. Thinner (used to prevent paints from being too thick).
6. Canvases (canvas on a stretcher, canvas on cardboard, or primed cardboard are equally good).
7. Special liquid for washing brushes.
8. Kistemoyka.

Oil paints– paints created from oil, pigment and turpentine. For oil paints, linseed, hemp, poppy, nut or safflower oil is used. Pigments affect the color of paint and can be synthetic or natural. Oil paintings remain in excellent condition for many centuries: when drying, oil paints retain their color, they are not afraid of light and frost. Due to their paste-like structure, oil paints have excellent covering properties.

Brushes: Oil paints are best applied with natural bristle brushes or synthetic brushes. Each artist should have brushes of different hardness and different shapes - this will help to display the desired structure of the picture and make even small details clear.

Wooden palette– this is an irreplaceable thing in the arsenal of an artist who loves to paint with oil paints. For convenience, you should have two palettes: one large - for painting in the studio, the second - a small one for traveling. Please note that a plastic palette is not suitable for painting with oil paints.

Oiler– a special container for diluent, which is attached to the palette using a special clamp.

Diluent used to make paints less thick. For oil paints, petroleum, tee or linseed oil are most often used as a thinner. By the way, people who react negatively to odors and people with allergies are better off using petroleum, since it has no odor.

Canvas- This is the material on which paintings are painted. The variety of canvases these days can confuse a novice artist. In any art supply store you can find a large selection of canvases on a stretcher or on cardboard and canvases wound on a roll. Canvases are made from linen or cotton, which makes their structure varied - from fine-grained to coarse-grained. Most often, artists use medium-grain canvases.

Liquid for washing brushes- This is a special product for cleaning brushes from paint residues. It is much easier to clean the brush with this liquid than with other thinners, and with proper care the brush will last much longer.

Kistemoyka- a small vessel, often in the shape of a small bucket, with a spiral mounted on top to secure the brush. With the help of a brush washer, only the necessary part of the bone is in the washing liquid, which allows you to save the handle of the hand from damage.

Buy, quality oil paints, as well as all the necessary accessories for oil painting, you can find in our store. We will be happy to help you!

A week ago, Yulia Skripnik, editor of the MYTH.Creativity platform, sent me a message: “Nastya, hello! Can you do an article next week with an exercise in Classical Painting Lessons?” I answered that I would, and a thousand and one fears of a creative person began to swirl in my head:

“I don’t know how to paint in oils. The last time I picked up oil paints was several years ago, and I can’t say that this experience was successful. “What if I can’t do anything at all and I’ll just ruin the canvas.”

Putting aside my fears, I began to study the book. Of course, in paper form, simply because its smell itself is inspiring.

The book is divided into 4 chapters and each of them has several lessons. My plan was to read the book until the last page and then choose which lesson I would do. However, there was so much new knowledge and inspiration that already on page 48 I took oil paints and thinner out of the box and climbed into the wardrobe in search of an old, outdated T-shirt. What does this have to do with the T-shirt? Read on 😉

Lesson 2, which we will study with you, is devoted to imprimatura with wiping. I also didn’t know what it was until I started reading the book, and that’s okay.

Imprimatura(from Italian imprimatura - first layer of paint) - a term used in painting: color tinting of the surface of a ready-made white primer.

You've probably seen work done using this technique.

Materials:

• Drawing materials- paper and pencil, or charcoal if you are going to draw directly on the surface
• Primed surface- wooden surface or canvas
• Palette
• Oil paint natural umber. You can use natural sienna or earthy green - experiment with colors
• Titanium white or quick-drying, such as alkyd. They are convenient because they dry overnight
• Linseed oil(optional)
• Cotton rag- a torn T-shirt will do (it is not recommended to use paper napkins)
• Large bristle brush

Above I have listed the materials recommended by the author of “Lessons in Classical Painting” - Juliet Aristide. I didn't follow all of these recommendations. The “same” material may not always be at hand; you shouldn’t give up creative experiments because of this.

First stage: staging a still life

Then it's time to start drawing. I did it directly on canvas with a pencil, however, the author recommends doing it on paper first and then transferring it using tracing paper. And this is good advice, because trying to use an eraser on the canvas risks creating “dirt.” I also didn’t focus on the drawing because the goal of this lesson is tonal underpainting.

Before you start imprimatura with wiping, it is worth checking how the surface of the canvas or wooden panel absorbs paint. Some types of cheap acrylic primer hold paint well; it will be difficult to wipe it off until the surface is colored. If you come across such a soil, you can first coat the entire surface with a very thin layer of linseed oil.

Now comes the fun part! You need to cover the canvas with a thin layer, intensively blending the paint with a hard, fairly large bristled brush. The author recommends not to be afraid of too dark a color and not to dilute the paint, because otherwise the layer will come out too thin, but I thought that my paints had been lying idle for a long time and had thickened, so I added a solvent, and this really was a mistake.

Advice from the book: If the picture is too large and complex to complete in one session, the process can be divided into stages (for example, the first half in one day, and the second in another)

Let's start wiping. The outline of the design shows through the layer of oil, so it’s not difficult. You need to constantly change the rag to use clean parts. For larger areas it's easy to wipe off the paint with your index finger, and for smaller areas I wrapped a rag around an orange stick.

The wipe-off underpainting can be finished after stage 4, but adding dark and light accents gives the piece a more finished look. Therefore, using the glaze method, I added white and deepened the shadows with a dark color.

The work is ready! Several obvious mistakes were made, the jeans were stained with paint, but most importantly, I received incredible pleasure from conquering my fears.

I used to be afraid of books about classical painting; it seemed to me that they were created at least for students of specialized universities, but it turned out that this was not at all the case.

I urge you not to be afraid either! Try something new, go beyond the usual materials and techniques.

Oil paints are quite a complex material and you won’t be able to master oil painting quickly. Even great masters can edit and redo their work more than once, bringing it to perfection. But along with the difficulties, oil painting opens up new horizons in creativity, makes it possible to make light sketches and more complete deep works, embodies the play of light and shadow, creates a shimmer and smooth flow of colors.

It doesn’t matter whether you are an artist with many years of experience or just starting to master the fine arts, whether you are going to create a masterpiece or make a small sketch - first you need to choose oil paints, brushes, canvas and other necessary tools.

Before you start working with color, you need to transfer the drawing to the canvas. If you decide to paint a portrait, then sequentially, mouth, nose, oval of the face, neck, hair. This can be done using a pencil, charcoal or carbon paper. After applying the drawing, it needs to be fixed on the canvas. This is done so that the paint adheres better to the base. In addition, particles of the material used to apply the design can interfere with the paint, thereby changing its color. It is better to do this with the help of a special fixer. You can make a sketch with heavily diluted oil paints, in which case fixing will not be needed.

There are two main techniques for working with oil paints: in one step - Alya Prima and multi-layered.

Professional artists usually choose the multilayer painting technique, as it makes it possible to better convey depth and reveals all the possibilities of oil painting. The essence of this method is that after drawing the outline, they make underpaintings - placing light spots and shadow accents on the canvas. This is done with a thin layer of highly diluted paint. Then the picture is painted more densely in all the variety of colors and shades. And finally, glazing is done - applying translucent colors to already dried main ones. This allows you to create a deep color with a shimmer effect.
The disadvantage of this method is that it takes six to twelve months to create a painting.

If you decide to master the technique of multi-layer painting, then you should study some of the nuances associated with the properties of oil paints. If you do not allow the initial layer to dry, then during secondary registration the oil may dry out and become dull. Such defects can be eliminated using retouch varnish. You can also use oil, and the residues that are not absorbed into the paint are removed the next day using a blotter. In ancient times, craftsmen rubbed heavily dried paint with a cut onion or garlic, this improves the adhesion of the layers to each other.

Each new layer should be equal in thickness to the previous one, or the paint should be applied more thickly. But in no case thinner, otherwise the paint will simply crack when drying.

Over time, oil paints become a little transparent, and those unwanted areas that were covered up begin to show through the top layer. Therefore, you can finally get rid of unwanted elements only by scraping them off while they are still wet.
Works using the Ala Prima technique are created much faster. In addition, this method is simpler and perfect for beginners. The point of painting using this technique is to complete all the work before the paint hardens. That is, from the start of work the artist has no more than three to four days left. Short terms can also be an advantage if you decide to “quickly”. The drying time is affected by the thickness of the stroke: the thicker the paint, the more time it will take. Therefore, diluted paints are often used here, sometimes allowing them to shine through the oil. This creates the effect of lightness and light.

Have you ever dreamed of painting a beautiful, expressive oil painting? In this article you will find some tips to help you dive into the wonderful world of oil paints. Once you master the basics of working with oil paints, canvas will become your world of fantasy!

Steps

Part 1

Choose paints. You understand, before you paint a picture in oil, you need to purchase oil paints. Of course, the choice of paints these days is more than wide, but you should not buy cheap paints. Yes, you'll save money, but cheap paints tend to be of sub-par quality, which can make your art experience...less than pleasant. Spend more money, but buy one can of quality paints rather than 2-3 cheap ones.

Stock up on everything else. Beginning artists often succumb to the demon of saving and do not buy what they need. In principle, this is not as bad as it seems, but there are some things without which oil painting will not be such a pleasant and simple experience!

Prepare your work area. Since you will need a lot of things to draw, almost all at once, you need a lot of space. The easel or table should be placed where no one will disturb you. It is advisable, among other things, to work in a place well lit by natural light. It would also be a good idea to put something like a blanket on the floor so as not to stain the floor with drops of paint.

Part 2

Drawing evaluation

1. First, make a pencil sketch of the future painting on canvas. This will help you build a composition, small details, straight lines, and so on before starting to work with paints. Once you have made a sketch, you can easily make changes to it. First - a pencil sketch, and then - painting with paints (of course, if you do not plan to draw something abstractly random). Don't forget about composition and negative space.

   • Composition is the position of objects in a drawing. The composition should be such that the eye is drawn to the whole drawing, and not just some part of it.
   • Negative space, in turn, is the space around the object in the drawing. If, say, you are sketching some real object, then you can draw complex places without any problems if you look not at the object itself, but at the space around it. Think about how you will fill the negative space in the drawing so that the object still stands out and is not lost against the background.
   • Consider intersecting and overlapping shapes, and use them to add depth to your drawing. If the composition is such that nothing intersects anywhere, then it’s time to change the composition. Depth will make your drawing more realistic.

2. Find a light source. To make the drawing realistic, you cannot do without depicting the darkened and illuminated areas in the picture. Look at the object and think about the angle at which the light falls on it, where the shadow, penumbra and highlight will be located.

   • If there is a light source, then there will be a shadow - a fact. However, if the light comes from above, the shadow may be difficult to notice. Try moving the light source or the subject itself to make the shadowed and lit areas more apparent.
   • Perhaps you will not have a darkness that is darker than twilight and a radiance that is brighter than the dawn. Well, most likely, your shadow and non-shadow will differ in strength by a semitone. If your light source does not provide a clear light-shadow boundary, then do not worry. This is fine.

3. Choose colors. It can sometimes be very difficult for beginners to match the color of an object with the color of a paint (especially when paints must be mixed to obtain the desired color). This is because the brain “sees” colors in a rather idealized way - you might start mixing paint to paint a blue sky, and then realize that your paint is much brighter and bluer than necessary. How to deal with this? Try to step away from the symbols your brain uses and explore the actual colors you use. This will change the brightness of your colors.

   • An object painted at night will be darker and more saturated in color. An object photographed during the day will be brighter.
   • Check the color of the light source. On a bright sunny day, your subject should be golden yellow. On a cloudy day, therefore, the light scattered through the clouds will color the object in a grayish color. Light can even be colored - neon lamps are an example of this, and this will also change the color of the object.

4. Look at the movement of the object. By the way, is your sketched object moving? Or does it move, and how? Maybe not only the object itself is moving, but everything around it? Take this movement into account; it will be useful at the planning stage of further brush work. In realistic-looking paintings, brush strokes convey movement (though the opposite is also true).

Part 3

Creating a Masterpiece

Mix paints. In this sense, oil paints are ready to “forgive” almost any mistakes - they dry very slowly. However, it is worth remembering that mixing two paints into the same color twice is almost impossible. What lesson can be learned from this? That’s right, you need to mix paints “in bulk”, with a reserve, so that you have something to paint the next day.

• Use a color chart to make mixing colors easier. Using gamut, you'll see primary, secondary, and tertiary colors and understand how to make them.
• Pure colors are those that have not been mixed with either white or black. When primary colors are mixed, secondary colors are obtained.
• Light colors are obtained by adding white to the color.
• The shadow, accordingly, is obtained by adding black.
• To tone, add white to the shadow (color + black). Tones are used very widely, they depict most colors from, so to speak, everyday life.

1. Start drawing. You can draw in any way and technique convenient for you, even by drawing in parts, at least in layers, at least in whatever way. However, since you are working with oil paint, it is worth remembering the great rule: thick on thin. In other words, you first need to paint with diluted, liquid paints, and only then over them with thick ones.

   • Try drawing simple objects. All figures consist of several simple shapes: cube, cone, cylinder and ring. Draw them first as real objects (say a box of oranges) or as flat shapes of themselves.
   • How to make paint less thick? Take turpentine or linseed oil, mix it with paint and, in general, that's all. Add thinning agent in small doses, little by little, to get exactly the consistency you need.
   • It will take three days for the paint layer to dry enough to allow a second coat to be painted on, so take your time and let the paint dry.

2. Try different drawing techniques. There are dozens of such techniques, but if you, a beginner, start learning them all, your head will spin very quickly. You'd better choose a couple of techniques and focus on them.

Part 4

Final touches

Correct all errors. You'll have about three days while the paints are still wet, during which time you can both correct mistakes and wipe them off completely with a damp cloth. Please note that there is no need to rush to declare the drawing ready - first you need to critically evaluate it and think about whether something can be improved.

Save the remaining paint. If you mixed so much paint that you didn't need most of it, save it for next time. Place the paint in small containers and cover them with cling film.

Clean your brushes. If oil paint dries on your brush, it will be easier to throw away the brush, so don't put off cleaning your brushes for too long. Take turpentine, an old rag and go ahead - scrub the paint and rinse the brush under running water until it flows from the brush and becomes transparent. Then check the bristles with your hand to make sure that all the paint has been washed out. Place your clean brushes in the jar - bristles up, not down! Make sure there is normal air circulation in the room where the brushes are drying. It's best to simply place the jar of brushes in an open place, say on a shelf or table, rather than in a cabinet or desk drawer.

Wait. When will oil paint dry completely? This can take up to 3 months, or even more if the painting consists of many layers of paint. Place your creation where it will not be disturbed and let the air do its drying work.

• To help oil paints dry faster, store them in a well-lit, dry, and warm room. In addition, when choosing paints, give preference to those that dry faster.

1. Cover the picture with varnish. When the paint is completely dry, you need to protect it, and for this you will need varnish. With varnish you will also protect the colors from fading (to one degree or another). When the varnish is dry, you can congratulate yourself - your picture is ready, hang it somewhere in a visible place!

   EXPERT ADVICE

   Kelly Medford is an American artist living in Rome, Italy. She studied classical painting, drawing and graphics in the USA and Italy. He works mainly plein air on the streets of Rome, and also makes trips for private collectors. She is the creator of art tours of Rome, Sketching Rome Tours, during which she teaches guests of the Eternal City how to create travel sketches.

   Artist working plein air

   The painting should be varnished only after the paint has dried - not before. Kelly Medford, an plein air artist, says, “Different types of paint take different times to dry, which determines when they should be varnished. Oil paints drying top down, and it can take six months to a year before the paint dries and you can protect it with varnish. Varnish does not allow the paint to breathe and prevents final drying, so if you apply it too early, the painting can simply be ruined.”

• Black Ivory takes a very long time to dry - try not to use it for background coverings.
• Do not use linseed oil to dilute light paints - they will quickly turn yellow.
• To remove oil paints from your hands, use baby oil or olive oil. Apply a little oil to a rag or napkin and wipe your hands with it. Do not wash your hands until you have scrubbed off the paint, otherwise this method will be useless. Oil paint comes off easily if you knock the wedge out with a wedge - another oil. Once you have rubbed the paint off your hands, wash them with soap and water.
• To prevent your paint palette from drying out, place it in water or put it in the refrigerator.
• Do not put the palette in water for too long, otherwise it will become oily from the paint.
• To avoid getting your hands dirty, wear latex gloves.
• Before using new paint, rinse your brush thoroughly in warm water.
• To make the image three-dimensional, make strokes around the object. For example, if you are drawing a floor, use horizontal strokes.