The Oil Painting Guide

8/10/2019 The Oil Painting Guide

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The Oil Painting GuideByVladimirLondon&NatalieRichy

2012WebArtAcademy,VladimirLondon&NatalieRichy.

Allrightsreserved.


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Introduction

Welcome to the Web Art Academy Club!

We are fine art teachers Natalie Richy and Vladimir London,andhave created the Web Art Academy

for fineart students who wantto learntradionaloil painnganddrawingtechniques.

The fineart video lessonspresented inthe Club are valuable for both beginningandadvanced

students.If you have just recently started your fine art educaon,this course would be very helpful

to obtaina good understandingof oil painngmethods.If you already have knowledgeand

experience inpainng,this course would sllprovide manyadvanced know-how strategies you

could use to improve your painngtechniques.

Inthis video you will discover what oil painngis andwhat materials such as oil paints,painng

brushes,mediums andsolventsyou should use.This video will also explainto you inthe mul-layer

oil painngprocess as well as other oil painngtechniques.

Before we beginwith a descriponof the oil painngmaterials andoil painngprocess,we shall tell

you why should you be listeningto us today.

Natalie Richy andVladimir Londonare both professional finearsts with extensive creavecareers.

Natalie Richy graduatedfrom the LatvianAcademy of Arts andhas parcipated inmore than30 fine

art exhibions internaonally.The figurave fineart inoil is her passionandspeciality.She is

workinginrealiscstyle usingtradional oil painngs techniques.Natalies painngsand drawings

are held inprivate colleconsinLatvia,UK,USA,France,Russia,Lithuania,Denmark andSwitzerland.

She draws her creaveinspiraonfrom tradionsof the old masters andshares those almost

forgoentechniques with her studentsonline.Natalie Richy presents all video lessons inthe Web

Art Academy Club.You,as the Web Art Academy student,will discover tradionaloil painngand

drawingtechniquesby watchingNatalie creangher painngsand drawingsinfrontof the cameraandexplainingindetail the complete process.It is as good as singnext to her,takinganindividual

educaonalsessionina comfort of your home.

Vladimir Londonis the co-founderof the Web Art Academy has devoted his me and talents for this

educaonalinstuon.His 15 years of fineart educaoninclude the FineArt School,the Easel

Painngand Drawingcourse at the Academy of Art,andthe university degree of the professional

fineart teacher.

His artworks foundtheir home incolleconsinthe USA,Canada,UK,Finland,Holland,Germany,

Poland,France,Spain,andmany other countries.He is also proficientindesignand


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marketingandhelpedtopromotemanywellknownbrandsandcelebrities.Heistheauthorofmany

internationallypublishedbooksonsubjectsoffineartandfineartmarketing.

NatalieandVladimirgiveefficientsupportfortheirfineartstudentsaroundtheglobeandare

alwayshappytohelpwithanyfineartrelatedquestionsyoumayhave.

Ifyouwanttolearnoilpaintinganddrawing,makesurethatyouhaveveryprofessionalfineart

teacherswhoarefineartiststhemselves.TheWebArtAcademyisagreatresourcefortraditionaloil

paintinganddrawingeducation. Ifyouarelookingtoimproveyourpaintinganddrawingskills,join

theClubandbenefitbylearningfromprofessionalartteachersandfineartists.


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Oil painting materials

Oil Paints

Oilpaintisamixofapowderedpigmentboundedwithamediumofdryingoil.

Linseedoiliscommonlyusedasacarrierinoilpaint.Oilpaintscanbemixedwithlinseedoilasa

mediumtomakepaintsmorefluid;thismediumalsoincreasesglossinessandmakespaintmore

transparent.Linseedoilcomesascoldpressed,alkalirefined,sunbleached,sunthickened,and

polymerised(standoil).

Traditionally,theoldmastersusedtoprepareoilpaintsthemselves.Today,readymadeoilpaints

availableintubesfromanyartsupplyshop.Itispossibletopaintwithoilswithoutdilutingthem

withsolvents,byusingbrushpressuretospreadthepaintoutthinly.Inthiscase,oilcanbeusedasa

mediumandtorinseyourbrushes.

Theresnoneedtobuyeveryoilpaintavailable.Infact,alimitedpaletteoffewchosenpaintswould

serveyounicely.Herearesomesuggestionsofwhatcoloursfineartistsmaygofor:

Titanium

White

Zinc

White

Naples

Yellow

ChromeYellowHue

Lemon

Yellow

BurntSienna

Cadmium

Orange

VandykeBrown

Raw

Umber


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Raw

Sienna

Olive

Green

French

Ultramarine

CeruleanBlue

SapGreen

Ivory

Black

Thefollowingpaintscangiveyouanadditionalspectrumoffleshcoloursforfigurativeartworks:

Transparent

White

Flesh

Tint

YellowOchre

Alizarin

Crimson

Caput

Mortuum

(English

Red)

Cadmium

Red

Winsor

Red

TransparentMaroon


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Youmayalsoconsiderfewmorepaintsas:

Buff

Titanium

Indian

Yellow

Cadmium

Red

Deep

Cadmium

Yellow

Deep

DavysGray

PaynesGray

Suchabigvarietyofoilpaintshavebeendevelopedinthelast150yearsorso.Beforethat,

quitealimitedpaletteofcolourswereusedbyfineartists.Everyartisthadhisown

preferredchoice

of

paints.

Below

we

will

give

you

some

examples

from

the

great

masters.

VermeersPalette:

azurite

carmine

charcoalblack

greenearth

indigo

ivoryblack

leadwhite

leadtinyellow

madderlake

redochre

smalt

ultramarine

umber

weld

verdigris

vermillion

yellowochre


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RembrandtsPalette

Leadwhite

Ochres

Boneblack

Vermillion

Siennas

Rawumber

Burntumber

LeadTinYellow

Casselearth

VelzquezsPalette

WHITE:composedofleadwhiteandcalcite

YELLOW:yellowironoxide,leadtinyellow,andNaplesyellow

ORANGE:orangeironoxideandvermilionofmercury

RED:redironoxide,vermilionofmercury,andorganicredlake

BLUE:azurite,lapislazuli,andsmalt

BROWN:brownironoxideandmanganeseoxide

BLACK:organicblackofvegetaloranimalorigin

GREEN:azurite,ironoxide,andleadtinyellow

PURPLE:organicredlakeandazurite

TitiansPalette LapisLazuli(naturalultramarineorlazurite)

Malachite

LeadTinYellow

ItalianYellowEarth

Vermilion

ErcolanoRed

LeadWhite

GermanVineBlack

LimitedPaletteofAndersZorn

Flakewhite,

YellowOcher

Vermilion

Coolblack(Ivory+cobaltblue)

Warmblack(Ivory+burntSienna)


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VanDycks

Palette

Leadwhite

Charcoalblack

Lampblack

Rawumber

Yellowochre

Redochre

Madderlake(modernreplacementisAlizarinCrimson)

Leadtinyellow(modernreplacementisCadmiumYellow)

Vermilion

Lapislazuli

Greenearth

Indigo

CasselEarth

Smalt(modernreplacementisCobaltblue)

IntheWebArtAcademyfineartvideolessonsyouwillseetheapplicationofparticularcoloursused

byNatalieRichy.

OilPaintingMediums

Oilpaintcanbeusedstraightfromthetube.Whenrequiredtochangetheconsistencyofthepaint,

variousmediumscanbeadded.Mediumscandilutethepaint,increaseitsflow,thickenthepaintfor

impastotechnique,influencethedryingtime,andalterthepaintlayerappearance,makingitmore

transparentoropaque,glossormatt.

Oils

Variousdryingoilscanbeusedasmediums.

Linseed

Oilisthegreatallpurposeoilpaintingmedium.Itincreasestransparencyandaddsglossto

thepaintlayer.Linseedoilcomesinseveralforms:refined,coldpressed,stand,sunthickened,and

sunbleachedoils.Thecoldpressedoilisthebestchoice.Refinedlinseedoilhasadryingtimefrom3

to5days.Standoilhasthickerconsistencyandaslowerdryingtime.Itisagoodglazingmedium

whenmixedwithturpentine.Sunthickenedoiliscreatedbyexposingoiltothesun,andsun

bleachedbyexposingoiltothesuninairtightcontainer.Stand,sunthickened,andsunbleached

linseedoilshavelesstendencytoyellow.


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Poppyseed

Oilhasalongerdryingtimeof5to7daysandgiveslessyellowingthanlinseedoil.

Poppyseedoilshallbeavoidedinlowerpaintlayerstopreventcrackingofthetoplayers.

Sunflower

Oilhassimilarcharacteristicstopoppyseedoil.

Solvents

Solventsordiluentscanbemixedwithpainttochangetheoilpaintconsistency.Allsolvents

evaporatecompletelywhilethepaintisdrying.Solventsarealsogoodforcleaningbrushesand

palettes.Solventsarealsousedfordissolvingresins.Allsolventsareharmfulandsomeare

flammable,andshouldbeonlyusedinwellventilatedstudios.

Turpentine

TheArtistQualityTurpentineisoneofthewidelyuseddiluents.Itisanaturalproduct,completely

colourlessandevaporatesfast.

Mineral

Spirits

Mineralspiritsareproducedfrompetroleum,haveabitslowerevaporationrate,andareless

expensivethanturpentine.Mineralspirits,odourlessspirits,andwhitespiritsareallharmful

regardlessofthesmell.Agoodnontoxic,nonflammablesubstituteistheZestitthinner.

Liquins

LiquinisanalkydbasedmediumproducedbyWinsor&Newton.Severalkindsofliquinsare

available:LiquinOriginal,LiquinFineDetail,LiquinLightGel,LiquinImpasto,andLiquinOleopasto.

Liquinsareselfsufficinetmediumsanddonotneedtobemixedwithoilsormineralspirits.

LiquinOriginalistheallpurposemediumthatspeedsupdryingtime,improvesthepaintflowand

reducesbrushstrokes.LiquinFineDetailgivesglossfinish,speedsupdrying,andproducesasmooth

surfaceandisidealforfinedetailsandglazing.LiquinImpastogivessemiglossandLiquinOleopasto

givessemimattfinishes,speedsupdrying,extendstubecolour,andretainsbrushmarksand

textures.

AllLiquinsresistyellowingandincreasefilmdurability;howevertheyarenotsuitableforoilingout,

neitherasavarnishorfinalcoat.

Resins

Resignaresolid,insolubleinwatersubstancesthatareusedformakingpaintingmediumsand

varnishes.Resins

are

derived

from

trees

and

other

plants,

and

manufactured

synthetically.

Resins


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increasetheglossofoilpaint,reducethecolouranddryingtimeofamedium,andaddbodyto

dryingoils.

Dammar

isoneofthebestnaturalresinsforpaintingmediums,varnishesandsealantsforabsorbent

grounds.ItshouldbedissolvedinTurpentine,notinmineralorwhitespirits.

MasticandSandalresinsareinferiortodammar,astheywillturnyelloworbrownwithage.

Shellacthinnedwithalcoholcanbeusedforsizingporoussurfaces.Itturnsdarkwithtimeandisnot

suitableforvarnishing.Itisalsonotsuitableformixingwithdryingoils.

Alkyd

resinsareproducedbyreactionofsometypesofalcoholsandacids.Alkydresinsincrease

flexibility,fluidity,anddryingtime.

Acrylicresinscanbeusedforvarnishing.Acrylicresinsaremodernmaterialsandconsideredstable

andflexible.

Thefollowingmediummixesareverypopularwithfineartists:

Lean(thin)paintingmedium:

Linseedoil 1Part

Turpentine

5

Parts

Dammarvarnishcanbeaddedtosuchleanmix:

StandOil 1Part

Dammarvarnish 1Part

Turpentine 5Parts

Fat(oily)

painting

medium

with

less

turpentine:

Standoil 1Part

Dammarvarnish 1Part

Turpentine 3Parts

Differentcoloursarepremixedonapaletteusingapaletteknife.Palettescomeindifferentshapes

andsizesandaremadeofdifferentmaterials.Awoodenmidsizeovalshapedpalettewithaholefor

athumbwoulddesuitableformostuses.


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Otheroilpaintingmaterialsincludebrushes,paletteknifes,mediumcontainers,mahlstick,and

easel.

Supportsforoilpainting

Traditionally,stretchedcanvasesorwoodenpanelsareusedasoilpaintingsupports.

Woodenpanelsprovideagreatsmoothsurfaceforfinedetailedartworks.However,thissupportis

expensive,heavy,andcanwarporsplitinpoorstoringconditions.

Canvasesaremostwidelyusedasoilpaintingsupports.Linenisapreferredchoiceforagoodartists

canvas.It

is

more

expensive

though

than

acotton

one.

Canvases

should

be

stretched

on

awooden

framecalledstretcher,andcoatedwithprotectivelayersofglueandgesso,separatingcanvas

fromoilpaint.

Prefabricatedstretchersareavailableaswoodenplanksinvarioussizesthatfittogetherincorners

andareadjustableslightlytostretchthecanvasevenfurtherwhenrequired.

Thecanvasispulledacrossthewoodenstretchersandtackedorstapledtothebackedgeofthe

stretchers.Staplingthecanvastothesideedgeofstretchersisnotadvisable.

Thepulledcanvasissizedwithoneortwolayersofrabbitskinglueandthenprimedwithagesso.

Everynewlayershouldbeappliedwhenpreviousoneiscompletelydry.Traditionally,animalglue

wasusedforsizingandthemixofanimalgluewithleadwhitepigmentandwhitechalkpowderfor

priming.Primedsurfacescanbesandpaperedtosmoothouttheplane.

Readymadegessoconsistsofwhitetitaniumdioxidepigmentmixedwithanacrylicbinder.Such

gessoishardertosandpaper,especiallyonacanvas.Someartistsapplygessodirectlyontothe

canvas,althoughsizingacanvaswithalayerofrabbitskingluewouldgiveabetterprotectionofthe

canvasfromoilpaint.

Usually,gessocomesinwhite,butitcanbetonedtoaparticularcolourbyaddinganotherpigment.

Oneortwolayersofgessowouldbesufficientenough.Toothicklayerofgessowoulddrawtheoil

paintintothesurfaceresultingindulleffect.

Artshopsprovidereadystretchedandprimedcanvasesinvarioussizes.Generally,suchcanvasesare

goodenoughforajob;however,someartistsmighthaveaspecificrequirementforthesupportand

prefertostretchcanvasesthemselves.

Otheroilpaintingsupportsincludecanvasgluedonaboard,primedpaperorcardboard,pressed

wood,etc.


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Oil

Brushes

Oilbrushesareessentialtoolsforapplyingthepaintontoasupport.Brushesaremadeofmany

variouskindsoffibers.Differentfibersproducedifferenteffects.Forexample,hog'sbristleisgood

forboldstrokesandimpastotextures;redsablebrushesareexcellenttoolforfinedetailsand

smoothtexture.Fitchhairandmongoosearefineandsmooth,greatforportraitsandfinishing

touches.Kolinskysable,takenfromthetailoftheSiberianmink,isthefinestqualityofbrushes.They

comewithawellpointedtipandservealonglifewhenlookedafterwell.Kolinskysablebrush

remembersitsshape,hasasnapwhenliftedfromthecanvas,andishighlyregardedby

professionalfineartists.Itisthemostexpensivekindofbrushonthemarketthough.

Therearealsomanysyntheticbrushesavailableonthemarket.Syntheticartbrushesarevery

durableandcouldbeagoodreplacementforanaturalhairbrushes,especiallybecausetheyare

cheaper.

Brushescomeinvariousshapesandsizes.Roundedbrushesaregoodfordetailedworks.Flat

brushesarehandyforbackgrounds,broadstrokes,aswellasforgeneralapplication.Flatshorthair

brushiscalledbright.Filbertisaflatbrushwithshorterhairsthathasroundedcorners.Avery

longFilbertbrushiscalled"Egbert".

Othertoolsarealsousedtoapplyoilpaintontosupport.Someartistsusepaletteknifestopaint.

Paletteknifes

generally

used

for

mixing

paints

on

apalette

and

scraping

layers

of

paint

from

palette

andpainting.


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Oil Painting Techniques

FatoverLeanrule

Oilpaintisaslowdryingartistsmaterialthatgivesmoretimetochangethecolour,textureorshape

oftheartwork.Itdriesbyoxidation,notevaporation,andthereforeholdsitstextureandvolume

afterdrying.

Thereisonebasicrulefineartistsshouldobserveinoilpainting.Itiscalled'fatoverlean'.This

meansthateachnewlayerofpaintshouldcontainmoreoilthanthelayerbelow.Ifeachadditional

layercontainslessoil,thefinalpaintingmightcrackandpeel.Thepaintwiththehigheroilcontent

remainsmoreflexible.

WorkinginLayers

Workinginlayersisusedwhenpaintingrequiresmorethanonesession.Thefirstlayermaybea

ground,usuallyappliedalloverthesurface.Thenanunderdrawinginoutlinemayfollow.Then

comesunderpainting,overpainting,andfinallysemitransparentglazes.Whenthepaintingis

completelydryitiscoveredwithprotectivevarnish.Alloftheselayerswillaffecttheappearanceof

thefinal

look.

Underdrawing

Theartistmightsketchortransferanoutlineofhis/hersubjectonthesupportbeforeapplyingoil

paint.SuchdrawingonthegroundiscalledUnderdrawing.

TheOldMasters,likeJanvanEyckandRogiervanderWeyden,"underdrew"withabrush,making

hatchingstrokesforshading,usingwaterbasedblackorbrownpaint.

Whenartistswantedtokeepthegroundfreshandclean,thepreliminarydrawing,calledcartoon,

wascreated

in

full

size,

and

transferred

onto

support

by

pouncing

the

outlines

and

dusting

charcoal

powderthroughperforations.Therearemanyotherwaysofthedrawingtransfer,includingoptical

projections,drawingbysquares,etc.

Imprimatura

Imprimaturaisaverytransparentlayerofoilpaintwelldilutedinturpentineorothersolvent.Itis

usedtotonethecanvasbycoveringthewhitegessowithrequiredcolour,providinganoverall

tonalopticalunity.Theartistchoosesthecolourdependingonthedesiredgeneraltoneofthe

artwork.Veryoftenearthcolourslikerawsiennawereusedforthistask.


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ThetermImprimaturacomesfromtheItalianandliterallymeans"firstpaintlayer."Ithasoriginsis

workshopsduringtheMiddleAges,andwasusedbyItalianpaintersduringtheRenaissance.

Followinglayersshouldbeappliedwithcaresotheimprimaturasometimescanbeseenthroughin

themiddletodarkshadowareasofthework.

Underpainting

Someartistsskiptheimprimaturacoatandstartwiththe"underpainting"layer.Underpaintingis

laiddownasathinleanlayer.Itservesasabasethatisintendedtobepaintedover.

Mostoften,

brown

paints

used

for

this

task

like

Vandyke

Brown,

Raw

Umbra

or

bone

colour

(1

part

rawumber1partyellowochre).Underpaintingcanalsobedoneinbluish,greenishorgreyish

coloursandwillbedescribedinmoredetaillater.

Underpaintingcanbemonochromatic,butitcanalsobeamulticolour.TheOldMasterslikeGiotto,

JanvanEyckandRogervanderWeydensometimesusedmulticolourunderpainting.Inthisway

theyensuredthecoloursinvariouslayersdonotphysicallyblendwitheachotherbecomingmuddy,

butcomplimenteachotherbyshowingthroughtransparentandsemitransparentlayers.

Hereisthegoodtipforprofessionallydoneunderpainting.Ifitispaintedproperly,itgreatlyhelps

theoverpainting.However,iffineartistshavetooverpainttheunderpaintingconcealingit

completely,thenthepurposeoftheunderpaintingislost,asitnolongercontributestotheoverall

paintingappearance.

Sometimesartistsleavepaintingascompletedartworksatthestageofunderpainting.Ifsuch

paintingisexecutedinshadesofbrown,thenitcanbecalledbrunaille,orpainted"Enbrunaille."

DeadColours

DeadColours

layer

is

the

part

of

an

underpainting.

The

name

Dead

Layer

comes

from

the

choice

ofcolours,usuallybluish,greyish,orgreenishmixes.

Itismostlyrequiredforfigurativepaintingswherecoldcolourswillcomplimenttheskintonesinthe

finishedartwork."DeadLayer"isappliedoverthetraditionalbrownunderpainting.Ithasthe

purposeofalteringthewarmtonesoftheunderpaintingandimprimatura.Itdoesnotaffectthe

tonalityofthefinalpaintingthough.

Deadlayerisquitethin,sopreviousunderpaintinglayersarevisiblethroughit.Thedeadlayermust

belefttodrybeforecontinuingthepainting.

Somepaintings

can

be

done

as

afinished

artworks

using

dead

layer

technique.

Depending

on

the

coloursuchartworksarecalledverdaccio,verdaille,orgrisaille.


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Verdaccio

isanItaliannameforthemixtureofblack,white,andyellowpigments.Dependingon

proportionsithasagrayish,yellowish,orsoftgreenishbrownappearance.

Verdailleisanartworkpaintedexclusivelyinshadesofgreen.Itoriginatesin12thcenturywhenuse

ofcolourwasprohibitedinCistercianmonasteriesin1134.Suchpaintingsarequiterarethesedays.

Grisailleisanartworkpaintedinmonochrome,usuallyinshadesofgrey.Grisaillemayalsoinclude

someothergreyoutcoloursinadditiontoblackandwhite.Thegrisailletechniqueisgreatfor

depictionofsculptureandarchitecturaldetails.

OverpaintinginFullColour

Thesubsequentlayerscomeinfullcolour.Fleshcoloursareappliedforfigurateartworks.Lightareas

areusuallypaintedthickerandmoreopaquethanshades.Indarkareas,theunderpaintingcanstill

showthrough.Coloursofdeeperlayersareopticallymixingwithtopones.

Theoverpaintinginfullcolourcanbeworkedoninseverallayers.Usuallyeverylayerisleftdry

beforecontinuing.

Thefinaltouchesareappliedontopofthefullcolourlayerwhenitisdry.Thesecouldbehighlights,

somefinalminorcorrections,deepeningshades,andsoon.Allthesefinaltouchesshouldbedry

beforecompletingthepaintingwiththefinallayerglazing.

GlazingPaintingTechnique

Theglazingtechniquecanalsobeappliedinnumerouslayers.LeonardodaVincidevelopedglazing

technique,calledsfumato,totheperfection.

Theglazinglayersdeepenthetoneastheyabsorbthelight,solesslightisreflectedfromthe

painting.Fineartistshouldconsiderthisandpaintpreviouslayersinlightertonesthanintendedina

finishedartwork.

Everyglazeshouldbeappliedwhenthepreviousoneisdry.Itisaslowprocessbutresultsworthit.

Eachsuccessiveglazeshouldhaveanincreasedamountofoil,conformingtothefatoverleanrule.

Transparentandsemitransparentoilpaintsaremostsuitedforglazing.Opaquepaintscanbemixed

withalotofmediumandsomeresinsmaybeaddedtoincreasetheirtranslucency.


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Scumbling

Scumblingis

atechnique

when

opaque

paint

is

applied

in

avery

thin

layer,

so

the

previous

layer

is

visiblethrough.Scumblinggivesanopticalmixingofcolours,producingasofterordullereffect.This

techniqueisgreatforlightercolours,forexamplewhenpaintingfogorclouds.

SomeOtherOilPaintingTechniques

WetonWetAlaPrima

AllaPrimatechniqueiswhenoilpaintisappliedinwetonwetlayers.Alaprimatranslatesfrom

Italianasatfirstattempt.Thistechniqueisgreatforpaintinglivemodelsorworkingpleinair

(paintingoutdoors).Theartworkcanbeworkedoninoneorseveralsessions,buthastobefinished

beforethefirstlayerisdry.

Thispaintingtechniquewasdevelopedinthemid19thcentury,aftercommerciallyproducedoil

paintsintubesbecomeavailable.AlaprimawasusedbyimpressionistslikeClaudeMonetand

VincentvanGogh,realistslikeJohnSingerSargentandRobertHenri,andmanyotherfineartists.

Alaprimacanbecombinedwiththelayeredindirectmethod.Whenthefirstwetonwetcoatisdry,

finishingtouchescanbedoneinglazing.

Drybrush

Drybrushisapaintingtechniqueinwhicharelativelydrypaintbrushholdsasmallamountofoil

paintwithoutanymedium.Drybrushstrokeshaveacharacteristicscratchyappearancethatlacks

blendedsmoothnessofausualoilpainting.Brushingoverorblendingdrybrushstrokes,whilethe

previouslayeriswetshouldbeavoidedtopreservethedistinctivelookofthedrybrushtechnique.

Impasto

Impastoisapaintingtechniquewhenpaintisappliedverythickly.Itusuallyhastexturewithvisible

brushstrokesorpaintknifemarks.Usingthistechnique,someartistsmixpaintdirectlyonthe

canvas.

Impastosurfacereflectsthelightinacertainway,providingtheartistmoremeanstoexpressthe

artworkappearance.

The

old

masters

like

Rembrandt

and

Titian

often

used

impasto

to

depict

heavy

clothes

or

jewels.

ModernartistslikeVincentvanGoghuseditforartisticexpression.


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Varnishing an Oil Painting

Oilpaintingscanbevarnishedtoprotectthemfromenvironmentalpollution.Apaintingthatistobe

framedunderglassmayremainunvarnished.

Alayerofvarnishevensouttheappearanceofpainting,itmakesitequallygloss,matt,orsatin.Matt

varnishlooksclearerifthefirstlayerwasthesamemakeofglossvarnish.

Thereareawiderangeofvarnishesavailablefromvariousmanufacturersfromanywellstockedart

supplyshop.

Thevarnishshouldbeappliedonacompletelydrypainting.Ittakesaboutsixmonthstoayearuntil

anoilpaintingisdry,orevenlongerforimpastopaintings.

Varnishshouldberemovablesoitcanbereplacedincaseofdiscolourationorbecomingdirty.Ifan

artistwouldliketorepaintorcorrectapaintingafterithasbeenvarnished,thevarnishlayershould

beremovedfirst;itisnotadvisabletopaintoverthevarnishlayer.

Beforevarnishingthepaintinghastobecleaned.Varnishshouldbeappliedwithaqualityvarnishing

flatbristlebrush,withthepaintingisflat,fromoneedgeoftoanotherinparallelstrokesinthesame

direction.When

the

first

layer

is

dry,

second

layer

of

varnish

should

be

applied

at

the

right

angle

to

thefirst.Thewholepaintingmustbecoveredinonego.Afterabout10minutesofcompletingthe

secondlayer,thepaintingcanbeleanagainstthewallfacinginwardtodry.

Wehopeyouhavefoundthisoilpaintingguideuseful.

Incaseofanyoilpaintingrelatedquestions,pleasesendusyourmessagefromthecontactpageon

http://Art.WebArtAcademy.comandwewillbehappytoassist.

Toyourcreativesuccess,

VladimirLondonandNatalieRichy

The Oil Painting Guide

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