Few tips on oil painting

Different artists make use of different Oil Painting Techniques; yet, they essentially have to go through certain steps. A learner should be conscious of these steps to comprehend the technique of the painting. The most essential step is to prepare the surface; the most frequently used surface is canvas.

The canvas is coated with glue and pigments, and then the artist draws the outline of the Painting, and then he applies pigments mixed with oils for color. Most artists paint in layers: painting in layers helps in perfecting the little details of the composition and also attaining the right colors. When the image is finished and dried for up to a year, an artist often seals the work with a layer of varnish.

Here are a few other technical tips, which will help you with Oil Paintings:

• Lay out the colors on the palette systematically so that you can access them easily when you need them.
• With each layer, increase the proportion of oil in the paint. If the upper layers dried out faster than the lower ones, they can crack.
• Avoid using the color ivory black because it takes a more time to dry.
• Try using pigments containing cobalt, lead and manganese, they speed up drying.
• Avoid drying your oil paintings in the dark as it yellows, if you dry it in the dark.
• Use alcohol to clean away a layer of oil paint or oil varnish, it is a powerful solvent.