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How to use oil art paints. Tips for those who want to start painting with oil paints

To learn to draw oil paints, it would be more correct to say, to paint with oil paints, you need to have certain knowledge in this area, namely, to understand the variety of tools that are currently presented in a wide range in stores for artists. A novice artist can get lost when entering such a store without preliminary preparation, because a seemingly obvious set, such as canvas, brushes and oil paints, will not be enough for a good start in this matter. This article is aimed at enabling you to virtually visit an artist store, as if accompanied by an experienced mentor. So let's get started!

Canvas

The first thing we will choose is canvas. As a basis for painting with oil paints, you can choose various materials: board, cardboard, metal plate, glass, plastic. But if we are talking about classical painting, then, of course, you should choose a fabric the right way primed, tightly stretched on a stretcher and ringing like a drum. Yes, yes! The canvas should not sag, its surface should be perfectly flat. In the old days, and even now, many professional artists stretch fabric over stretcher themselves, they prime it themselves. Since these recommendations are intended for beginning artists, we will not delve into the topic of stretching canvas onto a stretcher; we will talk about how to choose the right surface that is ready for work, namely, a canvas that has already been primed and stretched on a stretcher.

It's best to canvas sheet was linen, it can be of medium or fine grain, have a smooth smooth surface without knots, the thickness of the canvas should be uniform everywhere. The grain of the canvas is various irregularities and knots in the fabric, in the weaving of the canvas threads. If there are a lot of such inclusions and the threads are coarse, then you have a canvas with high grain size. It is suitable for drawing objects with a strong texture, for example, old brick walls, gnarled tree trunks, stones, rock debris, etc. Here you can work with large impasto strokes and use a palette knife. Therefore, such a canvas is not suitable for painting objects with a delicate texture or for conveying delicate light and shadow transitions. The delicate transparency of grapes and the face of a young girl cannot be drawn on such a surface. For such purposes, it would be right to choose a canvas finer workmanship, smoother, that is, fine-grained. And it is precisely this kind of canvas that is best purchased for beginning artists; by the way, on it, you can make a more detailed preliminary pencil drawing. And you can easily erase a part of the drawing you don’t like.

Pay attention to the quality of the stretcher, that is, the wooden base on which the canvas is stretched. We have already talked about the inadmissibility of its sagging, it remains to add that it is necessary to evaluate wood quality, from which the subframe is made. Usually it is linden, pine or birch. The wood must be well processed, dry, smooth, without knots, chips, rot or wormholes.

Oil paints

To begin with, you shouldn't buy large number colors, it will be quite enough to purchase a set of 10-12 colors. The most important thing is that this set contains blue (glazes, cobalts), red (cadmium medium, light or dark), yellow (cadmium medium), black (carbon black), white (zinc or titanium white) paints. If you already know how to mix primary colors and get additional ones from them, then even this minimum will be enough for you, but it’s better to diversify a little, even if it’s just your first oil palette! To find out what color is in the tube, look at the color stripe on the label. Complete your set with blue paint (sky blue), ocher tint (light or golden ocher), so-called “earth colors” - natural umber, natural sienna, as well as natural shades of green colors - olive, herbal green, light green, etc. .

We remind you once again, look at the tube label. Or you can buy a ready-made set of paints. Over time, you will understand which paints are used up faster and which ones are not. In addition, before buying paints, it would be good to know in what color scheme you plan to paint the picture: will it be delicate pastel shades or rich contrasting painting? What size will your work be? This may also influence your choice. And, of course, it would be nice to familiarize yourself with the table of colors, the names of which are the same for almost all manufacturers, so you can easily navigate by color and look at the correct names of the colors and shades you like. Prices for oil paints from different manufacturers are different, they directly depend on chemical composition paints Paints that contain natural rather than synthetic pigments will cost more.

Brushes

Lucky

In the window of a store for artists, among other things, you will see various artistic varnishes. They are designed to work directly with paints, that is, the brush is periodically dipped into varnish, then into paint. This is what is called " painting on varnish" or "through varnish." Why is this being done? In order for the painting to be immediately bright and rich. And it’s better, of course, to protect it with varnish finished work with well-dried paints. As we have already mentioned, varnish gives richness to the colors and, most importantly, protects your work from external influences. When the varnish is dry, the surface of the canvas can be wiped off dust. Varnishes come in different compositions; they are mainly made on the basis of soft resins.

Solvents

A very necessary and important thing for oil painting. The solvent is needed to dilute the paints, in order to clean the brushes before finally washing them with soap suds.

Tee

This is a ready-made composition for diluting oil paints. It usually contains linseed oil, varnish and turpentine. It is this diluent that is poured into the oil can. If you don’t have it on hand, Pinene No. 4 solvent plus linseed oil will do.

Oil can

A special container into which a tee or solvent is poured. It is usually attached to the palette, for which it has a convenient clothespin attachment. Oilers come in plastic and iron. It is more convenient to have an oil can with a screw-on lid, then nothing will spill and the unused contents will not dry out prematurely.

Palette knives

A necessary and important tool in an artist’s arsenal. These are special spatulas designed to remove paint residue from the palette and apply and remove paint from the canvas. There are special painting techniques when work on canvas is done with a palette knife rather than a brush. There are sets of palette knives on sale different sizes and forms.

Palette

Oh this is real business card any artist! You also need to be able to choose the right palette; the colors on the palette should be placed closer to the edges, leaving room for mixing in the center. Palettes come in different shapes and sizes.

Easel

- a very convenient thing for objectively evaluating your work and seeing shortcomings. Work mounted on an easel is a professional approach. You can work in front of the easel either standing or sitting. From time to time you need to move some distance away from the canvas to see all the details. When buying an easel, focus on its strength, reliability of fastenings, size and model that suits you.

Sketchbook

A special device for painting outside the home. This is a kind of suitcase in which you can place everything you need for work: brushes, paints, solvents, canvases, cardboards. It is quite compact, opens and closes, and has reliable, strong carrying straps. The sketchbook can be of various sizes, with or without legs that can be adjusted in height. When buying a sketchbook, you need to make sure that it is reliable and durable, and has good fastenings. The sketchbook can also be used as an easel at home.

Here are, perhaps, the most basic tips that we hope will be useful to you when choosing materials for painting with oil paints. If you have the full set of tools that we talked about, you can safely start painting your first oil painting! Good luck and creative inspiration!

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Part 1

Getting started

    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 jar of quality paints, not 2-3 cheap ones.

    • The simplest and most basic set of oil paints should consist of the following colors: cadmium yellow, yellow ocher, cadmium red, alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue, titanium white, Martian black. By combining these colors, you can create any other color on the palette.
    • You will most likely run out of white first, so buy it with a reserve.
    • Don't buy "student kits". The price may seem tempting, but the quality of such sets is... so-so. Also, don't buy paint sets that come with brushes - the brushes will most likely be cheap and of poor quality.

  1. 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.

    • The work area should be well ventilated (oil paint has a strong smell), so at least open the door or window in the room where you will be working.
    • The easel must be adjusted to your height and position. You need to sit in front of him without discomfort and difficulty.
    • Wear things that you don't mind getting stained with paint. Oil paints practically do not come off fabrics, so either cover your clothes well or wear things you don't mind.
    • If you have long hair, then gather them in a ponytail or hide them under a scarf so that they don’t get on the canvas and get dirty with paint. Also remove any rings or bracelets you are wearing.

    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. 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-tone. 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 richer 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 paint the object 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.

    1. Adviсe
      • 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.

      Warnings

      • Avoid contact of paints and solvents with your eyes, and try to avoid contact of these substances with sensitive skin. If paint or solvent gets into your eyes, rinse them with water for at least two minutes. It is advisable to use a special eye wash bowl or something similar for this purpose. As a last resort, take a clean glass, fill it with warm water and pour that water directly onto the affected eye. It is necessary to “dilute” and wash out of the eye as soon as possible. chemicals, if you get into it, don’t spare water for it.
      • The solvent may cause irritation if it comes into contact with the skin, so if this happens, wash the affected area with warm water and soap several times, and if you develop an allergic reaction, consult a doctor.
      • Solvents and oil paints, alas, are flammable substances, and therefore they must be stored in special containers. You cannot store all this in a confined space - the same applies to the rags you used to wipe your hands, and to the paint “cut” from anything flammable.
      • Remember that oil paints and other painting materials (such as solvents) may be considered hazardous materials in your country. Find out where and how to properly dispose of such materials to comply with local laws and regulations.

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. I'm in last time I picked up oil paints 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 the canvas with a pencil, however, the author recommends doing it on paper first and then transferring it using tracing paper. And this 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 begin to imprimatura with wiping, it is worth checking how the surface of the canvas or wood panel absorbs paint. Some types of cheap acrylic primer hold paint well; it will be difficult to wipe it off until the color of the surface is achieved. 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 large areas it is convenient to wipe off the paint index finger, and for small elements I wrapped a rag around an orange stick.

The wipe-off underpainting can be completed 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 dark color deepened the shadows.

The work is ready! Several obvious mistakes were made, the jeans were stained with paint, but the main thing was that I got 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.

Painting plays a huge role in the development of culture; it has been developing for many centuries, introducing the world to new techniques. Drawings cavemen prove that painting allowed one to demonstrate one’s thoughts and feelings. Their creativity is characterized by features: contours made with ash, chalk, clay - these are animals that are hunted; the man is a hunter. It turns out that already in prehistoric times there was a unique technique.

Animals from the 12th century

Colorful painting appeared somewhere in the 12th century, so to depict the body of living creatures they used ocher, which was accidentally found in a cave, while hooves and horns were painted with charcoal. The desire to create colorful “works” forced people to discover new things, thanks to which primitive oil paints appeared in the 7th century. After studying old works, scientists discovered natural pigments in them.

What can you draw with?

However, artists figured out how to paint with oil paints only in the 15th century. Jan van Eyck actively used them for his works, arousing increased interest in them from others. Over time, he was the first to create rules explaining how to properly use such paints.

The case of a painting from the Dutch school of painting

Work methodology Dutch school always amazes with its realism and beauty. They were able to create paintings that to this day delight both ordinary museum visitors and connoisseurs. So in the 80s, the attention of experts was attracted by a picture with a bouquet of flowers from which a drop of dew allegedly fell onto the table. Experts came to unanimous opinion that the drop is so very real that you even want to brush it away. It turns out that it “hasn’t dried up” in 600 years. Such “drops” make painting eternal.

What types of oil paints are there?

Oil painting for beginners will be difficult, but interesting, because the color palette

represented by a large assortment:

  • titanium white;
  • cadmium red;
  • viridon greens;
  • the paint is bright red;
  • purple dioxin;
  • gas soot;
  • cadmium yellow;
  • cadmium orange;
  • azure, etc.

How to paint in oils to achieve expressiveness and realism? We need to develop and gain experience. To do this you will need to set aside time, be patient and some drawing supplies.

Where can I find paints?

Art stores offer a large selection of professional creativity kits. For beginners, you can buy a small, inexpensive kit to try; it will be quite enough for creating small paintings. It is recommended to master this technique by depicting bright things, for example, fruits or vegetables, not plain, but with iridescent sides.

For oil painting, not only paints are useful, but also:

  • canvas (a cardboard sheet will do);
  • several brushes.

Canvases are most often represented by rough fabric or paper with a special primer coating. Beginning artists are better off purchasing a canvas stretched on a stretcher. As for brushes, they are divided according to: hardness; size; the hair used to make it. So, hard and wide ones are useful for the background, soft ones for drawing, and thin ones for small strokes.

How much “oil” and paints does a beginning artist need?

You shouldn’t buy sets that are too expensive, because you will only use part of them. For those who are just starting to master the “oil”, it is enough

5 different brushes:

  • wide flute;
  • averages No. 2, No. 3;

This set is enough for any painting. Don't despair if nothing works out right away, everything comes with experience. Once you learn and practice drawing techniques, you will achieve success. Yes, the techniques are complex, but they are necessary. You will learn how to mix colors and create new shades. It turns out that the entire process of creating a work consists of constant editing of tones. It's very exciting.

What a painter should know

Only a diligent person can achieve the visible desired result from the first attempts. It is also important to have at least some drawing skills. It will be useful to take classes and watch instructional videos; they will help you handle oil paints and brushes.

Step by step training

So, how to paint with oil on canvas? We invite you to familiarize yourself with how to work on a painting. Stretch the canvas onto a stretcher and prime it so that the paint lays evenly and does not soak in. The simplest and most reliable soil is considered water-based paint combined with PVA, 1:1. Before applying to the canvas, the mixture is well stirred and diluted with water, the composition should be the same as cream. You can work with the canvas only after your fingers stop sticking to its surface.

Next, we paint in oils step by step, following our instructions. We create a background, it can be just a painted part or some kind of drawing. You will need a palette knife, it is very convenient to distribute the paint, getting an even and thin layer. This will allow the oil to dry much faster; as you know, this process is very long and can take months. Be prepared to postpone further work for a long time.

Dried canvas - the next stage

Once the canvas has dried, you can begin to draw a sketch; on a light background this is done with a pencil, and on a dark background with a pencil. Be sure to make the outlines before you start painting with oils.

If your painting will consist of several parts, then paint the largest object first. For example, you draw a jug, cups, a vase, plums, candy, a tablecloth. This means that you will use a variety of colors.

An integral part of the picture - shadows

Start painting with oil from a jug, apply to the palette brown and spread it slightly. Dip a brush into the resulting mixture and apply strokes. Having completed work with this item, you need to work on its shadows, this will help you brown paint, but of a darker and deeper shade. To do this, add black butter to the brown butter and combine them well. The shade for the shadows is ready, where they will be located is up to you to decide. Then you start working on the cups; they are made of the same material (conditionally), which means that the work with them is similar to what was done earlier. Remember that light hits objects at the same angle.

At the next stage, we deal with the vase filled with plums. Don't try to make a glass vase, as there should be many shades that... real life displayed in glass. For beginner artists, it is better to make a faience version, for which, in addition to painting, you will need ordinary shadows. The easiest way to draw plums is that the main thing is that they look natural, which means they overlap one another.

And finally

Paint the fruits dark blue. In those places where they touch each other you need to draw a thin line, as if separating them. For realism, you need to add fruit cuttings, but not to every berry. When it comes to candies, the main thing is to make the right contours. You can paint them however you like.

After completing the work, leave it to dry, turning it “facing” the wall.

Nowadays, many people are trying to diversify their leisure time. To do this, they come up with various activities and hobbies. The most popular of them are handicrafts and painting. The latter is perfect for people who have not found themselves in other types of creativity. If you are one of them, then try oil paintings. For beginners, this business will seem difficult, but by following all the tips and recommendations, you will be able to master it and achieve good results.

Preparing for work

Before mastering step-by-step master class In oil painting for beginners, you need to choose the right tools and materials for the job. The quality and attractiveness of your painting will depend on this.

Choice of colors

You should start preparing for drawing by choosing paints. Thanks to them, you can emphasize individual details of the drawing and give it a complete look. Artists use the following types of paints for their works:

Gouache and watercolor are used for graphics, and oil, acrylic, and tempera for painting. For beginners, it is best to use oil paints. They can be easily found in specialized stores, and they are also easier to work with.

There is no generally accepted technique for painting oil paintings. Each artist selects his own style, which he follows in the process of creating all his paintings. Oil paints can be applied either paste (with undiluted paint) or liquid (with the addition of a solvent). Practicing with different techniques application, you can choose the optimal and most convenient method for you.

Since the 15th century, painters all over the world began to use various oils (walnut, linseed, poppy) as binders. For example, famous Dutch painter Peter Paul Rubens used oils that had been thickened and bleached by the sun, as well as resins that made his paint sticky. Thanks to this, they dried very quickly and had good adhesion to the canvas. Among Russian artists (Venetsianov, Rublev, Repin, Bryullov, Korovin), painting varnishes made from various resins were especially popular.

Most types of oils used practically do not change the color of the paint. At the same time, they dry out for a very long time and, when hardened, form a fragile film. Because of this, paintings painted using such paints require additional processing and care.

The best option for beginners would be to use linseed oil as a binder. Paint with its addition dries quite quickly and does not require additional processing. Its only drawback is that when it dries it gives the paint a light brown tint. To get rid of this unwanted change, artificial brighteners are used.

When buying oil paints, first of all pay attention to their expiration date. If it has already been released or is running out, then refuse to purchase or look for more “fresh” materials.

Oil paints are available in a huge number color options. If you're new to this business, you shouldn't buy them all. It is enough to purchase basic colors and learn how to work with them. Having acquired certain skills, you can always buy paint in the missing shade. Oil paints are produced by many companies, so their prices vary over a very wide range. If you are only taking the first steps in mastering painting, then it is best to abandon expensive options and give preference to simpler and cheaper ones.

Purchasing solvents

The choice of solvent is also very important when preparing for work. The wrong material can ruin your paints and make them unsuitable for painting. Most often used for diluting paints:

Preparing the base

Before starting a master class on oil painting for beginners, you should correctly select and prepare the base on which the paint will be applied. Work can be performed on the following surfaces:

  • canvas;
  • tree;
  • glass;
  • cardboard;
  • metal;
  • paper.

Any of these bases must first be primed. This is necessary so that the paints adhere better to the surface and stick to it. The primer also prevents cracking and shrinkage of the applied paint layer.

Selected and prepared canvases are stretched onto a stretcher (wooden frame) or attached to thick cardboard. An important criterion When choosing a canvas for work, its grain size is important. If you are going to apply paint impasto, then the best option for you will be a coarse-grained surface, if “finely” - a fine-grained canvas. For beginners, it is best to choose something in between, and then proceed from your preferences.

The finished base can be purchased at any store specializing in the sale of painting supplies. The cheapest option is primed cardboard. It and other types of foundation can not only be purchased in the store, but also ordered online.

Brushes and palette knives

To fully study the oil painting master class, you need to prepare your brushes. They are made from bristles, natural bristles or synthetics. According to their form they are divided into:

  1. Flat. These brushes are used by artists for painting. large strokes on large areas of the canvas.
  2. Round brushes. They are necessary for drawing small parts of the image.
  3. Fan-shaped. These brushes are ideal for creating smooth color transitions.

You can find brushes in any specialty store or department. Their price directly depends on the quality of workmanship and the high cost of the material used. For beginners, the most suitable simple options. With proper care, they can last you more than one month.

In order to extend their service life, it is necessary to wash them after each use. First, they are washed with any solvent, and then washed with ordinary soap. If the paint on the brush has already dried, then it should be placed in a container with turpentine and kept there for several minutes. After this, it is washed with a solvent and laundry soap. Clean brushes are dried in a horizontal or vertical position.

In the process of learning oil painting for beginners, the following types of brushes are used step by step:

  1. Synthetic brush for drawing fine details.
  2. Fan-shaped pony hair brush for smooth color transitions.
  3. Several flat brushes.

Palette knives are tools that are used for mixing paints and correcting defects. For beginners, the best option would be to buy a diamond-shaped tool for painting and a rounded one for the palette.

Palette and workspace

The palette is designed for mixing paints of different colors. This item can be easily found in any art store or made yourself from a piece of plastic or glass. After each use, the palette must be cleaned. If you don’t want to waste time on this, you can use any cardboard or cut-up juice or milk carton.

To get the most out of drawing, it is important to choose the right place to work. It is best to paint in natural light. If this is not possible, then you need to try to illuminate the working surface as best as possible. Make sure that the lamps do not cast glare on your painting and do not interfere with the creative process.

When choosing a room, you should give preference to those that are located as far as possible from the bedroom, playroom of children and animals. The room must be well ventilated, since materials with unpleasant odors. The room should not be too damp or dusty.