Top Oil Painting Tips and Tricks for Beginners

 Oil paints have been a staple choice of artists for hundreds of years and still continue to be a popular medium among painters, worldwide. It’s one of the most relied upon mediums of painting for centuries and some great art works have been made using oil paints like Mona Lisa, The Starry Night, The Kiss and The Night Watch to name a few. Staring out from the OG of painting mediums is the best way to go forward but if you’re making a transition from another medium like acrylics or watercolors then be generous to yourself, give time and room for experimenting as it will certainly be a steep learning curve but a very rewarding one. To make things easy for you, venture from animals paint by numbers, as they’re easy to follow, allow control, color palette is selected and the end result is so satisfying, boosting your confidence to take a leap.

Oil paints have their own set of rules which must be strictly abided by as they can make all the difference in your painting. Oil paints have a long drying time which requires a lot of patience and perseverance. This is a pro and a con of oil painting, but it depends on the painter’s perspective. The layering effect of wet-on-wet and wet-on dry is something that’s up to the painter's will but both of the techniques have amazing effects on the painting. Although oil paints allow a lot more control, are easy to use, have an incredible color pay off, have a diverse range of colors and the quality is supreme, than any other medium, we can’t take away the fact that oil paints are toxic solvents.

 To all the bright-eyed rookie artists out there who want to embark their oil paint journey must work their way up with endurance. Keep your expectations to a bare minimum in starting and allow yourself to experiment, make mistakes and learn from them. Try alleviating yourself from the pressure of performance, familiarize with the medium and enjoy the process. Painting kit for adults are a great starting point and a sure short way to gain confidence with oil paints. Amateur artists feel overwhelmed by the language of oil paints, their application and ramifications but once you get a hang of it all turns into a sweet melody. Things like homemade gesso, linen vs canvas, finer points of pigments and brush talk can be confusing at first, so here we are to make things easy and more understandable for anyone starting out with this most entrusted medium in the world of painting.

Invest Slowly

Oil paints demand your money, dedication, resilience, tolerance and most of all time. Novice artists mustn’t plunge straight into a life size painting, putting too much at stake and end up messing everything or giving up oils altogether. Start out with a small painting, testing with techniques without investing too much time or supplies. Tread slowly, gain experience from the process and then venture in big paintings. Animal paint by numbers provides the perfect opportunity for learning in the most secure way. Buy 8x10” canvas or canvas boards and just paint to familiarize yourself with the medium.

Paint is a Well-Ventilated Room

Due to the toxic fumes released by the oil paints, painters must work in a ventilated room to avoid itchiness in eyes, ringing in ears and severe headaches. A well-lit room is also very important as the light (preferably natural) will help to see the colors in their truest form, you will be able to feel more energized, inspired and inclined to work more often. A special room for painting makes things easier for you, the supplies are set, the canvas ready and the energy is positive. These are all the ingredients for a master painting.

Keep your Foundation Game Strong

This is a key step that you’re supposed to do at the beginning of your painting but the result of this effort will reflect on the end of your painting. There’s no limitation of the surface you want to paint on but you must prime it with a material called gesso. This base coat prevents the oil paints from seeping into the surface, protects the surface from the harmful chemicals of the paints and provides a base that allows the paints to adhere to it for maximum color pay off.

Learn the Language of Colors

Colors play a huge part in making or breaking any painting. There’re many rules that apply to colors, that make them appear livelier on canvas or they seem lifeless and dull. Firstly don’t mix more than two colors and white, don’t over mix them to the point where they tend to lose their individuality and don’t skimp on paints. If you wish to achieve a vivid and vibrant effect then skimping on color will ruin that so make sure to apply the correct amount. Paint by numbers sets provide the perfect quantity of paints which are enough for the set and nothing goes to the waste.

Go with the Correct Order of Paint

The order of paint in an oil painting is absolutely vital if you want the desired effects and not a prolonged painting time. Always paint fat over lean, thick over thin and slow drying over fast drying. What I mean is that start with a thin layer of paint and a low content of oil, so that it dries quickly and your painting doesn’t crack up. Build up with thicker layers of paints with higher oil content.

Clean the Brushes, But Not With Water!

Everyone knows that oil and water repel each other so you can’t clean your dirty brushes with water. It’s important to clean your brushes when switching between colors and it can be messy. Keep rags, turpentine, paper towels handy to wipe your brushes for the best results, no one wants traces of previous colors ruining the new color.

Palette Knife is your Friend

Don’t underestimate this tool, it’s not only for mixing paints, it can be very useful in creating interesting and intriguing strokes. The effects that come with this tool are simply amazing so do try to make use of this tool in your endeavors. 

Conclusion

Painting is an ever learning process and oil paints are the best medium to work with. Oil paints need to be respected and accepted with their limitations. Once you know them there will be no stopping you from making some master strokes of painting.