How to make oil painting?
How to make oil painting?
This article is a brief overview about the basics of Oil
Painting. Lets first understand that an oil painting differs
from the any other paint form in the technique and material used
to make the paint itself.
As we are all aware of the fact, that to erect an amazing
skyscraper and to neglect the integrity of the foundation would
be foolhardy. Most certainly the technique is not a steadfast
rule that is applicable to make paintings. Merely a guide to get
going towards a method the individual artists could conform to,
making a style of their own.
The basic framework follows the following steps:
1. Preparing the canvas.
2. Making the right blend of paint material.
3. Making the Under Painting.
4. Glazing.
5. Drying.
6. Final Varnish.
Lets ponder a little bit more about the technique:
Canvas Selection: First is the canvas selection with a certain
amount of surface roughness. The material has to be firm and
dry. The canvas should be laid tight or pasted on to the
painting board lest there would be surface cracks in your
painting.
Paint material: Next is to choose the perfect blend of colors
from your coloring palette. Also the painting material has to be
of various viscosities. Each layer has a little bit more oil
than the one before. This again ensures there wouldn't be any
cracking of the layers as the painting ages.
Making the Under Painting: This is the most critical step in
creating an oil painting. First make a rough sketch perhaps with
charcoal, pencil or oil sketch. Then apply a layer of paint.
This should be the thinnest coat also called as the
'imprimatura'. This layer is going to be our ground color with
no transparency. Dilute the paint with turpentine; so you get
that fine viscosity. On this layer we will further apply our
sequentially thicker paint with various blends.
Glazing: This is performed to add to the glossy appeal of the
oil paints, which is where the light penetrates through various
layers to give the stunning visual esthetics. There are various
glaze material ranging from balsam, resins and lacquers. The
latest lacquers tend to dry quickly but the time could be
manipulated with addition of more oil it could be retarded or
with spirit it could be accelerated.
Drying: The final painting is allowed to dry for five to seven
days. Then a careful inspection of the painting will reveal any
discrepancies such as a crack or disintegration of color blends.
If the right method is followed the faults can be eliminated.
Final varnish: A coat of varnish is applied to the painting
after couple of months, so it retains it gloss. Now it is ready
to be framed and displayed.
Frames: The choice of frames is also an important aspect in
enhancing the esthetic quality of the painting. It is so chosen,
that it magnifies the character of the painting, rather than
just masking it. Quick review about the material of painting:
There are very many materials available in the market; some
choose to make their own recipes from shoe polish of neutral
shade, zinc cream to prevent color disintegration from exposure
to sun, oil, turpentine and resins for varnish. Most commercial
preparations have all the elements blended but choosing the
right one can be a matter of trial and error.