When you are first starting in oil painting, you shouldn’t go overboard on supplies. It’s best to start with the basics. When you become more experienced, you can then try out different supplies until you find the items you are most comfortable working with.

Oil Painting Brushes

Brushes come in various sizes and shapes, from flats to brights to rounds. They are also available at different prices. Brushes are something you should spend a bit extra on and shoot for quality. You don’t want cheap brushes. Cheap brushes are a headache, mainly because they shed hair and lose shape quicker than quality brushes. The types of brushes you purchase depend on the type of paint you plan on doing: landscapes, portraits, impasto work, etc., all call for certain types of brushes. You will only learn this over time as you become more experienced and develop your style. For starters, I would purchase a few flats of various sizes, a few small rounds for detailed work, and a fan for blending. Make sure to also purchase a good brush cleaner and preserver. I use the Marx Brush Care System for cleaning and preserving my brushes, and it works great.

Oil Paints

Oil paint also varies in price and quality. There are some good paints on the market today. I prefer to work with Grumbacher Artist Oils, but Winsor & Newton oil paints are also popular. There are different grades of paint. There are student grade paints and professional grades. My preference is to work with the professional grades, as the colors are more brilliant than student-grade paints. I guess it’s ok in the beginning to purchase a lesser quality for learning and experimentation. I guarantee once you try the professional-grade paints, you will never go back to student grade. This is my opinion, of course. Artist color choices vary. Some prefer a limited palette of only a few colors, while others prefer to have a variety of different colors at their disposal.

Here are the colors of my palette. You do not have to buy these exact colors, as this is only my preference that has developed over time.

Cadmium Yellow Light

Yellow Ochre

Cadmium Red Light

Cadmium Orange

Burnt Sienna

Raw Sienna

Burnt Umber

Alizarin Crimson

Sap Green

Thalo Blue

Ivory Black

Titanium White

Oil Painting Mediums 

Medium preference varies greatly from artist to artist. I think every artist has personal mixtures and formulas. I use linseed and poppy oil. Linseed oil tends to yellow the colors so I do not mix it with my lighter color mixtures. For lighter color mixtures, I use poppy oil as it has less of a tendency to be yellow. There are other mediums available. I recommend that you try your mediums and recommendations from artists until you find something that produces the results you are after.

Canvas and Other Supports

The support that many artists work with is cotton canvas, but there are other supports available. Some other choices are linen canvas, boards, and canvas paper, for instance. You could also buy rolled canvas and stretch your own if desired. This again is something you have to experiment with until you find a support that works best with your style of painting. I recommend starting with a few smaller to medium-sized canvases. I work with FREDRIX Red Label Stretched Cotton Canvas. Red Label is a medium textured quality canvas excellent for use with oils and a popular choice amongst oil painters.

Palette 

Palettes are made from various materials, including glass, wood, plastic, and even paper. My palette of choice is the BOB ROSS Clear Palette. It is easy to clean, holds a lot of paint with adequate room to mix your colors, and is also priced reasonably.

Easels 

Easels are also available in various sizes and price ranges. You will need a stable easel to paint on; otherwise, your canvas will wobble around when you paint. This can be frustrating. Decide whether you will be painting primarily in your studio or outdoors. If you are painting outdoors, you should consider purchasing a French easel. The JACK RICHESON Academy Verona Half French Easel is a good buy. If you work primarily in your studio, then you have a lot of easels to choose from. I use a STANRITE 500 Classic Aluminum Easel. It’s an excellent easel that is both lightweight and sturdy. It is set up easily and can be folded for easy transport.

I truly hope this article has helped. Happy Painting and God Bless!

You should have the right kind of palette to start with. Your palette should be non-porous to prevent the absorption of oil from the paint. Palettes come in a variety of different materials, from glass to wood. My personal preference is the BOB ROSS Clear Palette. I have found this palette the easiest to clean and best for mixing colors.

It may be a good idea to start with a limited palette of colors. If you purchase every color under the sun, you may find yourself mixing too many different colors, which will result in a muddy painting. Start slow in the beginning, then add more colors as you become more experienced. Color choices for a limited palette vary from artist to artist. Here are the colors of my palette: Yellow Ochre, Cadmium Yellow Pale, Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Orange, Phthalo Blue, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Cadmium Red Medium, Phthalo Green, Titanium White, Ivory Black. I recommend purchasing 1.25 oz tubes of all colors except Titanium White. Purchase a larger tube of Titanium White, as you will be using more of this color.

First, you should get into the habit of laying out your colors the same way every time you paint. This is just good practice and keeps the painting process flowing nicely. Arrange your colors along the edges of your palette, leaving a lot of room in the center for mixing.

Don’t be afraid to squeeze out a good amount of paint, especially your whites. You will be more productive if you aren’t continuously stopping to squeeze out more paint.

Make sure to include all of the colors you think you will need to complete that session of painting as well. Again, this will make you more productive.
When adding paint to the palette, I have found that squeezing the paint out in long lines, as opposed to puddles, keeps my colors cleaner. When you have puddles of paint, they tend to get soiled by other colors when mixing. With a long line of paint, you can take paint from the end as needed and not dirty the rest. Keep some rags or paper towels handy for wiping your palette knife clean.

It’s a good idea to continuously wipe your palette clean during the painting process. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to remove dried-up oil paint. Keep some alcohol handy so that you can keep the mixing area of your palette clean.

I hope these tips have helped. Happy Painting!

My personal preference is to begin my oil paintings by first sketching out the composition using acrylic paint or water-soluble oil paints. The popular approach to oil painting is to thin the paint with turpentine to apply your initial layers. Turpentine is quite toxic, and I prefer not to work with it. Acrylic or water-soluble oil paints can be thinned down with plain old water and are more pleasant to work, in my opinion.

You can also begin your oil painting by first drawing out your composition. There are a few drawing mediums that work nicely with oil paints. My two favorites are vine charcoal and water-soluble pencils. I prefer vine charcoal because it doesn’t smudge like other charcoals, and it can be erased easier. Water-soluble pencils are wonderful because they can be applied like ordinary colored pencils and can also be dampened with a brush allowing you to spread out the color.

If you are the impatient type, you may want to try your hand at the Alla Prima oil painting technique. The Alla Prima method is when you complete the painting in one sitting rather than paint in layers and wait for the paint to dry. Although I usually prefer to work out my paintings in layers, I occasionally enjoy this exciting and spontaneous approach to oil painting.

If you are the careful, patient type of painter, you may be interested in working with glazes. Glazing has lost popularity these days, partly because of the time needed to complete such a painting and its difficulty. But the results are something truly unique to any other type of painting technique. The composition is first painted with opaque monochrome underpainting, usually in shades of gray. After this initial underpainting is thoroughly dry, thin layers of transparent oil glazes are applied. Colors are not mixed directly but added in separate layers to get the desired color.

If you are the adventurous type, put the brushes aside and try a set of painting or palette knives. You can achieve some interesting results with knives that aren’t possible with brushes. The oil paint can be spread on thickly and scraped off with ease. What I enjoy most about using knives is the tendency to not focus on the small details. I am forced to paint in a more relaxed fashion that creates an impressionist style of painting. Get yourself a set of painting knives and try to complete an entire painting with just the knives. It’s challenging at first if you are used to brushes, but it’s an enjoyable exercise.

Perhaps you would like your painting to have more body and texture. You could try the impasto technique and apply your paint in thick heavy strokes, leaving evidence of all those wonderfully artistic brush strokes. Take a look at a Van Gogh painting, and you will see this technique in action.

It’s no wonder why oil painting is such a popular choice for painters. There is so much to discover in oil painting. You will never get bored trying out all the wonderful tools, mediums, and techniques.

What is “Fat Over Lean?”

Fat over lean is one of the most fundamental approaches to oil painting and when followed, will reduce the risk of your paint cracking as it dries. Oil paint is “fat” when it comes right from the tube. If you wanted to make it fatter, you would add more oil. To make your paint “lean” your mixture would contain more of a thinner like turpentine. Begin your painting with a “lean” mixture. As you add more layers, you would make the mixture fatter, which will help reduce the risk of cracking.

Should I Varnish My Finished Painting?

If you want to protect your painting from dust, smoke, and other pollutants, you should varnish your painting. If not, these pollutants will accumulate on your painting and eventually darken or yellow the surface. When you apply a varnish, you are creating a layer that will protect your painting underneath. The layer of varnish can be cleaned periodically and eventually removed. A fresh layer of varnish can then be re-applied. You should wait 6 months to a year, depending on how thick your paint was applied, before varnishing. Varnishing a painting can be tricky, especially if you have no experience. Do more research on varnishing before you attempt to do this yourself. You may even need to contact a professional.

Can I save the oil paint I do not use for a later time?

There are ways to keep oil paint fresh until you are ready to use them again, although I have never actually tried either of these techniques. Proceed with caution. Some artists put plastic wrap over the paint and freeze it. You can also try and put your unused paint onto a piece of glass and then keep it submerged in water.

What kind of support should I use with my oil paint?

There are a variety of different surfaces that oil paint can be applied to. Stretched cotton canvas is one of the most popular supports used by oil painters today. Linen canvas is also used but tends to be fairly expensive. Other supports that can be used with oil paints are masonite and even certain types of the wood panel.

What kind of paint should a beginner purchase?

This is a tough question to answer, as every artist is different and will more than likely have a different recommendation. There are a few different grades of oil paint on the market today. You have “Artist Quality,” “Student Quality,” and “Economical” grades. Stay away from the economical paints as these have more fillers in them than actual pigment and do not cover well. There are some very decent student-quality paints on the market, which work well if you are starting out and for experimentation. Once you get your hands on artist-quality paint, however, you may never buy anything else. There are some popular brands to consider as a starting point. Winsor & Newton, Grumbacher, and Gamblin are popular choices amongst artists.

What kind of brushes should a beginner choose?

Brushes come in a variety of different shapes, sizes, and brands. Every artist is different and will have varying preferences when it comes to brushes. Ideally, you should have a variety of different shapes and sizes on hand to start with. Over time, you will develop a preference for certain types of brushes. Never buy cheap brushes, as they will shed their hair and fall apart a lot quicker than a good quality brush. There is a good introductory set of 11 oil brushes made by “Silver Brush” that you may be interested in checking out. Search online or visit your local art store for more information.

How do I come up with ideas for my paintings?

Don’t throw your paintbrush down in a fit of rage if you can’t come up with an idea for your next painting. There are many ways you can find inspiration and ideas. Sometimes, the mind just needs a break. Take a walk outside or a long drive and observe nature. Take a ride to an art museum with a friend and spend the day seeing other artwork. Look around your home for everyday objects and set up a still life. Look to yourself for ideas. Do you have a passion for any particular subject? Do you love wildlife and nature? Perhaps you are a music lover? I love nature and wildlife. When I search for ideas for my next painting, I will usually take an outdoor trip with a friend. I will bring a camera and take shots of whatever inspires me. Then when I get back to my studio, I will take bits and pieces from each photograph and create my composition.

I hope this article on oil painting has answered some or all of your questions. Best of luck and happy painting!

The first step in your production of oil paintings is to make sure that the painting area is well ventilated. You need a window or door that you can open as you work, a good fan, and a fairly open space so air can circulate.
If you are going to work on your oil paintings outside, you’ll have to secure everything so the wind doesn’t end up blowing things all over. Keep in mind that bees and various other insects will flock to your citrus thinner.

The first thing to do is put down your drop cloth, your tarp, your plastic bag, and so forth. Secure the edges of each by using masking tape to keep it from getting bunched up. You’re going to set up your oil paintings work area on the drop cloth, so make sure the area is roomy enough for your comfort. If you are going to work on your oil paintings with a table easel set up on a table, you’ll want to cover the floor below the tabletop and the place where you will stand or sit.

Before you start painting your oils, don your paint attire – gloves included. You’ll need one container that has paint thinner and one container that holds a combination of two parts paint thinner and one part walnut oil. These containers should be about three inches high and two inches around. Each should be filled to the halfway mark. You’ll need a comfortable setup with an easy reach for your paint palette and knife, your brushes, the two containers, as well as paint rags and tubes.

Now set up the paints you’ll use for your oil paintings. If you have a variety of colors, you don’t need all of them squeezed out onto your paint palette. Start with just two or three colors. If your choices are only primary colors, then squeeze out onto your palette a dime size spot of cadmium red, yellow, and blue. Space them as far from each other on the palette as possible, as if you are putting dots on the three points of a triangle. In the center of this paint, a triangle squeezes a nickel-size spot of Titanium white oil paint. Next, use your knife to mix these colors.

Now you’re ready to start creating your oil paintings.