Oil Painting Techniques

Oil Painting techniques vary from materials used, application of the various tools and brushes as well as the oil paint itself. Although some may claim that oil painting is somewhat more complicated, the finish, depth and texture of a complete oil painting will often times stand out more than an alternate art form - naturally that statement will be debatable to many ;-). The actually mixing of the colors as compared to acrylic is in fact easier, due to a prolonged drying time.

This hub is not intended to be a comprehensive resource on oil paints, materials and techniques but rather an introduction thereof. The complexities and technicalities of this diverse medium can extend into volumes and volumes of literature and hence the chosen route.

One of the key areas of art, obviously also encompassing oil painting techniques is that of color theory. This area of oil painting techniques is as individual as one person is to the next, as experience knowledge and objectives all come into play, which one can clearly see are totally subjective and individual circumstances will vary drastically.An introduction into this area of artistic techniques and processes is contained in the accompanying video.

Oil paints are often mixed with oil, which provides that transparency of the layer of paint when it dries, this is one of the key oil painting techniques that allow for the layering of different colors, thereby creating a that depth that is often seen within oil paintings.This mixing in of oil is evident within what is termed student grade paints, which have a higher oil content, and therefore a lower price tag, making it an ideal choice of materials for the beginner, or even for experimenting with.

Additionally solvents may be used to thin out the paint, which is often times very thick when used directly out of the tube. This allows for stretching out the use of the paint, as well as lightening many of the colors that may be too dark for the specific purpose or task at hand.

One of the, if not the best way to get to grips with how oil paints behave is by doing! Mix it up a little, change things around, and get the feel of what works, and what doesn't work. This may cost a little extra money, but will be an invaluable learning curve that can be applied to your future works.