Oil Painting Isn’t Scary . (I Promise)
Over the years, I have connected with hundreds of artists, and a great majority of them comment on my medium and say that they have wanted to try it but haven’t taken the leap because they are scared. To their credit, oil painting has a reputation for being difficult, ridden with rules and safety precautions, and centuries of snobbery. I am here to tell you that you can totally do this! It really isn’t as hard as people make it out to be. Here is what I wish someone would have shared with me when I first started painting in oils.
Get you some odorless mineral spirits. I am a little embarrassed to say that it was YEARS before I discovered what this was and how it was used in oil painting. My high school art class certainly didn’t cover this. Essentially, mineral spirits are the “water” equivalent to acrylics. You will use this to clean your brushes, clean your palette (specifically if you’re using a glass palette), and thin out your paints. A lot of artists will use this to thin out a color for their underpainting (we will cover this too!). OMS is a solvent that requires ventilation, and this is where a lot of people get spooked. In my years of painting, I have never had issues with using this solvent. My advice here is: let’s just not work in small enclosed spaces, and you should be fine. If it makes you feel better, open a door or window and get the air flowing through your workspace. My studio has always been a spare room in my home, and I have never had any ventilation issues.
The really great thing about OMS is that it is super reusable. When your solvent gets murky and you need to change it out, you can pour it into another jar and leave it to sit. The paint particles will sift to the bottom, and you can pour the liquid out to use again. This is a super useful property because it is important that you do not dump it down the drain.
Store your OMS in a brush cleaner jar or a Silicoil. When you're finished painting, secure the lid, and you’re good to go. The brush cleaner jar is something that you can find at most art and craft stores. I have one that has a metal mesh dome on the bottom. It works by scraping the paint from the brush and collecting it in the bottom of the jar. You can clean this about once a month or so by pouring the OMS out into another container and using a paper towel or palette knife to remove the paint sludge at the base (I recommend wearing gloves for this process, as it gets very messy).
Another great product for brush and hand cleaning is “The Masters” soap. One thing about oil painting is that it is NOT recommended that you try any type of finger painting (not without gloves, at least). Oil paints contain harsh pigments and solvents, so you should avoid contact with your skin. If you get a little paint on your hands while painting, it’s not too serious, but it is important that you wash up after each painting session. Regular soap will not clean your hands; using the masters brand will remove the paint from your skin. This also means that you should avoid eating while painting (kind of obvious, but I feel I should mention it). If this is a big concern for you, then buy a box of gloves! Lots of artists work this way, but I feel like if you are just good about washing up after painting, you should be fine.
Next on your list, get some linseed oil. This is a natural binder that will improve your paint flow, increase gloss and transparency, and extend dry time. This is technically considered a “fat” (when talking about the “fat over lean” rule, which we will get to), so my recommendation is to use it in small quantities while mixing up your colors and store it in an airtight container.
Most people are scared off by oils due to their longer drying time, but it is actually one of the best things about this medium! Oils become tacky in a day and are dry to the touch 2 days to 1 week later (depending on the amount of paint on your canvas). This allows more time to work your painting, and this also means that you can store your paints to use again for days. I would suggest that you get an airtight palette box (sold at many art stores). I have also heard that if you store your paints in the fridge, the paints will last even longer (unfortunately, I have not tested this because I have never had the space). As we are talking about the palette, I need to say that a glass palette really is a game changer. Cleaning my palette is my least favorite thing to do, but it sure beats working on paper palettes. Glass palettes are great because they make mixing colors with a palette knife super easy. When it’s time to clean your palette, you can pour a small amount of OMS onto the palette and use a stiff scraper to remove the paint.
Oil paints have a wonderful buttery quality that i just love! The more you use them, the more you learn about their transparency and opacity. When oil painting, I highly recommend doing an underpainting. It produces such beautiful work. An underpainting can be as simple as painting the entire canvas in one tone before you begin (colored ground). It could also be a value painting in which you put in the dark shades and midtones. An underpainting creates vibrancy and helps create consistency when some of the background inevitably peeks through. You can do this underpainting by “watering” down your oils (with OMS), or you can use acrylics (my preference, as it means I can get to painting faster). Here’s the thing, though: you can use acrylics under oils but NEVER over oils!
The other thing that often deters artists from the medium is the “Fat over Lean” rule. It feels confusing and, honestly, this “rule” is very intuitive to the painting process. So basically, the thinner layers need to be put down first before the thicker layers. Oil paint that has been thinned is more brittle and will crack over time if placed on top. This is especially important to artists who work in layers (allowing each layer to dry in between). If you work alla prima (a fancy word for painting in one sitting) this becomes less of a concern. If you are a beginner painter, I recommend painting alla prima. If you are used to painting in acrylics, this type of painting will feel most natural anyway! As you learn about the medium, you can experiment with glazes and layers (when you choose to do this, linseed oil will be your friend)
Lastly, when you’re finished with a painting, you should varnish it. Varnishing your work not only protects your piece but also enhances its colors. I really recommend the Gamar gloss as it has a breathable formula. What does that mean? Well, because oils take a long time to cure fully (6 months to a year), a breathable varnish allows the painting to fully cure even after its varnish stage. This means you can varnish the piece once it is dry to the touch. Game changer.
As I write out all this information, I can definitely understand why some people might feel like it’s more trouble than it’s worth to learn this medium, but I promise it’s worth it. Once you get the routine down, the painting process is actually simple. Oil paint is my favorite medium because it allows for incredible blendiablity, crazy luminosity, creative flexibility, and great quality. Once you learn the basics, oil painting is incredibly relaxing.
I get a little sad when artists tell me they haven’t tried oils because they are intimidating or scary. I totally get it, but they are missing out on an amazing medium- one that is super easy once you understand its properties. I hope that this post encourages you to go out and try something new. If you are a beginner oil painter, just know you aren’t alone. We have all been where you are. If you have any questions or need recommendations for paints, leave a comment. I got you!