As you sit down to start your first painting, remember that you are just a beginner. Your main goal right now is to have fun and get used to working with your oil painting materials. Do not be overly judgmental about your own work. If you do so, you will only wind up getting frustrated. Your first, second, third or even tenth painting may not turn out the way you wanted it to. This is completely normal so do not get discouraged. Oil painting is a difficult medium to master. It takes perseverance so hang in there.
Having good quality brushes is important. While a good quality brush will not make you a better painter, a cheap brush will only wind up frustrating you. When you use cheap brushes you will see why. Cheap brushes have a tendency to shed hairs that get stuck in the oil paint, which is extremely annoying. Good quality brushes should have stiff hairs and snap back into place when you run your fingers through them. They should be well crafted and sturdy.
You do not need that many brushes for oil painting. I personally only use two types of oil painting brushes: flats and filberts of various sizes. I do have a few rounds and a fan brush on hand, but I almost never use them. I would also recommend that you use hogs hair brushes as opposed to the softer synthetic hair brushes. The synthetic brushes are just too flimsy to handle the oil painting medium in my opinion.
Cleaning your brushes is important, so don't be careless in this area, especially if you are working with high quality brushes. Many artists recommend turpentine for cleaning brushes, but I simply cannot bring myself to use this stuff. I use a much safer brush cleaning product called "The Masters" Brush Cleaner and Preserver.
I clean my brushes right after a painting session with this product and it works wonderfully. It may take some time to really get your brushes clean, but it is worth the effort. If the brush cleaner does not remove all of the paint, then I use a bit of odorless mineral spirits. I find this a much better alternative to turpentine.
Oil Painting Mediums:What about mediums? Do you need to mix the oil painting for sale with anything or can you use it straight out of the tube? This is another common question amongst beginners. The answer? You do not need mediums to paint with. They are not a requirement, but I find them to be quite helpful.
LOADING YOUR BRUSH:To fully load the inside bristles of your brush first hold it perpendicular to the palette and work the bristles into the pile of paint. Then holding the brush at a 45 degree angle, drag the brush across your palette and away from the pile of paint. Flipping your brush from side to side will insure both sides will be loaded evenly.
For some strokes you may want the end of your brush to be rounded. To do this, stand the brush vertically on the palette. Firmly pull toward you working the brush in one direction. Lift off the palette with each stroke. This will tend to round off the end of the brush, paint with the rounded end up.
MIXING FOR HIGHLIGHTS:Place the tip of your brush into the can of LIQUID WHITE, LIQUID CLEAR or ODORLESS THINNER allow only a small amount of medium to remain on the bristles. Load your brush by gently dragging it through the highlight colors, repeat as needed. Gently tap the bristles against the palette just enough to open up the bristles and loosen the paint.
LOADING THE PALETTE KNIFE:With your palette knife, pull the mixture of paint in a thin layer down across the palette. Holding your knife in a straight upward position, pull the long working edge of your knife diagonally across the paint. This will create a roll of paint on your knife.
WHAT IF I HAVE NEVER PAINTED BEFORE?There are no great mysteries to painting. You need only the desire, a few basic techniques and a little practice. lf you are new to this technique, I strongly suggest that you read the entire section on "TIPS AND TECHNIQUES" prior to starting your first painting. Consider each painting you create as a learning experience. Add your own special touch and ideas to each painting you do and your confidence as well as your ability will increase at an unbelievable rate.
WHAT PAINT SHOULD I USE?The BOB ROSS technique of painting is dependent upon a special firm oil painting for sale the base colors. Colors that are used primarily for highlights (Yellows) are manufactured to a thinner consistency for easier mixing and application. The use of proper equipment helps assure the best possible results.
Liquid Clear is a particularly exciting ingredient for wet-on-wet painting. Like Liquid White/Black, it creates the necessary smooth and slippery surface. Additionally, Liquid Clear has the advantage of not diluting the intensity of other colors especially the darks which are so important in painting seascapes. Remember to apply Liquid Clear very sparingly! The tendency is to apply larger amounts than necessary because it is so difficult to see.
The following is a list of frequently asked questions about the BOB ROSS Oil Painting Technique and some instruction about the use and care of the materials.
BLENDING:This technique refers to the softening of hard edges and most visible brush strokes by blending the wet oil painting for sale on the canvas with a clean, dry brush. In blending, an already painted area is brushed very lightly with criss-cross strokes or by gently tapping with the corner of the brush. This gives colors a soft and natural appearance. Not all oil paints are suitable for this technique - most are too soft and tend to smear. Only a thick, firm paint is suitable for this technique.
MARBLING:To mix paints to a marbled effect, place the different colored paints on the mixing area of your palette and use your palette knife to pick up and fold the paints together, then pull flat. Streaks of each color should be visible in the mixture. Do not over mix.
THINNING PAINTS FOR ADDING HIGHLIGHTS:When mixing paints for application over thicker paints already on the canvas, especially when adding highlight colors, thin the paint with LIQUID WHITE, LIQUID CLEAR or ODORLESS THINNER. The rule to remember here is that a thin paint will stick to a thicker paint.
CLEANING AND DRYING THE BRUSHES:Painting with the wet on wet technique requires frequent and thorough cleaning of your brushes with paint thinner. An empty one pound coffee can is ideal to hold the thinner, or use any container approximately 5" in diameter and at-least 6" deep. Place a Bob Ross Screen in the bottom of the can and fill with odorless thinner approximately 1" above the screen. Scrub the brushes bristles against the screen to remove paint sediments which will settle on the bottom of the can.
Dry your larger brushes by carefully squeezing them against the inside of the coffee can, then slapping the bristles against a brush beater rack mounted inside of a tall kitchen trash basket to remove the remainder of the thinner. Smaller brushes can be cleaned by wiping them with paper towel or a rag (I highly recommend using Viva paper towels because they are very absorbent). Do not return the brushes to their plastic bags after use, this will cause the bristles to become limp. Never clean your Bob Ross brushes with soap and water or detergent as this will destroy the natural strength of the bristles. Store your brushes with bristles up or lying flat.
APPLYING LIQUID WHITE:Use the 2" brush with long, firm vertical and horizontal strokes across the canvas. The coat of Liquid WHITE should be very, very thin and even. Apply just before you begin to paint. Do not allow the paint to dry before you begin.
PLACEMENT OF OIL COLORS ON THE PALETTE:I suggest using a palette at least 16"x20" in size. Try arranging the colors around the outer edge of your palette from light to dark. Leave the center of the palette for mixing your Oil paintings for sale.
Oil painting has become a vital part of the modern day art. The artists make use of the oil paints to give shape to their imaginations and thoughts. If you wish to use painting art as a medium to put your thoughts into the canvas then it is necessary that you first understand the basic characteristics and procedures of oil painting.
Oil paintings for sale usually take a longer time period in comparison to other forms of painting art. It may acquire as long as a week time. It can be taken as a positive point as it gives you enough time to correct the flaws in the painting if any.
It also helps you to draw the exact shades which make it look closer to life. The painting thus looks great and shinier than any other normal painting.The best part of the painting lies in the fact that during a course of time, as it dries, the paints will not fade away as in case of most of the other water color paintings.
Buying oil paints rightly:
In order to get started with oil painting you require the right quality of oil painting for sale available in the market. They differ in quality, consistency, and rate. They can either be very thick or too thin. The colors also play a much important role when it comes to adding the soul in the painting.
The right way to buy the oil paints is by taking into account the quality of the paint, and the expression that you wish to illustrate through the painting.For this you may need to buy some essential items, which are very essential to get started with oil paining. You first require the right paints and a good quality brush to paint with. You can buy any synthetic substitutes for the oil paint or get oil that can make your painting look more striking.
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Oil paintings for sale for beginners can be hazardous if you are not careful, so it is important to take the necessary precautions. Make sure you work in an area that has good ventilation and airflow. Wear disposable latex gloves while painting. Read all manufacturer warning labels carefully.
How it works varies from museum to museum, but generally, you apply, get permission and follow that museum's rules. For example, in the Louvre, and other museums, painters are not supposed to use the same size canvas as the original. You can't eat or drink in the museum, must use a canvas drop cloth on the floor where you oil painting for sale on an easel and you must clean up thoroughly after every session. Some museums offer copyists locker space to leave their paintings and gear at the museum instead of bringing everything back and forth each day you want to copy during your month access to a painting gallery.
If you can't afford to go to an art school because of time and/or money, learn from the masters. If you can't get to a museum, copy the great paintings from reproductions. If you can't get reproductions, you can find them in library books or on the web.
What you can learn from copying the masters? Everyone is different in their ability to extract information from art instruction textbooks, videos or art classes. By copying a masterwork, you can learn something about the artist's technique, handling of paint, use of color, composition, form, drawing and so on.
Can you learn from copying great paintings? Michelangelo thought so.
One of the more frequently asked questions from beginners in oil painting is: How do I get Started? To get started in oil painting is relatively easy. There are some basic supplies that you will need and some basic guidelines to follow. This article will discuss how beginners can get started with oil painting. This article will not teach you how to become a good painter however. In fact, no one can make you a good painter. You can only be taught certain things and it is up to you to take what you have learned and apply it.
Many beginners who are new to the oil painting for sale medium, generally have the same questions. So let's cover those questions now so that you can begin your painting journey right away.
The first thing you will need to do is purchase a few supplies. You need not spend a ton of money on expensive Oil paintings for sale. Start with the basics as you are only a beginner right now. The goal at this point is to get used to working with your support, brushes, paints and other materials. So expensive supplies will be wasted during this stage.
You are going to need a support to paint on. There are a number of different supports that can handle oil paint, but for now, start with canvas. Many beginners often ask if a canvas needs any special coating or priming for oil paint. The short answer is yes, but you need not worry about that either. Any local art supply store or online art supply store will have canvases that are already primed and ready to be used.
Next, you are going to need paint. You do not need an expensive brand of paint. That would again be a waste for beginners. There are less expensive, good quality paints on the market that will work beautifully for your painting needs. Here are a few oil paint brands to test out: WINSOR & NEWTON Winton Oil Colours, GRUMBACHER Academy Oils and DALER-ROWNEY Georgian Oil Colours.
For those of you who may be concerned about the potential hazards associated with oil paints, have no fear. Introducing water miscible oil paints! These paints are fantastic. They can be thinned with water as opposed to using dangerous solvents like turpentine. Here are two brands to try out if you are interested: GRUMBACHER Max Water Miscible Oil Colors and WINSOR & NEWTON Artisan Water Mixable Oil Colours.