Oil painting techniques All mediums have their characteristics that make them unique.

It is very difficult to say that one medium is superior over another. Basically it is the decision of the artist to exploit their unique properties and decide which medium will suit him best. Let's take a look at some of advantages and disadvantages of the three major mediums. a) Watercolor- This is known as a translucent medium because white is not added to the body. The pigment is very thin and transparent, thus allowing light to pass through like film. When this occurs the light bounces off the white paper and comes back with the reflected colors. Watercolors usually have a brilliancy that surpass opaque mediums. Unfortunately, this medium in some of its properties is not easy to handle and definition of edges are not easily maintained when working on wet paper. Also the medium when being applied wet will give a false reading due to the fact that it will dry one or two values lighter then how it looks when in a puddle form. Another thing that some people do not like is the way they are framed behind glass. This doesnt prove the painting is an original and be mistaken for a print. b) Oils- This seems to remain to be the mother all mediums. Once the painting is hanging on the wall it shows enough texture to prove it is an original. The condition of the paint as well the color is exactly the same when being applied than when it dries. Therefore, the artists can judge perfectly well the outcome. One of the misfortunes of this medium are the toxic solvents and the smell. Also when applying one layer of paint on top of another can be cumbersome. c) Acrylics-These behave pretty much the same as oils except that you don't need toxic solvents. However, it is still a messy medium. One of the setbacks that for me is a major issue is the fact that it dries too fast thus making it difficult to blend, giving an overall hard edged look. For the purposes of this tutorial we will focus on the application of oil paints. To simplify, I will refer to a list of Dos and Donts.

DOS
1) Apply the paint thickly, especially in the foreground to give it texture so it will stand out as an original painting. 2) Mix as few colors as possible to get to the desired outcome. Try to keep it within three. 3) When possible instead of using white to lighten a color, if you can use a color such as lemon yellow or yellow ocher. This will give a less chalky look and the colors will be cleaner. 4) Blend edges to soften them in areas that are in the background and away from the center of interest. 5) To place one layer of pigment on top of another, make sure the bottom one is very thin, just enough to tint that canvas. Then load your brush with thick paint to a butter consistency and allow it to roll off the brush without pushing down into the previous layer. That way the second layer will lie on top rather than mix with the second one. 6) To show subtle changes or shifts in color do not thoroughly mix the colors on your palette. It is a better practice to mute the chroma on the palette, then apply the paint to the canvas and mix in the adjacent colors. For example when painting trees it is a good practice to show variegated greens resulting from intermixing colors such as lemon yellow, yellow ochre, and burnt sienna. Some of these colors intermixed should show in a given area. 7) If you need to rework an area when the painting has already dried by applying a thin coat of linseed oil, will result to a very workable surface and avoid hard edges. 8) Add thick paint to indicate highlights such as on rocks, tree foliage etc. Thick paint on a wine bottle in a still life will make it glow more and create a convincing light reflection. 9) A very thick blob of paint to indicate a turned on light in a lamp post or the inside of a window during a night scene will give off more the impression of glowing light. The light source in the room will bounce off the top.

Donts
a) Don't thin pigment with turpentine, rather use linseed oil. However if you need an ink consistency to create thin lines such as three branches etc. this would be the exception since these are only small touches. b) Don't over-mix your colors on your palette. This will only result into flat and monotonous areas in your painting. c) Avoid mixing more than three different colors. Be as direct as possible. If you study the color wheel this will be good help.

Additional Hints: If you add a very thin layer of linseed oil to your canvas before you apply the paint, you will work less trying to rub the pigment on. This will give a more workable surface because the paint will slide on. Also you will not need to varnish your painting because it will end up with a glossy look. A pre-toned canvas using a wash of acrylics of burnt sienna or yellow ocher will add a warm glow that will somewhat show through the paint. If you apply this over the pencil marks they will not be removed if you decide to pre-wet your canvas with linseed oil as indicated above. Remember that you were the only one that knows the difference between a palette and a canvas. As far as the pigment is concerned they are both mixing surfaces, meaning you can mix your paint on either one. The only difference is one will be framed, the other will be discarded. Follow up examples:

Observe the blurred edges in the background mountains and the foliage. This helps keep the eye focused on the rider.

The thick paint in the windows and the light posts help create the illusion of light.

Highlights in oil are usually done with thick broad brush strokes.

Observe the subtle variegations of color in the trees and grass. By mixing the paint on the canvas rather than the palette will help achieve this look.