Anne Whiteman Art

While one of the most satisfying forms of painting, Oil painting can become expensive. The start-up is greater in cost than many other forms of creating artwork. Thus a discussion of what you should purchase is in order.

Oil paints are a classic media. They have stood the test of time and have been used for hundreds of years, are durable and maintain color. They are slow drying and allow the artist to make changes and to rework the painting during the drying time. The colors can be opaque or transparent. Used with a variety of added mediums, they can be used in a number of ways, most of which will be discussed in the lesson sessions.

You will need brushes. What kind of brush depends upon you, the artist. They come in natural and synthetic. Many new students start with bristle brushes, but experimenting with different kinds will help you find your favorites. Once you know what your preferences are, you should buy the best you can afford. In starting up, you might want to start with a less expensive set of brushes that are of varying sizes.

Traditional oil painting brushes have long handles, so that the artist can work at some distance from the canvas. The hair is generally firmer and stiffer than for a watercolor brush. Some prefer the shorter length as well. I use both.

No matter what your choice, you must remember to clean the brushes carefully after every use. This is of major importance. Many artists use odorless turpentine for this, and some even use turpentine as a medium.

I personally do not like the effects of turpentine as a medium; my preference is linseed oil or a mixture of oil and turpentine, or a special medium like Copal Oil Medium. The latter gives your oil painting a lovely sheen and dries faster. You also need a jar with a tight-fitting lid for your cleaning fluid. Putting a stainless steel scrubber in the bottom will allow the paint that is removed to gather in the bottom of the jar and keep the cleaner usable longer.

Cleaning your brushes is a very important step in ensuring a longer life for your brush. In the case of oil paints, the brush should be cleaned off thoroughly starting with solvent and rags or tissue. Once the brush is fairly clean from the solvent, rub the bristles in a glass or plastic jar with either a brush conditioner or a human hair shampoo. Give the brush a good final rinse and squeeze out any water. Dry the brush with its hair end lower than the handle end to prevent water from loosening the handle and the ferrule. Dry brushes can be stored bristle up in a jar, or laid flat.

A palette knife is a useful tool for mixing and/or applying oil paints to paintings.

They come in varying sizes. You will need at least one. You may also want to purchase a paper palette on which to mix paint. However, a sheet of glass (Tempered), Plexiglass or a board covered in plastic wrap can also work as a temporary palette.

At this point, we still have not discussed the actual paint you will need. There are regular oil paints; and water-based oils (often used by people who have allergies to solvents.) Water Mixable oils can be mixed with regular oils; but when used on their own they clean up with water.

My choice is to have a set palette of colors and to mix whatever colors I need from these. You need both opaque and transparent paints. (Read the tube to distinquish each so you will be aware of its type.) You can start with small tubes of paint to determine if you like the brand or not. This is not a good area to economize, but brand name student paints are fine. Some “cheaper” paints will just frustrate you and even ruin your painting. I have experienced this myself.

My favorite color palette is:

Titanium White or Soft White; Yellow Ochre; Cadmium Yellow Light (or similar); Cadmium Red Light (or Bright Red); Aliziron Crimson, Burnt Umber; Ultramarine Blue; Cerulean Blue; Burnt Sienna; and Permanent Green Light. Sap Green and Cobalt Blue. Note there is no black.

Some may benefit from having Paynes Gray in their palette, but black can be easily mixed, and black from a tube is flat. Some Cadmium colors are quite expensive, and some are sold as a “hue.” The Hue will work for your purposes, at least while you are learning. As time passes, you may want to choose other colors to have on hand. The ones mentioned here are pretty basic and fairly easy to work with.

Once all of these items are gathered, you are almost ready to put a brush to … what? Canvas? Canvas Board? Masonite? The choices here, are once again, many. The purchase of a stretched canvas or canvas board is usually the first choice. Some come already “primed,” and some you have to prepare yourself. You may want to purchase a can of “gesso,” to prime your canvas and make it ready to hold your paint.

Some people who are just starting out using oil paint will economize by sharing with other artists in student situations where people are painting together. Once you have your own supplies you will find that many will last for a very long time … well kept brushes, tubes of paint, etc. Once you have assembled your supplies, move on to a new lesson!

BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS