How to paint with oil paints. How to start painting with oil paints? How to Create Your Own Artist Kit

Nowadays, many people choose handicrafts or various types of artistic creativity as a hobby. With the market filled with mass-produced goods, the demand for handmade souvenirs is increasing. Photographs or computer illustrations are printed multiple times. You can create an exclusive thing by learning how to write for beginners. It is quite possible for even a beginner to master this painting technique. This way you will make a wonderful gift or interior decoration. Even if you try to repeat exactly the same plot twice, you still won’t get a perfect copy. This determines the uniqueness of original works of art.

Preparation of materials

To create oil paintings for beginners, you will need the following:

• base (canvas or fiberboard);
• paints;
• brushes;
• solvent (white spirit) and a small container for it;
• palette for mixing colors.

Professionals also use palette knives - special flexible metal spatulas with a wooden handle, which they use to apply paint to canvas. For a beginner, it’s enough to master brushes. In addition, professionals paint pictures on an easel or a special sketchbook, if they go out into nature to paint pictures from life for novice artists - the plot is quite complex. It is better to make them from your imagination or using a photograph. It will be easier.

From the point of view of professionals, it is more convenient to work on an easel, since it is easier to step away and evaluate the result from afar. In your first experience, you can also practice on a table surface, although it is better to take some kind of plywood and place it on your lap or place it on a chair at an angle. Such a review of your work allows you to better assess its quality and notice errors in time. Although for the first experience you should do what is convenient and comfortable for you, so as not to be distracted from the main thing.

Please note that the paints are used unevenly, so for a beginner it is better to purchase them separately. The release form is offered in various volumes. White paint disappears the fastest, but black paint is used in very small quantities. It makes sense to first decide on the plot, and then purchase paints in the appropriate shades. For you you will need one set, and for a summer landscape - another. In order not to waste money on unnecessary colors, it is better to buy only the necessary ones in approximately the required quantities. Although in fact all shades can be obtained with only three primary colors (yellow, red, blue), as well as white and black.

Which foundation should you choose?

Traditionally, oil painting is done on canvas, but for a beginner this can be difficult as the fabric needs to be stretched over a stretcher and primed. However, modern technologies have advanced in this direction. Specialized stores sell ready-made bases onto which paints are immediately applied. They are not cheap, but they are just right for a beginner, as they make the work much easier.

Another option is to use fiberboard. Every man's household has scraps of this material stored after repair work. It’s easy to find it by asking friends, relatives or acquaintances. Someone has definitely used it and keeps some leftovers in the pantry just in case.

The texture of the fiberboard sides is different; one looks absolutely smooth, while the other looks rough, vaguely reminiscent of a woven structure. You can use both, but it is better to apply more layers of primer to a rough surface, otherwise the color may appear dull in the future, since the paint will seem to sink into the structure of such a “canvas”.

If you decide to try the oil painting technique for beginners for the first time, you can use a ready-made fiberboard base with a primer already applied. They are also sold in specialty craft stores. It is better to take a small sheet size, no larger than landscape. Once you have gained some experience, purchase or prime a format of any size yourself.

You can immediately order a frame for your future painting. Once decorated, any canvas looks elegant and complete. However, most often the baguette is selected according to color and width to match the finished work. This is also an interesting and creative process. Seeing the same image in different frames will help you understand how different the canvas makes an impression. Even oil paintings by novice artists look exquisite in a good frame, but poor framing can ruin a professional’s painting. So this stage must also be treated very carefully.

If you still decide to prepare the DPV base yourself, a simple and cheap way is to use regular gelatin; you can add PVA glue to it to make the color white. This primer should be applied in several layers, allowing the previous one to dry first. Three times will be enough. You should feel that the surface has become different. When the base is prepared, you can move on to

Types of brushes

To work with oil, use bristles or synthetics. Their fibers are hard, elastic, and interact well with the paint composition. To begin with, you can buy two or three pieces. A thin one, for example No. 1, will be needed to work out the details, wide ones are needed to create large background surfaces in the case of a landscape - the sky, grass, water, draperies in a still life. Do not use squirrel brushes for oil painting. They will spoil. After each use, especially if you are going to take a long break from the creative process, thoroughly wash your tools with solvent to prevent the paint from drying on them.

Oil paintings for beginners step by step

Considering that you have prepared the materials and base, creating a canvas, regardless of the plot, consists of the following steps:

1. Apply a linear drawing to the canvas with a simple pencil or paint directly.

2. Distribute shadows and highlights - the darkest and brightest areas of the image, respectively.

3. Complete the background and all large objects.

4. Draw small details.

Remember to constantly step away from the picture, assessing the result from afar. As you work, try to mix different shades of colors on your palette. The final touch will be to frame the painting.

Subjects

To make simple oil paintings for beginners, choose an appropriate theme. The easiest way is to make a still life, that is, a composition of household items, a vase with flowers. If you are working from life, and you will need a lot of time the first time, use objects that will not change in a week. You may have to complete the painting in several steps, so when composing a still life for the subject of an oil painting for beginners, it is better not to use flowers. They may change color, wither, or new buds will bloom. The perception of the composition will change. It will be difficult for you. The easiest way is to work with a photograph or copy an easy image you like. Don't take stories with a lot of details. It is very difficult to paint a portrait.

How to make a landscape?

If you want to decorate your wall with a nature painting done by yourself, it is better to use a tutorial on how to paint oil paintings for beginners step by step. It is quite possible to do this using ready-made instructions. The main thing is to understand what elements the image consists of, and it is better to start working from the background and general space, moving sequentially to smaller details located closer to the viewer.

Let's go plein air

Painting oil paintings in nature is very pleasant, but you need to work quickly, since the weather can get worse, and the sun is constantly moving, changing the direction of light and shadows. Beginning artists can use a camera to photograph the initial painting. If you get tired of working for a long time the first time, then you can finish the painting at home.

How to draw flowers?

If you want to decorate the interior of a room with an oil painting with a bouquet in a vase, it is better to choose asters as your first experience. Asters are perfect. They are not difficult to make, as they are a simple elliptical shape, and the small petals are easy to do with separate strokes in a circle. Also suitable are daisies, sunflowers, lilacs, lupins, mimosa - in a word, choose those with inflorescences or individual elements of a simple, clear shape that can be created in one stroke, drawing several details later. Your task is not to convey the photographic accuracy of the object, but to create a beautiful impression of what you see.

So, you have learned how to create oil paintings for beginners. Choose the plot you like, buy the necessary materials and begin the exciting creative process.

You will need

• - oil paints of different colors;
• - brushes with natural bristles (bristle and core brushes);
• - canvas;
• - primer;
• - fine sandpaper;
• - easel;
• - palette;
• - drying oil;
• - palette knife;
• - solvent;
• - turpentine;
• - varnish;
• - textile;
• -cup.

Instructions

Buy high-quality oil paints, brushes and other necessary supplies for painting in a specialized store or department. Pay special attention to paints and brushes - these are the main tools of an artist. Good brushes retain their original shape after each stroke, bad brushes practically do not bend and do not return to their original shape when dipped in oil paint.

Stretch the canvas onto a stretcher. For painting with oil paints, thick cotton or linen canvas is used. It must be primed before work. Apply the first coat of primer horizontally. Smooth the surface with sandpaper and, to get rid of small cracks, apply a second, vertical, layer of primer.

Place the canvas on the easel. Pour some turpentine into a cup to cleanse while brushing. After the primer has dried, this will take about an hour. Sketch the painting.

Wipe the palette with linseed oil and wipe dry. Then squeeze oil paints onto it. The palette can be held in your hand or placed nearby while working.

Mix drying oil with dark oil paints that you will use for the base of the painting. Using a palette knife, add a little solvent into the mixture. This will give the paints fluidity and they will lie more evenly on the canvas.

When working on a painting, apply oil paint in gentle strokes. If your work is large, then paint with bristle brushes. Use calico brushes to paint individual areas with fine detailing.

Correct mistakes and inaccuracies in the painting by wiping off the paint with a palette knife and using a piece of cloth soaked in turpentine. Then sand the area and moisten it with just one drop of linseed oil.

In order to learn how to paint with oil paints, or it would be more correct to say, to write with oil paints, you need to have certain knowledge in this area, namely, to understand the variety of tools that are currently presented in a wide range in stores for artists. A novice artist may get lost when entering such a store without prior preparation, because a seemingly obvious set, such as canvas, brushes and oil paints, will not be enough for a good start in this business. This article is aimed at enabling you to virtually visit an artist store, as if accompanied by an experienced mentor. So, let's begin!

Canvas

The first thing we will choose is canvas. As a basis for painting with oil paints, you can choose various materials: board, cardboard, metal plate, glass, plastic. But if we are talking about classical painting, then, of course, you should choose fabric that is primed in the right way, stretched tightly on a stretcher and ringing like a drum. Yes Yes! The canvas should not sag, its surface should be perfectly flat. In the old days, and even now, many professional artists stretch fabric over stretcher themselves, they prime it themselves. Since these recommendations are intended for beginning artists, we will not delve into the topic of stretching canvas onto a stretcher; we will talk about how to choose the right surface that is ready for work, namely, a canvas that has already been primed and stretched on a stretcher.

It's best to canvas sheet was linen, it can be of medium or fine grain, have a smooth smooth surface without knots, the thickness of the canvas should be uniform everywhere. The grain of the canvas is various irregularities and knots in the fabric, in the weaving of the canvas threads. If there are a lot of such inclusions and the threads are coarse, then you have a canvas with high grain size. It is suitable for drawing objects with a strong texture, for example, old brick walls, gnarled tree trunks, stones, rock debris, etc. Here you can work with large impasto strokes and use a palette knife. Therefore, such a canvas is not suitable for painting objects with a delicate texture or for conveying delicate light and shadow transitions. The delicate transparency of grapes and the face of a young girl cannot be drawn on such a surface. For such purposes, it would be right to choose a canvas finer workmanship, smoother, that is, fine-grained. And it is precisely this kind of canvas that is best purchased for beginning artists; by the way, on it, you can make a more detailed preliminary pencil drawing. And you can easily erase a part of the drawing you don’t like.

Pay attention to the quality of the stretcher, that is, the wooden base on which the canvas is stretched. We have already talked about the inadmissibility of its sagging, it remains to add that it is necessary to evaluate wood quality, from which the subframe is made. Usually it is linden, pine or birch. The wood must be well processed, dry, smooth, without knots, chips, rot or wormholes.

Oil paints

To begin with, you should not buy a large number of paints; it will be quite enough to purchase a set of 10-12 colors. The most important thing is that this set contains blue (glazes, cobalts), red (cadmium medium, light or dark), yellow (cadmium medium), black (carbon black), white (zinc or titanium white) paints. If you already know how to mix primary colors and get additional ones from them, then even this minimum will be enough for you, but it’s better to diversify a little, even if it’s just your first oil palette! To find out what color is in the tube, look at the color stripe on the label. Complete your set with blue paint (sky blue), ocher tint (light or golden ocher), the so-called “colors of the earth” - natural umber, natural sienna, as well as natural shades of green colors - olive, herbal green, light green, etc. .

We remind you once again, look at the tube label. Or you can buy a ready-made set of paints. Over time, you will understand which paints are used up faster and which ones are not. In addition, before buying paints, it would be good to know in what color scheme you plan to paint the picture: will it be delicate pastel shades or rich contrasting painting? What size will your work be? This may also influence your choice. And, of course, it would be nice to familiarize yourself with the table of colors, the names of which are the same for almost all manufacturers, so you can easily navigate by color and look at the correct names of the colors and shades you like. Prices for oil paints from different manufacturers vary; they directly depend on the chemical composition of the paints. Paints that contain natural rather than synthetic pigments will cost more.

Brushes

Lucky

In the window of a store for artists, among other things, you will see various artistic varnishes. They are designed to work directly with paints, that is, the brush is periodically dipped into varnish, then into paint. This is what is called " painting on varnish" or "through varnish." Why is this being done? In order for the painting to be immediately bright and rich. And it is better, of course, to protect finished work with well-dried paints with varnish. As we have already mentioned, varnish gives richness to the colors and, most importantly, protects your work from external influences. When the varnish is dry, the surface of the canvas can be wiped off from dust. Varnishes come in different compositions; they are mainly made on the basis of soft resins.

Solvents

A very necessary and important thing for oil painting. The solvent is needed to dilute the paints, in order to clean the brushes before finally washing them with soap suds.

Tee

This is a ready-made composition for diluting oil paints. It usually contains linseed oil, varnish and turpentine. It is this diluent that is poured into the oil can. If you don’t have it on hand, Pinene No. 4 solvent plus linseed oil will do.

Oil can

A special container into which a tee or solvent is poured. It is usually attached to the palette, for which it has a convenient clothespin attachment. Oilers come in plastic and iron. It is more convenient to have an oil can with a screw-on lid, then nothing will spill and the unused contents will not dry out prematurely.

Palette knives

A necessary and important tool in an artist’s arsenal. These are special spatulas designed to remove paint residue from the palette and apply and remove paint from the canvas. There are special painting techniques when work on canvas is done with a palette knife rather than a brush. There are sets of palette knives on sale in different sizes and shapes.

Palette

Oh, this is a real calling card of any artist! You also need to be able to choose the right palette; the colors on the palette should be placed closer to the edges, leaving room for mixing in the center. Palettes come in different shapes and sizes.

Easel

- a very convenient thing for objectively evaluating your work and seeing shortcomings. Work mounted on an easel is a professional approach. You can work in front of the easel either standing or sitting. From time to time you need to move some distance away from the canvas to see all the details. When buying an easel, focus on its strength, reliability of fastenings, size and model that suits you.

Sketchbook

A special device for painting outside the home. This is a kind of suitcase in which you can place everything you need for work: brushes, paints, solvents, canvases, cardboards. It is quite compact, opens and closes, and has reliable, strong carrying straps. The sketchbook can be of various sizes, with or without legs that can be adjusted in height. When buying a sketchbook, you need to make sure that it is reliable and durable, and has good fastenings. The sketchbook can also be used as an easel at home.

Here are, perhaps, the most basic tips that we hope will be useful to you when choosing materials for painting with oil paints. If you have the full set of tools that we talked about, you can safely start painting your first oil painting! Good luck and creative inspiration!

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Have you long dreamed of trying to paint with oil paints, but don’t know what you need for this? We have collected 28 tips to help beginners understand this matter. We wish you inspiration!

1. The main set of oil paints consists of the following colors: alizarin crimson, cadmium yellow, yellow ocher, titanium white, cadmium red, ultramarine blue, Martian black. From these shades it is possible to create any other color.

2. Buy white with a reserve. When mixing paints it will be used up very quickly.

3. For an enjoyable painting experience, invest in quality oil paints and tools.

4. For your first painting experience, it’s enough to buy a couple of brushes of different types. For example, you can purchase round, flat and bristle brushes in different sizes.

5. You can use old rags and cans to clean your brushes.

6. It is not necessary to buy a palette for paint; it is enough to use a board or cardboard.

7. When painting with oil paints there is a rule: thick to thin. For the first layer, buy a solvent. Apply a thick layer over it.

8. Draw in a place well lit with natural light. Otherwise, the colors may then differ from what they appeared to be in a specific light.

9. The easel is adjusted according to your height and position so that you can sit without discomfort or difficulty.

10. Oil paints are difficult to remove from fabric. Therefore, wear things that you don’t mind.

11. To begin, place a sketch in pencil or charcoal on the canvas. Build a composition.

12. To make the drawing more realistic, determine where the light source will be. This way you can easily depict darkened and illuminated areas, shadows, penumbra, and highlights.

13. Light color is obtained by adding white, shadow - by adding black.

14. To prevent the paint from being so thick, mix it with turpentine or linseed oil. Add them to the paint little by little to get exactly the consistency you need.

15. Take your time to apply the second coat. Let the paint dry. Usually this is 3 days.

16. Learn to mix paints. Add layers of paint so that adjacent paints can be mixed with a flat brush. The stroke should go in the direction of mixing.

17. To make the glaze, you will need 1/3 linseed oil, turpentine and oil varnish. Mix them together and you'll get a clear color that can be mixed with other paints to create a glaze.

18. To create the effect of a more transparent figure, you can use a brush with natural bristles. Apply dots onto the canvas with a brush at a 90 degree angle.

19. Use a palette knife to create a thick layer of paint. Smear the paint onto the canvas with a knife. This is the best medium for conveying movement and drawing landscapes.

20. Paints dry for about 3 days. Take this time to critically evaluate the drawing. You can correct the picture or completely erase the details.

22. Clean your brushes with turpentine and an old rag. Scrub the paint until the water running off the brush becomes clear. If the paint dries on the brush, the tool is unlikely to save anything.

23. Paintings take 3 or more months to dry. Until then, leave your creation in a well-ventilated place where the painting will not be disturbed.

24. After your painting has dried, it should be varnished. You will protect your picture and colors from fading.

25. Try not to use the color “Black Ivory” for background coatings, because it takes a very long time to dry.

26. Linseed oil is not used for light paints. Otherwise they will turn yellow.

27. To remove oil paint from your hands, use another oil (baby oil or olive oil). Wipe off the paint with a rag and don’t wash your hands until you’ve completely scrubbed it off.

28. Apply paints to the intended areas, and then use a brush to mix them until you get a gradation that satisfies you.

All people have tried to draw since childhood. Some people do it well, and in the future a person will connect their life with art, but some people don’t succeed in everything. Everyone has been to a gallery or art exhibition at least once in their life. And, of course, from time to time there was a desire to take and draw something yourself, just for yourself. Today we will tell you where to start our creativity.

For oil painting you will need:

1. Stretched canvas;
2. Palette;
3. Pencil 2B;
4. Decorator brush 25 mm;
5. Brushes for working with oils;
6. Oil paints.

Oil paints are sold either in specialized stores or in regular supermarkets. They come in two types: a set, which contains several different colors of paint, or they are sold individually. It is best to buy oil paints separately. Firstly, this way you can replenish your collection by using some colors more often and others less often. Secondly, if you run out of paint of a specific color, you will just need to buy more, rather than purchasing a whole set.

It is best to choose special brushes for working with oil. The most convenient brushes are made from pig bristles. They are harder and will work great for your job. It is better not to experiment and do not paint with your fingers, this can be dangerous, since oil paints are very toxic.

You may also need a palette for your work. If you plan to paint constantly, then you should buy a special wooden palette. But in principle, glass or a plate can serve as a palette. The paint should be squeezed out onto the palette gradually, from left to right. You should never immediately mix light and dark colors. The middle of the palette should remain empty, where we will mix our paints. There are also special whites that can be used between paints. Usually a lot of them are consumed, so it is better to stock up on them in advance.

Oil painting technique

There are several types of techniques for working with oil: a la prima and multi-layer.

A la prima is a technique that involves quickly applying paint to a canvas. This technique does not require preliminary pencil sketches. We still paint the landscape in oils gradually, but very quickly. If you did not have time to finish your painting, you can finish it the next day, since the paint will not have dried by this time. In this technique, it doesn’t matter at all whether we paint the sky with oil, or paint the mountains with oil, or paint water with oil, the main thing is a generous amount of paint.

Multilayer technique Suitable for longer work. This technique involves applying several layers of paint. When we paint nature with oils, we need exactly this technique. Since in one painting, you can combine many images and transfer them on canvas.
We always paint a landscape in oils step by step. Don't grab everything at once. To begin, draw what you want onto the canvas with a pencil. This is done in order to correctly distribute the ton and paint in the future. Afterwards, it is recommended to apply primer. In principle, there are canvases already saturated with soil. The primer itself helps the paint adhere better to the canvas.

LET'S LOOK AT SOME EXAMPLES THAT YOU CAN TRY TO DRAW IN OIL:

1. How to paint grass with oils.

This is the easiest thing you need to start with. Prepare the necessary paint and make several shades of green on the palette. Initially, if you doubt your abilities, draw what you want with a pencil. And then, use paints. Apply paint onto the canvas smoothly, from bottom to top. Use darker paint at the bottom, and lighter paint at the top. Work carefully with the brush, do not make too many lines so that they do not turn into a blot.

2. How to paint water with oil.

Water is the next stage, already more complex. Try to convey shallowness and depth with shades of paint. This can be done by using a lighter blue color or, conversely, a darker blue. Take a canvas and roughly mark on it with a pencil the places where it is deep and where it is shallow. Prepare paint on the palette. Apply paint to the canvas gradually. First, paint the area where it is shallow, use light tones of paint for this, then depth, here a dark blue color will come in handy. Don't forget about color transitions. You can also create waves using small strokes of white paint.

3. How to paint trees in oils.

First draw a tree on the canvas with a pencil. Try to convey the tree branches, foliage and contours as naturally as possible. The pencil is very easy to erase and this will allow you to practice before working with paints. Then take on the paints. To begin, depict the trunk itself using brown paint, add small stripes in a darker shade, depicting the bark of a tree. Draw the branches in lighter tones. Foliage can be any color. If the tree is spring, then you can “play” with green shades, but if it is autumn, then yellow, red and green colors are perfect.

4. How to paint grapes in oils.

The drawing of grapes requires special attention. Before work, carefully study either similar works or photographs depicting this berry. One of the most difficult elements will be the leaves, which will require special attention. If this is still very difficult for you, just draw berries. Draw bunches of grapes with a pencil. Try to stick to a natural oblong shape. Afterwards, first paint the contours of the berries with darker paints, paint over the rest of the berries with a little lighter paint. Use white paint or other light colors to create highlights.

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