Methods and equipment for painting with Oil paint using Zest-it

Oils have a quality all of their own, they are a popular medium and have stood the test of time. Oil paints are easy to manipulate and so adaptable.

Oil paint is a slower drying medium than most others, this allows time for alterations and mistakes can be wiped off or rectified. The use of 'turps' with oils gives them their bad reputation but things have moved on and using Zest-it® is a pleasure with oil paint for both diluting the paint and cleaning brushes. More information about oil paint, how it's made and some of it's properties can be found on the paint page.

Many people think you need a lot of equipment to paint with oils but that is not necessarily true. Like most other painting media, you need a few brushes, some paint, a way of cleaning the brushes, somewhere to mix the paint and something to paint on.
One piece of equipment that is very useful when painting with oils on large canvas or similar is an easel, not a necessity but it certainly makes painting more comfortable.

jacqui blackman oil paint colour charts Oil paint has a 'personality', the same way as Watercolour, Gouache and Acrylic paint, they all behave differently. A stranger can be a friend you don't yet know, so if you want to paint well with oils, you need to get to know oil paint, its different properties and feel comfortable working with it. Making colour charts can be good fun, it's also a way of getting to know the paints personality, which colour mix well together and where it makes 'mud'.

There are different methods of painting with oils, from the traditional method of building the paint up in layers with glazing in-between, often referred to as indirect painting. To the wet-on-wet method which is in effect one layer of paint, mixed on the canvas, sometimes called direct painting or alla prima.

Which is the best one? The best one is the one that suit's you.

There are many different ways to paint with oils and don't be afraid to experiment until you find one you're happy with. Try as many different surfaces as possible until one gives the effect that you are after. For fine detail the smoother the canvas or surface the better, the surface does need to be primed.

Try painting your oils thickly often referred to as impasto, try them with a painting knife or bristle haired brush. When painting thickly use a canvas or surface that has plenty of 'tooth', this rougher, more textured surface is needed to hold the weight of paint. The thicker the paint the longer it will take to dry.

Brushes give different effects according to the type of filament and the shape of the bristles. Bristle is the traditional hair in artist oil brushes. They also tend to have long handles, this allows more distance between you and your work, which helps when brush strokes are often large and loose.

Whereas for something like Tole painting you would use soft haired brushes which tend to be short handled, the work is more detailed you therefore need to be closer to it. Check out the brush cleaning page for hints and tips on looking after your brushes.

Some people paint with just a painting knife for the main part of the picture, putting the fine detail in with a brush. Painting knives allow large sweeps of colour, again, often mixed on the canvas. When trying the different knife or brush strokes, or just getting the 'feel' of the paint, greaseproof paper makes a good inexpensive practice surface to try painting oils on.

Oils can be a challenging, enjoyable, tactile painting experience, an amenable media for artistic expression. The first step down any road is always the hardest, but with a little encouragement we can all go a long way.

Throughout the site you will find many pages on various aspects of oil painting, for instance, click the link if you are interested in colour mixing, for information about using painting medium, for Zest-it and Zest-it products, for the colour wheel enjoy the learning path.

To view my Oil painting gallery click the link. Many of the products shown on this page can be purchased at our online J & T's Art and Calligraphy or www.zest-itartproducts.co.uk